Helix Core is now P4. Product user interfaces will be updated soon. Learn more >>

P4 Server Administration Documentation | 2026.1

# P4PORT meaning before and after a clone

When you clone from a shared server to create a personal server, the `P4PORT` argument you pass to the `p4 clone` command specifies the address of the shared server you wish to clone from. If you don’t pass a `P4PORT` value via the `-p` option, P4 Server uses the value of `P4PORT` set in the current command environment to identify the address of the shared server you wish to clone from.

After a clone, `P4PORT` refers to the personal server’s `P4PORT` setting in its `P4CONFIG` file.

## Directories and files

The `p4 clone` command creates all the directories and files that the `p4 init` command creates. In addition, `p4 clone` creates a remote called `origin` on the personal server. A remote is a mapping of files on a personal server to files on a shared server and is required for fetching, pushing, and cloning; it describes exactly which files should be copied from a personal server to a shared server or vice-versa. It is described in detail in Remotes, an overview.

Your search for returned results