cp -aR /cdrom /directory
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2: try

perl -e 'system("cp -aR /cdrom /directory") or die "Cannot do it!"'
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3: You could iterate through the cdrom, using a set of recursive readdirs, and then File::Copy each file. But that would be pointless.

that is only for suse. for most distros, it is /mnt/cdrom (after you've mounted /dev/cdrom) not /cdrom @///usr////((:::::bin:::::::::perl::::>

i was using /cdrom as a standard variable name...each system may have the cd mounted somewhere different...YMMV.

--
michael d. ivey, <ivey@gweezlebur.com>

If you want to do this in Perl, take a look at File::Tools. Specifically, the copydir function will do exactly what you need. If modules rub you wrong (though they really shouldn't), this might do for you:

#!/usr/local/bin/perl -w
use strict;
use Carp;
use File::Copy "cp";

# need two arguments
scalar @ARGV == 2
    or print("Usage: copy.pl <source_dir> <target_dir>"), exit;

# record the bases of the source and target
my ($source_dir, $target_dir) = @ARGV;
CopyDir($source_dir, $target_dir);

sub CopyDir {
    my ($source_dir, $target_dir) = @_;

     # read the source directory        
    opendir (DIR, $source_dir) or croak "Couldn't open $source_dir: $!
+";
    my @list = readdir(DIR);                               
    
    # get a list of directories
    my @dirs =  grep {!/^\./ && -d "$source_dir/$_"} @list;
                                                 
    # get a list of real files                                        
+        
    my @files = grep {-f "$source_dir/$_"} @list;
    
    # create the target if necessary
    (!-e $target_dir and !-d $target_dir and mkdir $target_dir) 
        or croak "Couldn't mkdir $target_dir: $!";
    
    # recursively copy subdirectories
    map CopyDir("$source_dir/$_", "$target_dir/$_"), @dirs;
    
    # copy real files last
    map cp("$source_dir/$_", "$target_dir/$_"), @files;
}
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File::Copy on its own only copies real files, not directories. See my reply further down for ways to do it with File::Tools or rolling your own version.

cp -R /cdrom_mountpoint /target_dir
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#!/usr/local/bin/perl -w
use strict;
use Carp;
use File::Copy "cp";

# need two arguments
scalar @ARGV == 2
    or print("Usage: copy.pl <source_dir> <target_dir>"), exit;

# record the bases of the source and target
my ($source_dir, $target_dir) = @ARGV;
CopyDir($source_dir, $target_dir);

sub CopyDir {
    my ($source_dir, $target_dir) = @_;

     # read the source directory        
    opendir (DIR, $source_dir) or croak "Couldn't open $source_dir: $!
+";
    my @list = readdir(DIR);                               
    
    # get a list of directories
    my @dirs =  grep {!/^\./ && -d "$source_dir/$_"} @list;
                                                 
    # get a list of real files                                        
+        
    my @files = grep {-f "$source_dir/$_"} @list;
    
    # create the target if necessary
    (!-e $target_dir and !-d $target_dir and mkdir $target_dir) 
        or croak "Couldn't mkdir $target_dir: $!";
    
    # recursively copy subdirectories
    map CopyDir("$source_dir/$_", "$target_dir/$_"), @dirs;
    
    # copy real files last
    map cp("$source_dir/$_", "$target_dir/$_"), @files;
}
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