You can verify the meaning of * by: ls -ld * If that displays correct files and directories, cp -pr * ....../ will the same files and directories into the destination directory.
If you want to be even more sure, use dry rsync run: rsync -an --progress * ...../ If you like the print out, just repeat the command without option n: rsync -a --progress * ...../ Hope it helps, Tomas On Sep 10, 2017 1:35 PM, "Denis Heidtmann" <denis.heidtm...@gmail.com> wrote: > OK. What I used when I copied my home folders/files to the external drive > was cp -pR . /media/household/oldhome. What was copied were all folders > and files, recursively. So instead of using the dot to indicate that the > source is the current folder (which was /home/household) I had used * I > would get no dot files or folders at the top level but all dot and regular > files and folders below the top level. But what I did is fine for copying > to the external drive. They are all available if needed. > > Now you say avoiding the top level dot folders and files is what I should > do. > > >From the top level in the external drive I execute cp -pR * > /home/household/ should do this. Does the presence or absence of the / > after household matter? > > Thanks so much for your patience. > > -Denis > > On Sun, Sep 10, 2017 at 10:16 AM, Tomas Kuchta < > tomas.kuchta.li...@gmail.com > > wrote: > > > No it will not. > > > > * Is for all files and directories, exclusive of dot files. Dot files > might > > be included in the subdirectories, but that does not matter when you are > in > > home. > > > > If you would want to address dot files, you would have to say: .* > > > > > > > > On Sep 10, 2017 8:19 AM, "Denis Heidtmann" <denis.heidtm...@gmail.com> > > wrote: > > > > > cp -pr * /home/household/ will bring all the dot folders&files in > > > /home/household, numbering about 24 dot folders and 19 dot files. The > > > exclude option in rsync will do it when I can figure out how to write > the > > > PATTERN --exclude requires. The shell gets first shot at it. > > > > > > On Sat, Sep 9, 2017 at 10:35 PM, Tomas Kuchta < > > > tomas.kuchta.li...@gmail.com> > > > wrote: > > > > > > > Just copy back (or restore) your data only. Surely you know what and > > > where > > > > you have it: Documents, Videos, Music, etc. Re-install is always an > > > > opportunity to clean up and organize old suff. > > > > > > > > Alternatively, you could copy everything, but the dot files > preserving > > > > chaos. :-) > > > > cd toYourBackupDirectory > > > > cp -pr * /home/$USER/ > > > > > > > > This will copy all your old (non-dot) files and directories to your > new > > > > home. > > > > I forgot the name for your username, hence the $USER variable. > > > > > > > > If you prefer rsync, the command woul look this way: > > > > rsync -a --progress * /home/$USER/ > > > > > > > > Hope it helps, > > > > Tomas > > > > > > > > > > > > On Sep 9, 2017 9:59 PM, "Denis Heidtmann" <denis.heidtm...@gmail.com > > > > > > wrote: > > > > > > > > Tomas, > > > > > > > > Thanks for the advice. Avoiding the . files sounds safest. I can > have > > > them > > > > available if it looks like I need what is in them in particular > cases. > > > Now > > > > I need to understand how to avoid including them. I do not see that > cp > > > > offers that, but perhaps rsync does. > > > > > > > > -Denis > > > > > > > > On Sat, Sep 9, 2017 at 9:41 PM, Tomas Kuchta < > > > tomas.kuchta.li...@gmail.com > > > > > > > > > wrote: > > > > > > > > > I would avoid copying files and directories starting with . Unless > I > > > know > > > > > why I want the old file/directory. Example of what to copy over > > > .Mozilla > > > > if > > > > > you want your old browser config or emails.... Would try to avoid > > > > > kde/gnome/config files and directories, unless I need some of them. > > > > > > > > > > Tomas > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > On Sep 9, 2017 6:55 PM, "Denis Heidtmann" < > denis.heidtm...@gmail.com > > > > > > > > wrote: > > > > > > > > > > > It occurs to me that the source being 14.04 and the target being > > > 16.04 > > > > is > > > > > > likely a complications. See > > > > > > http://eggsonbread.com/2010/01/28/move-ubuntu-to-another- > > > > > > computer-in-3-simple-steps/ > > > > > > > > > > > > I could upgrade the old 14.04 to 16.04 first to comply with the > > > linked > > > > > > instructions. (But note that those are from 2010.) If I ignore > > this > > > > > little > > > > > > complication I worry that things will break badly. Matching the > > > > versions > > > > > > is not a huge pain. > > > > > > > > > > > > I do not see that cp requires special handling for . files. > True? > > > > > > > > > > > > On Sat, Sep 9, 2017 at 2:26 PM, Rich Shepard < > > > rshep...@appl-ecosys.com > > > > > > > > > > > wrote: > > > > > > > > > > > > > On Sat, 9 Sep 2017, Denis Heidtmann wrote: > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > Would rsync make my first question moot? > > > > > > > > > > > > > > Denis. > > > > > > > > > > > > > > Perhaps. Read the rsync man page to better understand it. > > > Briefly, > > > > > > rsync > > > > > > > will compare the same file name on source and target and copy > the > > > > > former > > > > > > > version over the latter version if the source is newer. If > there > > > are > > > > > > files > > > > > > > on the source that are not on the target, rsync will copy the > > > source > > > > to > > > > > > the > > > > > > > target so both directories have the latest version of all > files. > > > > > > > > > > > > > > Be aware, however, that specifying the source directory only > > > > regular > > > > > > > files > > > > > > > and subdirectories are examined and synchronized; e.g., if the > > > source > > > > > ~/ > > > > > > is > > > > > > > the pwd, 'rsync * target/home/me/'; if the pwd is your target > > > > > directory, > > > > > > > 'rsync source/home/me/ .'. To synchronize the dot files you > need > > to > > > > > > specify > > > > > > > '.*' to indicate all dot files instead of '*' to specify all > > normal > > > > > > files. > > > > > > > I > > > > > > > got caught once by thinking that '*' copied dot files, too. It > > > don't. > > > > > > > > > > > > > > Rich > > > > > > > > > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > > > > > > > PLUG mailing list > > > > > > > PLUG@lists.pdxlinux.org > > > > > > > http://lists.pdxlinux.org/mailman/listinfo/plug > > > > > > > > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > > > > > > PLUG mailing list > > > > > > PLUG@lists.pdxlinux.org > > > > > > http://lists.pdxlinux.org/mailman/listinfo/plug > > > > > > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > > > > > PLUG mailing list > > > > > PLUG@lists.pdxlinux.org > > > > > http://lists.pdxlinux.org/mailman/listinfo/plug > > > > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > > > > PLUG mailing list > > > > PLUG@lists.pdxlinux.org > > > > http://lists.pdxlinux.org/mailman/listinfo/plug > > > > _______________________________________________ > > > > PLUG mailing list > > > > PLUG@lists.pdxlinux.org > > > > http://lists.pdxlinux.org/mailman/listinfo/plug > > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > > > PLUG mailing list > > > PLUG@lists.pdxlinux.org > > > http://lists.pdxlinux.org/mailman/listinfo/plug > > > > > _______________________________________________ > > PLUG mailing list > > PLUG@lists.pdxlinux.org > > http://lists.pdxlinux.org/mailman/listinfo/plug > > > _______________________________________________ > PLUG mailing list > PLUG@lists.pdxlinux.org > http://lists.pdxlinux.org/mailman/listinfo/plug > _______________________________________________ PLUG mailing list PLUG@lists.pdxlinux.org http://lists.pdxlinux.org/mailman/listinfo/plug
