NAD(1)

Name
nad - Netatalk AppleDouble file utility suite

Synopsis
nad [ls | cp | mv | rm | set | find] [...]

nad [-v | --version]

Description
nad is a file utility suite that operates on Netatalk AFP shared volumes. AppleDouble data (extended attributes of files, ._files in same directories or files in .AppleDouble directories) and the CNID databases are updated as appropriate when files in a shared Netatalk volume are modified.

Using nad is preferable over the operating system's native file operation commands on files and directories in a Netatalk shared volume, because it preserves the integrity of Mac OS metadata and accuracy of the CNID database.

It depends on Netatalk running on the host system and the AFP volume being shared by Netatalk.

Only users with appropriate permissions to access the files and directories can use nad to manipulate them. It is sensitive to afp.conf settings such as valid users and invalid users.

Available Commands
List files and directories.

    nad ls [-dRl[u]] {file|directory [...]}

Copy files and directories.

    nad cp [-aipvf] {src_file} {dst_file}

    nad cp -R [-aipvf] {src_file|src_directory ...} {dst_directory}

Move files and directories.

    nad mv [-finv] {src_file} {dst_file}

    nad mv [-finv] {src_file|src_directory ...} {dst_directory}

Remove files and directories.

    nad rm [-Rv] {file|directory}

Set metadata on files.

    nad set [-t type] [-c creator] [-l label] [-f flags] [-a attributes] {file}

Find files and directories

    nad find [-v volume path] {file|directory}

Show version.

    nad -v | --version

nad ls
List files and directories. Options:

-d

    Directories are listed as plain files

-R

    list subdirectories recursively

-l

    Long output, list AFP info

-u

    List UNIX info

Long output description

        <unixinfo> <FinderFlags> <AFP Attributes> <Color> <Type> <Creator> <CNID from AppleDouble> <name>
        FinderFlags (valid for (f)iles and/or (d)irectories):
          d = On Desktop                      (f/d)
          e = Hidden extension                (f/d)
          m = Shared (can run multiple times) (f)
          n = No INIT resources               (f)
          i = Inited                          (f/d)
          c = Custom icon                     (f/d)
          t = Stationery                      (f)
          s = Name locked                     (f/d)
          b = Bundle                          (f/d)
          v = Invisible                       (f/d)
          a = Alias file                      (f/d)
        AFP Attributes:
          y = System                          (f/d)
          w = No write                        (f)
          p = Needs backup                    (f/d)
          r = No rename                       (f/d)
          l = No delete                       (f/d)
          o = No copy                         (f)
        Note: any letter appearing in uppercase means the flag is set but it's a directory for which the flag is not allowed.

nad cp
Copy files and directories.

In the first synopsis form, the cp utility copies the contents of the src_file to the dst_file. In the second synopsis form, the contents of each named src_file is copied to the destination dst_directory. The names of the files themselves are not changed. If cp detects an attempt to copy a file to itself, the copy will fail.

When a copy targeting an AFP volume is detected, its CNID database daemon is connected and all copies will also go through the CNID database. AppleDouble data are also copied and created as needed when the target is an AFP volume.

Options:

-a

    Archive mode. Same as -Rp.

-f

    For each existing destination pathname, remove it and create a new file, without prompting for confirmation regardless of its permissions. (The -f option overrides any previous -i or -n options.)

-i

    Cause cp to write a prompt to the standard error output before copying a file that would overwrite an existing file. If the response from the standard input begins with the character 'y' or 'Y', the file copy is attempted. (The -i option overrides any previous -f or -n options.)

-n

    Do not overwrite an existing file. (The -n option overrides any previous -f or -i options.)

-p

    Cause cp to preserve the following attributes of each source file in the copy: modification time, access time, file flags, file mode, user ID, and group ID, as allowed by permissions. If the user ID and group ID cannot be preserved, no error message is displayed and the exit value is not altered.

