Tar Command man description

Tar (1) User Commands tar (1)

NAME
Tar-manual page for tar 1.26

Synopsis
Tar [OPTION ...] [FILE] ...

DESCRIPTION
GNU ' tar ' saves many files together into a single tape or disk archive, and can
Restore individual files from the archive.

Note that this manual page contains just very brief description (or more like a
List of possible functionality) originally generated by the Help2man utility.
The full documentation to TAR is maintained as a Texinfo manual. If the Info
and tar programs is properly installed at your site, the command ' info tar '
Should give you access to the complete manual.

EXAMPLES
TAR-CF Archive.tar Foo Bar
# Create Archive.tar from Files foo and bar.

TAR-TVF Archive.tar
# List All files in Archive.tar verbosely.

TAR-XF Archive.tar
# Extract all files from Archive.tar.

DEFAULTS
*this* tar installation defaults to:

--format=gnu-f--b20--quoting-style=escape--rmt-command=/sbin/rmt--rsh-com‐
Mand=/usr/bin/rsh

Main operation mode:
-A,--catenate,--concatenate
Append tar files to an archive

-C,--create
Create a new archive

-D,--diff,--compare
Find differences between archive and file system

--delete
Delete from the archive (not on Mag tapes!)

-R,--append
Append files to the end of an archive

-T,--list
List the contents of an archive

--test-label
Test the archive volume label and exit

-U,--update
Only append files newer than copy in archive

-X,--extract,--get
Extract files from an archive

Common options:
-C,--directory=dir
Change to Directory DIR

-F,--file=archive
Use archive file or device archive

-j,--BZIP2
Filter the archive through BZIP2

-j,--XZ
Filter the archive through XZ

-P,--preserve-permissions
Extract information about file permissions (default for Superuser)

-V,--verbose
verbosely List Files processed

-Z,--gzip
Filter the archive through gzip

Operation Modifiers:
--check-device
Check device numbers when creating incremental archives (default)

-G,--listed-incremental=file
Handle New Gnu-format Incremental backup

-G,--incremental
Handle Old Gnu-format Incremental backup

--ignore-failed-read
Don't exit with nonzero on unreadable files

--level=number
Dump level for created Listed-incremental archive

-N,--seek
Archive is seekable

--no-check-device
Don't check device numbers when creating incremental archives

--no-seek
Archive is not seekable

--occurrence[=number]
Process only the Numberth occurrence of each file in the archive; This
option is valid-conjunction with one of the subcommands--delete,
--diff,--extract or--list and when a list of files are given either on
The command line or via THE-T option; Number defaults to 1

--sparse-version=major[. MINOR]
Set version of the sparse format to use (implies--sparse)

-S,--sparse
Handle Sparse files Efficiently

Overwrite Control:
-K,--keep-old-files
Don ' t replace existing files when extracting, treat them as errors

--keep-newer-files
Don ' t replace existing files that is newer than their archive copies

--no-overwrite-dir
Preserve metadata of existing directories

--overwrite
Overwrite existing files when extracting

--overwrite-dir
Overwrite metadata of existing directories when extracting (default)

--recursive-unlink
Empty hierarchies prior to extracting directory

--remove-files
Remove files after adding them to the archive

--skip-old-files
Don ' t replace existing files when extracting, silently skip over them

-U,--unlink-first
Remove each file prior to extracting over it

-W,--verify
Attempt to verify the archive after writing it

Select output stream:
--ignore-command-error Ignore exit codes of children

--no-ignore-command-error
Treat Non-zero exit codes of children as error

-O,--to-stdout
Extract files to standard output

--to-command=command
Pipe extracted files to another program

Handling of file attributes:
--atime-preserve[=method]
Preserve access times on dumped files, either by restoring the Times
After reading (method= ' replace '; default) or by not setting the times in
The first place (method= ' system ')

--delay-directory-restore
Delay setting modification times and permissions of extracted directories
Until the end of extraction

--group=name
Force NAME as group for added files

--mode=changes
Force (symbolic) mode changes for added files

--mtime=date-or-file
Set mtime for added files from date-or-file

-M,--touch
Don ' t extract file modified time

--no-delay-directory-restore
Cancel the effect of--delay-directory-restore option

