.nf
\fIgit\-clone\fR [\-l [\-s]] [\-q] [\-n] [\-\-bare] [\-o <name>] [\-u <upload\-pack>]
+ [\-\-reference <repository>]
<repository> [<directory>]
.fi
.TP
\-\-shared, \-s
-When the repository to clone is on the local machine, instead of using hard links, automatically setup \&.git/objects/info/alternatives to share the objects with the source repository\&. The resulting repository starts out without any object of its own\&.
+When the repository to clone is on the local machine, instead of using hard links, automatically setup \&.git/objects/info/alternates to share the objects with the source repository\&. The resulting repository starts out without any object of its own\&.
+
+.TP
+\-\-reference <repository>
+If the reference repository is on the local machine automatically setup \&.git/objects/info/alternates to obtain objects from the reference repository\&. Using an already existing repository as an alternate will require less objects to be copied from the repository being cloned, reducing network and local storage costs\&.
.TP
\-\-quiet, \-q
$ git show\-branch
.fi
+.TP
+Clone from upstream while borrowing from an existing local directory
+
+.nf
+$ git clone \-\-reference my2\&.6 \\
+ git://git\&.kernel\&.org/pub/scm/\&.\&.\&./linux\-2\&.7 \\
+ my2\&.7
+$ cd my2\&.7
+.fi
+
.TP
Create a bare repository to publish your changes to the public