Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!rutgers!mcdchg!chinet!les
From: les@chinet.chi.il.us (Leslie Mikesell)
Newsgroups: comp.unix.wizards
Subject: Re: REQUEST HELP --- Merging Similar Directories.
Message-ID: <7559@chinet.chi.il.us>
Date: 28 Jan 89 05:19:40 GMT
References: <1721@ektools.UUCP>
Reply-To: les@chinet.chi.il.us (Leslie Mikesell)
Distribution: usa
Organization: Chinet - Public Access Unix
Lines: 19

In article <1721@ektools.UUCP> milton@ektools.UUCP (Milton P. Bordenschnocker) writes:

>    Situation:	I have two nearly identical directories.
 >		One is from a backup, and the other is real.
 >		Both contain files and sub-directories
 >		that the other does not have.

>    Wish list:	I would like a way of merging the two directories,
 >		This needs to be done in such a way that in case of
 >		duplicate files the most recent file is the one used.

If the backup is via cpio you can just restore it into the the current
directory without the -u flag and end up with the newest copies of everything.
Otherwise you can make a cpio copy of your current directory:
  cd dir; find . -depth -print |cpio -ocv >file_or_tape
Then restore your backup copy and update with:
  cd dir; cpio -icvmd <file_or_tape 

Les Mikesell