GNU tar
GNU `tar' saves many files together into a single tape or disk archive, and can restore individual files from the archive. It includes multivolume support, the ability to archive sparse files, automatic archive compression/decompression, remote archives and special features that allow `tar' to be used for incremental and full backups. It also includes `rmt', the remote tape server (the `mt' tape drive control program is in GNU `cpio').
| Tags | Archiving Compression GNU |
|---|---|
| Licenses | GPLv3 |
| Operating Systems | POSIX |
| Implementation | C |
Recent releases
- 06 Mar 2009 12:07
Changes: This release adds support for xz compression (with the --xz option) and reassigns the short option -J as a shortcut for --xz. The option -I is now a shortcut for --use-compress-program, and the --no-recursive option works with --incremental.
- 27 Dec 2008 17:42
Changes: This release adds new options: --lzop, --no-auto-compress, and --no-null. It has compressed format recognition and VCS support (--exclude-vcs). It fixes the --null option and fixes record size autodetection.
- 15 Apr 2008 10:42
Changes: This release has new options: -a (selects a compression algorithm basing on the suffix of the archive file name), --lzma (selects the LZMA compression algorithm), and --hard-dereference, which dereferences hard links during archive creation and stores the files they refer to (instead of creating the usual hard link members).
- 30 Jun 2007 03:17
Changes: The license was upgraded to version 3 of the GNU General Public License. Several bugs in the test suite were fixed.
- 08 Jun 2007 11:05
Changes: This release fixes archival of sparse files in POSIX mode, operation of --verify --listed-incremental, and --occurrence. The end-of-volume script can send the new volume name to tar by writing it to the file descriptor stored in the environment variable 'TAR_FD'.
- All comments
Recent commentsRe: Bzip2 option removed
> If this is true how come it is not
> mentioned anywhere in the manual on the
> GNU page? The only way I can see to get
> this support in is by applying a patch
> to the code.
~> tar --version | head -n1
tar (GNU tar) 1.13.25
~> tar --help | grep "\-j"
-j, --bzip2 filter the archive through bzip2
Seems to me like it's there.... No need for any patch of any kind.
Re: 1.13.25 stable?
1.13.25 still has known bugs that should be
fixed before somebody will make a 1.14.
In order to create a 1.14 you would need a
maintainer who works on GNU tar and who is accepted by RMS.
If you are looking for a mature tar implementation
that is actively maintained you should have a look
at star.
1.13.25 stable?
Freshmeat shows the date 15-Dec-2002 for 1.13.25, but the last Changelog entry is 26-Sep-2001. Almost 1.5 years with no changes! Can 1.13.25 be considered "stable" and released as 1.14?
Re: Bzip2 option removed
If this is true how come it is not mentioned anywhere in the manual on the GNU page? The only way I can see to get this support in is by applying a patch to the code.
> This reply is way overdue, but ignore my
> original comment. bzip2 support was
> indeed taken out briefly but was put
> back shortly afterwards and has been a
> stardard part of tar even since.
>
Re: Bzip2 option removed
This reply is way overdue, but ignore my original comment. bzip2 support was indeed taken out briefly but was put back shortly afterwards and has been a stardard part of tar even since.