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] [-g group] [-m mode] [-o owner]  [-S  SUFFIX]  [-V
     {numbered,existing,simple}] [--help] [--version] [--]

DESCRIPTION

     install copies files while setting  their  permission  modes
     and, if possible, 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 direc-
     tories) 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  direc-
     tories.  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 attri-
          butes.)

     -g group, --group=group
          Set the group ownership of installed  files  or  direc-
          tories  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 sym-
          bolic mode as in chmod, with 0 as the point  of  depar-
          ture.  The default mode is 0755 - read, write, and exe-
          cute for the owner, and read and execute 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  execut-
          ables.

GNU BACKUP OPTIONS

     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 `simple').  If this option  is  not  speci-
          fied,  the  value  of  the  VERSION_CONTROL environment
          variable is used.  And if VERSION_CONTROL 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.

GNU STANDARD OPTIONS

     --help
          Print a usage message on standard output and exit  suc-
          cessfully.

     --version
          Print version information on standard output, then exit
          successfully.

     --   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.

CONFORMING TO

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

NOTES

     This page describes install as found in  the  fileutils-3.16
     package;  other  versions  may differ slightly. Mail correc-
     tions and additions to aeb@cwi.nl  and  aw@mail1.bet1.puv.fi
     and  ragnar@lightside.ddns.org .  Report bugs in the program
     to fileutils-bugs@gnu.ai.mit.edu.