Go to the next chapter.

Here is a rudimentary documentation for the GNU tape (or disk) archiver. It covers the release 1.11.6. See section Preface.

This document has been quickly assembled from random notes, and has not even been revised. I will of course accept documentation bug reports, but please do not torture yourself into systematically reporting all inadequacies.

You can use the GNU tape archiver, tar, to store copies of a file or a group of files in an archive. This archive may be written directly to a magnetic tape or other storage medium, stored as a file, or sent through a pipe to another program. tar can also be used to add files to an already existing archive, list the files in an archive, or extract the files in the archive.

Preface: Preface
Using the Tape Archiver: Using the Tape Archiver
Format: Archive format selection
cpio: Comparison of tar and cpio
Index: Index to everything
--- The Detailed Node Listing ---

Using the Tape Archiver
Full Dumps: Using tar to Perform Full Dumps
Inc Dumps: Using tar to Perform Incremental Dumps
Problems: Common Problems Using tar
Rem Tape: The Remote Tape Server
Invoking tar: Calling the GNU Tape Archiver
Calling the GNU Tape Archiver
Old Syntax: Old Syntax for Options
Command: Main operation mode
Modificators: Operation mode modificators
Attributes: Handling of file attributes
Device: Device selection and switching
Blocking: Device blocking
Type: Archive format selection
Selection: Local file selection
Information: Informative output
Classification: Old classification of options
The format of a tar archive
Standard: The Standard Format
Extensions: GNU Extensions to the Archive Format
Compatibility: Portability of tar files

Preface

There is a manual in the works (by another team) which should say everything about archives and related utilities. I want to make it clear that in no way, this document is meant to replace the incoming manual, which should take over when it will be published. This document is merely a placeholder for a program option list and a few random collected notes. GNU tar users need such a list. The maintainer wants to save miscellaneous notes somewhere users can read them.

So, at least for now, this manual describes the GNU tape archiver, tar, and how you can use it to store copies of a file or a group of files in an archive. This archive may be written directly to a magnetic tape or other storage medium, stored as a file, or sent through a pipe to another program. tar can also be used to add files to an already existing archive, list the files in an archive, or extract the files in the archive.

GNU tar was written by John Gilmore, and modified by many people. The GNU enhancements were written by Jay Fenlason.

For the time being, please report problems or suggestions about this program directly to . I will of course accept documentation bug reports, but please do not torture yourself into systematically reporting all inadequacies of this document.

Email addresses listed on this site may NOT be used for unsolicited commercial email.

Ready-to-Run Software, Inc Privacy Statement