---
name: "ddstar"
section: "1"
platform: "linux"
package: "dds2tar"
version: "2.4.13-2"
release: "Debian 1.3 (Bo)"
platforms: ["linux"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/ddstar"
---

# ddstar(1)

A patched version of GNU tar with DDS features

## NAME

ddstar - A patched version of GNU tar with DDS features

## SYNOPSIS

**ddstar** *\[options\]*

- *filename1 \[ filename2, ... filenameN \]*

  - *directory1 \[ directory2, ...directoryN \]*

  ## DESCRIPTION

This manual page documents briefly the **ddstar**, command. This manual page was written for the Debian GNU/Linux distribution (but may be used by others), because the original program does not have a manual page.

For a detailed description of what ddstar does, please have a look at /usr/doc/dds2tar/README.gz and the manual page of GNU tar.

## FUNCTION LETTERS

- **One of the following options must be used:**

  - **-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 for use on mag tapes!)

- **-r, --append**

  append files to the end of an archive

- **-t, --list**

  list the contents of an archive

- **-u, --update**

  only append files that are newer than copy in archive

- **-x, --extract, --get**

  extract files from an archive

## OTHER OPTIONS

- **--atime-preserve**

  don't change access times on dumped files

- **-b, --block-size N**

  block size of Nx512 bytes (default N=20)

- **-B, --read-full-blocks**

  reblock as we read (for reading 4.2BSD pipes)

- **-C, --directory DIR**

  change to directory DIR

- **--checkpoint**

  print directory names while reading the archive

- **-f, --file \[HOSTNAME:\]F**

  use archive file or device F (default /dev/rmt0)

- **--force-local**

  archive file is local even if has a colon

- **-F, --info-script F --new-volume-script F**

  run script at end of each tape (implies -M)

- **-G, --incremental**

  create/list/extract old GNU-format incremental backup

- **-g, --listed-incremental F**

  create/list/extract new GNU-format incremental backup

- **-h, --dereference**

  don't dump symlinks; dump the files they point to

- **-i, --ignore-zeros**

  ignore blocks of zeros in archive (normally mean EOF)

- **--ignore-failed-read**

  don't exit with non-zero status on unreadable files

- **-k, --keep-old-files**

  keep existing files; don't overwrite them from archive

- **-K, --starting-file F**

  begin at file F in the archive

- **-l, --one-file-system**

  stay in local file system when creating an archive

- **-L, --tape-length N**

  change tapes after writing N\*1024 bytes

- **-m, --modification-time**

  don't extract file modified time

- **-M, --multi-volume**

  create/list/extract multi-volume archive

- **-N, --after-date DATE, --newer DATE**

  only store files newer than DATE

- **-o, --old-archive, --portability**

  write a V7 format archive, rather than ANSI format

- **-O, --to-stdout**

  extract files to standard output

- **-p, --same-permissions, --preserve-permissions**

  extract all protection information

- **-P, --absolute-paths**

  don't strip leading \`/'s from file names

- **--preserve**

  like -p -s

- **-R, --record-number**

  show record number within archive with each message

- **--record-file FILE**

  print the record information to file, enables -R

- **--remove-files**

  remove files after adding them to the archive

- **-s, --same-order, --preserve-order**

  list of names to extract is sorted to match archive

- **--same-owner**

  create extracted files with the same ownership

- **-S, --sparse**

  handle sparse files efficiently

- **-T, --files-from F**

  get names to extract or create from file F

- **--null**

  \-T reads null-terminated names, disable -C

- **--totals**

  print total bytes written with --create

- **-v, --verbose**

  verbosely list files processed

- **-V, --label NAME**

  create archive with volume name NAME

- **--version**

  print tar program version number

- **-w, --interactive, --confirmation**

  ask for confirmation for every action

- **-W, --verify**

  attempt to verify the archive after writing it

- **--exclude FILE**

  exclude file FILE

- **-X, --exclude-from FILE**

  exclude files listed in FILE

- **-Z, --compress, --uncompress**

  filter the archive through compress

- **-z, --gzip, --ungzip**

  filter the archive through gzip

- **--use-compress-program PROG**

  filter the archive through PROG (which must accept -d)

- **--block-compress**

  block the output of compression program for tapes

- **-\[0-7\]\[lmh\]**

  specify drive and density

## SEE ALSO

The details of this program are described in the README of the dds2tar distribution, /usr/doc/dds2tar/README.gz, and in the manual page of GNU tar.

## BUGS

The GNU folks, in general, abhor man pages, and create info documents instead. The maintainer of tar falls into this category.  This man page is neither complete, nor current, and was included in the Debian Linux packaging of tar entirely to reduce the frequency with which the lack of a man page gets reported as a bug in our defect tracking system.

If you really want to understand tar, then you should run info and read the tar info pages, or use the info mode in emacs.