When using CPIO, what does the flag -i indicate?

The flag -i in CPIO is used to indicate the extraction of files from an archive. When a user invokes CPIO with the -i option, it tells the command to read the archive file and extract its contents. This process is essential when you want to recover files that have been previously archived.

CPIO operates in different modes, and the -i flag is specifically designed for input where data is being read and processed to restore files from backup. Understanding this flag is crucial for effectively managing archived files in a Linux environment, as it directly relates to one of the primary functions of CPIO in file handling.