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INSTALL(1)                                                          INSTALL(1)



NAME
       install - copy files and set attributes

SYNOPSIS
       install[options][-s][--strip] source dest
       install[options][-s][--strip] source... directory
       install[options][-d,--directory] directory...

       Options (shortest form):
       [-b][-c][-D][-g group][-m mode][-o owner][-S SUFFIX][-V{num-
       bered,existing,simple}][--help][--version][--]

DESCRIPTION
       install copies files while setting their permission modes and, if  pos-
       sible, their owner and group.

       In  the  first  of these invocation forms, the source file is copied to
       the dest target file.  In the second, each  of  the  source  files  are
       copied  to the destination directory.  In the last, each directory (and
       any missing parent directories) is created.

       install is similar to cp, but allows you to control the  attributes  of
       destination  files.  It is typically used in Makefiles to copy programs
       into their destination directories.  It  refuses  to  copy  files  onto
       themselves.


OPTIONS
       -c     Ignored; for compatibility with old Unix versions of install.

       -d,--directory
              Create  each given directory and any missing parent directories,
              setting the owner, group and mode as given on the  command  line
              or  to  the  defaults.   It also gives any parent directories it
              creates those attributes.  (This is different from the SunOS 4.x
              install,  which  gives  directories  that it creates the default
              attributes.)

       -D     Create all leading components of the dest except the last,  then
              copy  source to dest.  This option is useful in the first format
              in the synopsis, above.  (New in fileutils-4.0.)

       -g group,--group=group
              Set the group ownership of installed  files  or  directories  to
              group.   The  default is the process's current group.  group may
              be either a group name or a numeric group id.

       -m mode,--mode=mode
              Set the permissions for the installed file or directory to mode,
              which  can  be  either an octal number, or a symbolic mode as in
              chmod, with 0 as the point of departure.  The  default  mode  is
              0755 - read, write, and execute for the owner, and read and exe-
              cute for group and other.

       -o owner,--owner=owner
              If install has appropriate privileges (is run as root), set  the
              ownership  of  installed  files  or  directories  to owner.  The
              default is 'root'.  owner may be either a user name or a numeric
              user ID.

       -s,--strip
              Strip the symbol tables from installed binary executables.

GNUBACKUPOPTIONS
       The  GNU  versions  of programs like cp, mv, ln, install and patch will
       make a backup of files about to be overwritten, changed or destroyed if
       that  is  desired. That backup files are desired is indicated by the -b
       option. How they should be named is specified by  the  -V  option.   In
       case  the  name  of  the  backup  file is given by the name of the file
       extended by a suffix, this suffix is specified by the -S option.

       -b,--backup
              Make backups of files  that  are  about  to  be  overwritten  or
              removed.

       -S SUFFIX,--suffix=SUFFIX
              Append  SUFFIX  to each backup file made.  If this option is not
              specified, the value  of  the  SIMPLE_BACKUP_SUFFIX  environment
              variable  is  used.  And if SIMPLE_BACKUP_SUFFIX is not set, the
              default is '~'.

       -V METHOD,--version-control=METHOD
              Specify how backup files are named. The METHOD argument  can  be
              'numbered' (or 't'), 'existing' (or 'nil'), or 'never' (or 'sim-
              ple').  If this option is not specified, the value of  the  VER-
              SION_CONTROL  environment variable is used.  And if VERSION_CON-
              TROL is not set, the default backup type is 'existing'.

              This option corresponds to the Emacs variable 'version-control'.
              The valid METHODs are (unique abbreviations are accepted):

              t, numbered
                     Always make numbered backups.

              nil, existing
                     Make  numbered  backups  of files that already have them,
                     simple backups of the others.

              never, simple
                     Always make simple backups.

GNUSTANDARDOPTIONS
       --help Print a usage message on standard output and exit  successfully.

       --version
              Print version information on standard output, then exit success-
              fully.

       --     Terminate option list.

ENVIRONMENT
       The variables LANG, LC_ALL, LC_CTYPE and  LC_MESSAGES  have  the  usual
       meaning.  For  the  GNU version, the variables SIMPLE_BACKUP_SUFFIX and
       VERSION_CONTROL control backup file naming, as described above.

CONFORMINGTO
       BSD 4.2 (which had the -c, -m, -o, -g and -s options).

NOTES
       This page describes install as  found  in  the  fileutils-4.0  package;
       other  versions may differ slightly.  Mail corrections and additions to
       aebcwi.nl.    Report   bugs   in    the    program    to    fileutils-
       bugsgnu.edu.



GNU fileutils 4.0                   1998-11                         INSTALL(1)