How to Install scp Command on CentOS 6.2

Secure Copy (SCP) is a popular command-line tool for securely transferring files between servers. SCP uses the SSH protocol to encrypt and transfer files between hosts. CentOS 6.2 is an older version of the CentOS operating system and may not have SCP pre-installed.

[root@centos6 ~]# scp
-bash: scp: command not found
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root 0 2001-01-14 14:00:00.000000000 +0800 newtestfile1

Step 1: Update Packages Before installing the SCP command, it is recommended to update the package list and install any available updates. You can do this by running the following command:

yum update

Enter 'y' when prompted to confirm the installation of updates.

Step 2: Install OpenSSH-Clint

The SCP command is part of the OpenSSH client package. To install the OpenSSH client package, run the following command:

yum install openssh-clients

Enter 'y' when prompted to confirm the installation of the package.

[root@centos6 ~]# yum install openssh-clients
Loaded plugins: fastestmirror
Determining fastest mirrors
 * base: mirrors.hostemo.com
 * extras: mirrors.hostemo.com
 * updates: mirrors.hostemo.com
CentOS6.2-Repository                                                 | 1.3 kB     00:00 ...
CentOS6.2-Repository/primary                                         | 1.2 MB     00:00 ...
CentOS6.2-Repository                                                              3042/3042
base                                                                 | 3.7 kB     00:00
base/primary_db                                                      | 3.5 MB     00:33
extras                                                               | 3.5 kB     00:00
extras/primary_db                                                    | 5.4 kB     00:00
updates                                                              | 3.5 kB     00:00
updates/primary_db                                                   | 638 kB     00:05
Setting up Install Process
Resolving Dependencies
--> Running transaction check
---> Package openssh-clients.i686 0:5.3p1-70.el6 will be installed
--> Finished Dependency Resolution

Dependencies Resolved

============================================================================================
 Package                Arch        Version               Repository                   Size
============================================================================================
Installing:
 openssh-clients        i686        5.3p1-70.el6          CentOS6.2-Repository        361 k

Transaction Summary
============================================================================================
Install       1 Package(s)

Total download size: 361 k
Installed size: 1.0 M
Is this ok [y/N]: y
Downloading Packages:
Running rpm_check_debug
Running Transaction Test
Transaction Test Succeeded
Running Transaction
  Installing : openssh-clients-5.3p1-70.el6.i686                                        1/1

Installed:
  openssh-clients.i686 0:5.3p1-70.el6

Complete!
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root 0 2001-01-14 14:00:00.000000000 +0800 newtestfile1

Step 3: Verify Installation

To verify that SCP has been installed successfully, run the following command:

which scp

This command will display the location of the scp binary if it is installed. If SCP is installed, the output should be:

/usr/bin/scp

Step 4: Test SCP

To test SCP, you can use it to copy a file from one server to another. The following command will copy a file named 'file.txt' from the local server to a remote server:

scp file.txt user@remote.server.com:/path/to/destination

Replace 'user' with the username for the remote server and 'remote.server.com' with the hostname or IP address of the remote server. Replace '/path/to/destination' with the path to the destination directory on the remote server.

You will be prompted for the password for the remote server. Enter the password to continue.

Conclusion:

In this guide, we have shown you how to install the SCP command on CentOS 6.2. By installing the OpenSSH client package, you can use SCP to securely transfer files between servers. Remember to update your packages before installing new software to ensure that you have the latest security updates and bug fixes.