NAME

       install-mimic — overwrite files preserving the destination's ownership and access mode

SYNOPSIS

       install-mimic [-v] [-r reffile] srcfile dstfile
       install-mimic [-v] [-r reffile] file1 [file2...] directory
       install-mimic -V | -h

DESCRIPTION

       The  install-mimic  utility  copies  the specified files to the specified destination (file or directory)
       similarly to install(1), but it preserves the ownership and access mode of the destination  files.   This
       is  useful  when updating files that have already been installed with locally modified copies that may be
       owned by the current user and not by the desired owner of the destination file (e.g. root).

       Options:

       -h      Display program usage information and exit.

       -r      Specify a file to obtain the ownership and access information from; useful when installing a  new
               file that should be similar to other files in the same location.

       -V      Display program version information and exit.

       -v      Verbose operation; display diagnostic output.

RETURN VALUES

       The install-mimic utility exits 0 on success, and >0 if an error occurs.

ENVIRONMENT

       The install-mimic utility's operation is currently not directly affected by its environment.

FILES

       The install-mimic utility's operation is currently not directly affected by any files.

EXAMPLES

       Overwrite a system file with a local copy:

             install-mimic ./install-mimic.pl /usr/bin/install-mimic

       Overwrite several files with local copies with the same name:

             install-mimic cinder/*.py /usr/lib/python2.7/dist-packages/cinder/

       Install a new file similar to a system file:

             install-mimic -v -r /usr/bin/install-mimic install-none /usr/bin/

HISTORY

       The install-mimic utility was written by Peter Pentchev in 2015.

AUTHORS

       Peter Penchev ⟨roam@ringlet.net⟩

Debian                                            June 2, 2015                                  INSTALL-MIMIC(1)