--no-same-owner
Extract files as yourself (default for ordinary users)

--no-same-permissions
Apply the user ' s umask when extracting permissions from the archive
(Default for ordinary users)

--numeric-owner
Always use numbers for User/group names

--owner=name
Force NAME as owner for added files

-P,--preserve-permissions,--same-permissions
Extract information about file permissions (default for Superuser)

--preserve
Same as Both-p And-s

--same-owner
Try extracting files with the same ownership as exists in the archive
(Default for Superuser)

-S,--preserve-order,--same-order
Sort names to extract to match archive

Handling of Extended file attributes:
--acls Enable the POSIX ACLs support

--no-acls
Disable the POSIX ACLs support

--no-selinux
Disable The SELinux context support

--no-xattrs
Disable Extended Attributes Support

--selinux
Enable The SELinux context support

--xattrs
Enable Extended Attributes Support

--xattrs-exclude=mask
Specify the exclude pattern for xattr keys

--xattrs-include=mask
Specify the include pattern for xattr keys

Device Selection and switching:
-F,--file=archive
Use archive file or device archive

--force-local
Archive file is the local even if it has a colon

-F,--info-script=name,--new-volume-script=name
Run script at end of each tape (IMPLIES-M)

-L,--tape-length=number
Change tape after writing number x 1024x768 bytes

-M,--multi-volume
Create/list/extract multi-volume Archive

--rmt-command=command
Use given RMT COMMAND instead of RMT

--rsh-command=command
Use remote COMMAND instead of RSH

--volno-file=file
Use/update the volume number in FILE

Device Blocking:
-B,--blocking-factor=blocks
BLOCKS x bytes per record

-B,--read-full-records
Reblock as we read (for 4.2BSD pipes)

-I.,--ignore-zeros
Ignore zeroed blocks in archive (means EOF)

--record-size=number
Number of bytes per record, multiple of 512

Archive Format Selection:
-H,--format=format
Create archive of the given format

FORMAT is one of the following:

GNU GNU Tar 1.13.x format

OLDGNU GNU format as per tar <= 1.12

Pax POSIX 1003.1-2001 (PAX) format

POSIX same as Pax

Ustar POSIX 1003.1-1988 (ustar) format

V7 Old V7 tar format

--old-archive,--portability
Same as--format=v7

--pax-option=keyword[[:]=value][,keyword[[:]=value]] ...
Control pax Keywords

--posix
Same as--format=posix

-V,--label=text
Create archive with volume name TEXT; At list/extract time, use TEXT as a
globbing Pattern for volume name

Compression options:
-A,--auto-compress
Use archive suffix to determine the compression program

-I.,--use-compress-program=prog
Filter through PROG (must accept-d)

-j,--BZIP2
Filter the archive through BZIP2

-j,--XZ
Filter the archive through XZ

--lzip Filter the archive through Lzip

--lzma Filter the archive through LZMA

--lzop

--no-auto-compress
Archive suffix to determine the compression program

-Z,--gzip,--gunzip,--ungzip
Filter the archive through gzip

-Z,--compress,--uncompress
Filter the archive through compress

Note:you might need to the install external program (Lzip/ncompress/lzma ...) to use
Some of these compression options

Local File Selection:
--add-file=file
Add given FILE to the archive (useful if it name starts with a dash)

--backup[=control]
Backup before removal, choose version CONTROL

-C,--directory=dir
Change to Directory DIR

--exclude=pattern
Exclude files, given as a PATTERN

--exclude-backups
Exclude Backup and Lock files

--exclude-caches
Exclude contents of directories containing Cachedir. TAG, except for the
Tag file itself

--exclude-caches-all
Exclude directories containing Cachedir. TAG

--exclude-caches-under exclude everything under directories containing
Cachedir. TAG

--exclude-tag=file
Exclude contents of directories containing file, except for FILE itself

