GNU bug report logs - #14880
cp copy birth time

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Message #5 received at submit <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: Enda <enda_k2 <at> yahoo.com>
To: "bug-coreutils <at> gnu.org" <bug-coreutils <at> gnu.org>
Subject: cp copy birth time
Date: Tue, 16 Jul 2013 07:42:18 -0700 (PDT)

[Message part 1 (text/plain, inline)]

Copying a file using cp on a NTFS filesystem to an ext4 filesystem does not copy the birth time:

$ cp --preserve=all ntfs.txt ~


$ stat ~/ntfs.txt 
...
 Birth: -



-- Enda

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Message #8 received at 14880 <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: Paul Eggert <eggert <at> cs.ucla.edu>
To: Enda <enda_k2 <at> yahoo.com>
Cc: 14880 <at> debbugs.gnu.org
Subject: Re: bug#14880: cp copy birth time
Date: Tue, 16 Jul 2013 07:48:24 -0700

On 07/16/2013 07:42 AM, Enda wrote:
> Copying a file using cp on a NTFS filesystem to an ext4 filesystem does not copy the birth time:

You don't say what system you're running on, but I presume
it's one where the system doesn't let you set the birth time.
If so, please file a bug report with the kernel developers.
If not, please let us know more details about your system and
about how coreutils is configured.

Message #11 received at 14880 <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: Pádraig Brady <P <at> draigBrady.com>
To: Enda <enda_k2 <at> yahoo.com>
Cc: 14880 <at> debbugs.gnu.org
Subject: Re: bug#14880: cp copy birth time
Date: Tue, 16 Jul 2013 16:14:52 +0100

forcemerge 14703 14880
stop

On 07/16/2013 03:42 PM, Enda wrote:
> Copying a file using cp on a NTFS filesystem to an ext4 filesystem does not copy the birth time:
> 
> $ cp --preserve=all ntfs.txt ~
> 
> 
> $ stat ~/ntfs.txt 
> ...
>  Birth: -

While not exactly the same issue,
it's probably due to the same reason
I mentioned to you in http://bugs.gnu.org/14703
So I'm merging these for now.

thanks,
Pádraig.

Message #16 received at 14880 <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: Eric Blake <eblake <at> redhat.com>
To: Enda <enda_k2 <at> yahoo.com>
Cc: 14880 <at> debbugs.gnu.org
Subject: Re: bug#14880: cp copy birth time
Date: Tue, 16 Jul 2013 09:20:32 -0600

[Message part 1 (text/plain, inline)]

On 07/16/2013 08:42 AM, Enda wrote:
> Copying a file using cp on a NTFS filesystem to an ext4 filesystem does not copy the birth time:
> 
> $ cp --preserve=all ntfs.txt ~
> 
> 
> $ stat ~/ntfs.txt 
> ...
>  Birth: -

You CAN'T copy birth time.  There is no file system that lets you set
birth time to anything other than the time when the file is created.
But as the copy is created at the time you run cp, if the destination
supports birth time, by the very definition of brith time the
destination will record the time cp was run, and not the time of the
original source.

-- 
Eric Blake   eblake redhat com    +1-919-301-3266
Libvirt virtualization library http://libvirt.org

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