MDCP is a *nix command-line tool that enables copying from one disk device to many. The software facilitates the transfer of files between multiple devices with ease.
Multi-Copy Device, or mdcp, is a command-line utility designed for *nix systems. With the ability to copy from a disk device to many, this program provides a more efficient use of disks transfer rate to improve data transfer rates. The origin data is read only once and then replicated in the destination devices, all working in parallel - this means that all disks are working at the same time, almost without interruption. The time to copy between devices thus falls considerably in relation to other utilities with the same purpose, such as "dd".
The system was developed with the aim of reducing the time of cloning discs with pre-installed operating systems for multiple machines, but it can be used for a variety of purposes. To use mdcp, the command-line utility syntax is in the form:
mdcp < bs > < count > < fileIn > < fileOut1 > ... < fileOutN >
< bs > refers to the block size. Leave it 0 to default size 32768. < count > allows you to copy only a certain number of blocks. Leave it 0 to copy until the end of the file. < fileIn > is the device to be read, while < fileOutN > refers to the devices to be written.
For example, to copy from file "linux-hd1.img" to the devices hdb, hdc, and hdd, enter the following command:
# mdcp 0 0 linux-hd1.img hdb hdc hdd
To copy from device hda to hdb and hdc, grabbing only the first 1GB of data, enter:
# mdcp 32768 32768 /dev/hda /dev/hdb /dev/hdc
Please note that in the examples above, the block size value was set to 32768 to achieve a 1GB size.
Additionally, mdcp can also be used to zero-fill the first 10GB from devices hdb, hdc, and hdd using:
# mdcp 0 327680 /dev/zero /dev/hdb /dev/hdc /dev/hdd
It's important to note that the name of the devices can change according to the OS you are using. For example, on FreeBSD OS, a copy would look like:
# mdcp 0 0 myimg.img /dev/ad1 /dev/ad2 /dev/ad3
In the latest release of mdcp, new features have been added, such as an included man page, an improved copy for many devices, and fixed segmentation failures when trying to refer to inaccessible or nonexistent files. The style of statistics has also been improved, and the script configure has been changed to ensure compatibility among *nix systems. With all of these improvements, mdcp remains a reliable and efficient command-line utility for disk cloning and data transfer.
The system was developed with the aim of reducing the time of cloning discs with pre-installed operating systems for multiple machines, but it can be used for a variety of purposes. To use mdcp, the command-line utility syntax is in the form:
mdcp < bs > < count > < fileIn > < fileOut1 > ... < fileOutN >
< bs > refers to the block size. Leave it 0 to default size 32768. < count > allows you to copy only a certain number of blocks. Leave it 0 to copy until the end of the file. < fileIn > is the device to be read, while < fileOutN > refers to the devices to be written.
For example, to copy from file "linux-hd1.img" to the devices hdb, hdc, and hdd, enter the following command:
# mdcp 0 0 linux-hd1.img hdb hdc hdd
To copy from device hda to hdb and hdc, grabbing only the first 1GB of data, enter:
# mdcp 32768 32768 /dev/hda /dev/hdb /dev/hdc
Please note that in the examples above, the block size value was set to 32768 to achieve a 1GB size.
Additionally, mdcp can also be used to zero-fill the first 10GB from devices hdb, hdc, and hdd using:
# mdcp 0 327680 /dev/zero /dev/hdb /dev/hdc /dev/hdd
It's important to note that the name of the devices can change according to the OS you are using. For example, on FreeBSD OS, a copy would look like:
# mdcp 0 0 myimg.img /dev/ad1 /dev/ad2 /dev/ad3
In the latest release of mdcp, new features have been added, such as an included man page, an improved copy for many devices, and fixed segmentation failures when trying to refer to inaccessible or nonexistent files. The style of statistics has also been improved, and the script configure has been changed to ensure compatibility among *nix systems. With all of these improvements, mdcp remains a reliable and efficient command-line utility for disk cloning and data transfer.
What's New
Version 0.1.2: N/A