--exclude-tag-all=file Exclude directories containing FILE

--exclude-tag-under=file
Exclude everything under directories containing FILE

--exclude-vcs
Exclude version control system directories

-H,--dereference
Follow symlinks; Archive and dump the files they point to

--hard-dereference
Follow hard links; Archive and dump the files they refer to

-K,--starting-file=member-name
Begin at Member Member-name in the archive

--newer-mtime=date
Compare date and time when data changed only

--no-null
Disable the effect of the previous--null option

--no-recursion
Avoid descending automatically in directories

--no-unquote
Do not unquote filenames read with-t

--null-t reads null-terminated names, disable-c

-N,--newer=date-or-file,--after-date=date-or-file
Only store files newer than Date-or-file

--one-file-system
Stay in the local file system when creating archive

-P,--absolute-names
Don ' t strip leading '/' s from file names

--recursion
Recurse into directories (default)

--suffix=string
Backup before removal, override usual suffix (' ~ ' unless overridden by
environment variable Simple_backup_suffix)

-T,--files-from=file
Get names to extract or create from FILE

--unquote
unquote filenames read WITH-T (default)

-X,--exclude-from=file
Exclude patterns listed in FILE

File Name Transformations:
--strip-components=number
Strip number leading components from file names on extraction

--transform=expression,--xform=expression
Use sed replace EXPRESSION to transform file names

File Name matching options (affect both exclude and include patterns):

--anchored
Patterns Match file name start

--ignore-case
Ignore case

--no-anchored
Patterns match after any '/' (Default for exclusion)

--no-ignore-case
Case sensitive matching (default)

--no-wildcards
Verbatim string Matching

--no-wildcards-match-slash
Wildcards does not match '/'

--wildcards
Use wildcards (default)

--wildcards-match-slash
Wildcards match '/' (Default for exclusion)

Informative output:
--checkpoint[=number]
Display progress messages every Numberth record (default 10)

--checkpoint-action=action
Execute ACTION on each checkpoint

--full-time
Print file time to it full resolution

--index-file=file
Send verbose output to FILE

-L,--check-links
Print a message if not all links is dumped

--no-quote-chars=string
Disable quoting for characters from STRING

--quote-chars=string
Additionally quote characters from STRING

--quoting-style=style
Set name quoting style; See below for valid STYLE values

-R,--block-number
Show block number within archive with each message

--show-defaults
Show tar defaults

--show-omitted-dirs
When listing or extracting, list all directory that does not match
Search criteria

--show-transformed-names,--show-stored-names
Show file or archive names after transformation

--totals[=signal]
Print Total bytes after processing the archive; With an Argument-print
Total Bytes-SIGNAL is delivered; Allowed Signals Are:sighup,
Sigquit, SIGINT, SIGUSR1 and SIGUSR2; The names without SIG prefix is
Also accepted

--UTC Print file modification dates in UTC

-V,--verbose
verbosely List Files processed

--warning=keyword
Warning control

-W,--interactive,--confirmation
Ask for confirmation for every action

Compatibility options:
-O when creating, same as--old-archive; When extracting, same as
--no-same-owner

Other options:
-?,--Help
Give this Help list

--restrict
Disable use of some potentially harmful options

--usage
Give a short usage message

--version
Print Program version

Mandatory or optional arguments to long options is also Mandatory or optional
For any corresponding short options.

The backup suffix is ' ~ ', and unless set with--suffix or Simple_backup_suffix. The
Version control May is set with--backup or Version_control, values is:

None, off
Never make backups

T, numbered
Make numbered backups

Nil, existing
Numbered if numbered backups exist, simple otherwise

Never, simple
Always do simple backups

Valid arguments for the--quoting-style option is:

Literal shell shell-always C c-maybe escape locale Clocale

AUTHOR
Written by John Gilmore and Jay Fenlason.

REPORTING BUGS
Report bugs to <[email Protected]>.

COPYRIGHT
copyright©2013 Free Software Foundation, Inc. License gplv3+: GNU GPL version
3 or later This was free software:you was free to change and redistribute it. There is NO
WARRANTY, to the extent permitted.

tar 1.26 February tar (1)

Tar Command man description