Copying a directory tree and its contents to another filesystem using
cp -pR directory /newplace
doesn't always do the job.
Using tar instead will preserve ownership, permissions, and timestamps. This neat trick allows using tar to perform a recursive copy without creating an intermediate tar file and overcoming all cp shortcomings.
To copy all of the files and subdirectories in the current working directory to the directory /target, use:
tar cf - * | ( cd /target; tar xfp -)
