You can use the cpio (copy in and out) command to copy individual files, groups of files, or complete file systems. This section describes how to use the cpio command to copy complete file systems.
The cpio command is an archiving program that copies a list of files into a single, large output file. This command inserts headers between the individual files to facilitate recovery. You can use the cpio command to copy complete file systems to another slice, another system, or to a media device, such as a tape or USB diskette.
Because the cpio command recognizes end-of-media and prompts you to insert another volume, it is the most effective command to use to create archives that require multiple tapes or USB diskettes.
With the cpio command, you frequently use the ls and find commands to list and select the files you want to copy, and then to pipe the output to the cpio command.