-R

    If src_file designates a directory, cp copies the directory and the entire subtree connected at that point. If the src_file ends in a /, the contents of the directory are copied rather than the directory itself.

-v

    Cause cp to be verbose, showing files as they are copied.

-x

    File system mount points are not traversed.

nad mv
Move files and directories.

Move files around within an AFP volume, updating the CNID database as needed. If either condition below is true, the files are copied and removed from the source.

•   source or destination is not an AFP volume

•   source AFP volume != destination AFP volume

Options:

-f

    Do not prompt for confirmation before overwriting the destination path. (The -f option overrides any previous -i or -n options.)

-i

    Cause mv to write a prompt to standard error before moving a file that would overwrite an existing file. If the response from the standard input begins with the character `y' or `Y', the move is attempted. (The -i option overrides any previous -f or -n options.)

-n

    Do not overwrite an existing file. (The -n option overrides any previous -f or -i options.)

-v

    Cause mv to be verbose, showing files after they are moved.

nad rm
Remove files and directories.

The rm utility attempts to remove the non-directory type files specified on the command line. If the files and directories reside on an AFP volume, the corresponding CNIDs are deleted from the volumes database.

The options are as follows:

-R

    Attempt to remove the file hierarchy rooted in each file argument.

-v

    Be verbose when deleting files, showing them as they are removed.

nad set
Set metadata on files.

The set utility alters metadata on files within an AFP volume.

The options are as follows:

-t type

    Change a file's four character file type.

-c creator

    Change a file's four character creator type.

-l label

    Change a file's color label. See list below for available colors.

-f flags

    Change a file's Finder flags. See list below for available flags. Uppercase letter sets the flag, lowercase removes the flag.

-a attributes

    Change a file's attributes. See list below for available attributes. Uppercase letter sets the flag, lowercase removes the flag.

  Flag descriptions

        Color Labels:
          none | grey | green | violet | blue | yellow | red | orange
        Finder Flags (valid for (f)iles and/or (d)irectories):
          d = On Desktop                      (f/d)
          e = Hidden extension                (f/d)
          m = Shared (can run multiple times) (f)
          n = No INIT resources               (f)
          i = Inited                          (f/d)
          c = Custom icon                     (f/d)
          t = Stationery                      (f)
          s = Name locked                     (f/d)
          b = Bundle                          (f/d)
          v = Invisible                       (f/d)
          a = Alias file                      (f/d)
        AFP Attributes:
          y = System                          (f/d)
          w = No write                        (f)
          p = Needs backup                    (f/d)
          r = No rename                       (f/d)
          l = No delete                       (f/d)
          o = No copy                         (f)

nad find
Find files and directories in an AFP volume.

This returns a list of paths that wholly or partially match the given name.

It takes one option:

-v path

    Use path to the shared volume to search rather than the current working directory.

Examples
List files in a shared AFP volume:

        $ nad ls -al /srv/afpshare
        -------s-v- ------ --- ---- ----          35   TheVolumeSettingsFolder
        ---------v- ------ --- ---- ----          36   Network Trash Folder
        ----ic-s--- ------ gre PNGf GKON          39   Picture 1.png
        ----i---b-- ------ --- APPL SBMC          40   AppleShare IP Browser
        ----ic----- ------ --- PNGf GKON          41   Picture 3.png

The first column shows the Finder flags, the second column shows the AFP attributes, the third column shows the color label, the fourth and fifth columns are the file type and creator, the sixth column is the CNID from the AppleDouble data, and the last column is the file name.

Note that the sort order of the output is by CNID, not alphabetically.

Find files named "Report" in the shared AFP volume at /srv/afpshare:

        $ nad find -v /srv/afpshare Report
        /srv/afpshare/Documents/2025/Report January 2025.doc
        /srv/afpshare/Documents/2024/Report December 2024.doc
        /srv/afpshare/Documents/Report Template.doc

See also
dbd(1), addump(1)

Author
Contributors to the Netatalk Project (https://netatalk.io/contributors)