title: bash: check if remote file exists using scp
body: <p>I am writing a bash script to copy a file from a remote server, to my local machine. I need to check to see if the file is available, so I can take an alternative action if it is not there.</p>
  
  <p>I know how to test if a local file exists, however, using scp complicates things a bit. Common sense tells me that one way would be to try to scp the file anyhow, and check the return code from the scp command. Is this the correct way to go about it?</p>
  
  <p>If yes, how do I test the return code from the scp invocation?</p>