--- name: "gnutar" section: "1" platform: "linux" package: "star" version: "1.5a67-1" release: "Debian 4.0 (Etch)" platforms: ["linux"] url: "https://new.carta.tech/gnutar" --- # gnutar(1) emulates the GNU version of the tar archiver ## NAME gnutar - emulates the GNU version of the tar archiver ## SYNOPSIS **gnutar** *command* \[ *options* \] *file1 ... filen* ## DESCRIPTION This manual page documents the GNU version of **tar**, an archiving program designed to store and extract files from an archive file known as a *tarfile.* A *tarfile* may be made on a tape drive, however, it is also common to write a *tarfile* to a normal file. The first argument to **gnutar** must be one of the options: **Acdrtux**, followed by any optional functions. The final arguments to **gnutar** are the names of the files or directories which should be archived. The use of a directory name always implies that the subdirectories below should be included in the archive. ## COMMAND - **One of the following commands 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 ## 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) - **-j**, **--bzip** filter the archive through bzip2. - **--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 - **--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 **gnutar** 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) ## EXTENDED OPTIONS The extended options are options taken from **star**. - **--help** Prints a summary of the most important options for [**gnutar**(1)](/gnutar/1.md) and exits. - **--xhelp** Prints a summary of the less important options for [**gnutar**(1)](/gnutar/1.md) and exits. - **--version** Prints the **gnutar** version number string and exists. - **--debug** print additional debug messages - **xdebug=***#* - **xd=***#* set extended debug level - **-/** don't strip leading '/'s from file names - **-..** don't skip filenames that contain '..' in non-interactive extract - **--secure-links** don't extract links that start with '/' or contain '..' - **--acl** handle access control lists - **--xfflags** handle extended file flags - **bs=***#* set (output) block size to # - **fs=***#* set fifo size to # - **--no-fsync** do not call fsync() for each extracted file (may be dangerous) - **--time** print timing info - **--no-statistics** do not print statistics - **--fifostats** print fifo statistics - **--no-fifo** don't use a fifo to optimize data flow from/to tape - **--numeric** don't use user/group name from tape The options above are not defined by GNU tar. For a complete documentation of the **star** based optione check [**star**(1)](/star/1.md). ## EXAMPLES ## ENVIRONMENT ## FILES ## SEE ALSO [**spax**(1)](/spax/1.md), [**suntar**(1)](/suntar/1.md), [**scpio**(1)](/scpio/1.md), [**tar**(1)](/tar/1.md), [**cpio**(1)](/cpio/1.md), [**pax**(1)](/pax/1.md), [**rcp**(1)](/rcp/1.md), [**mt**(1)](/mt/1.md), **rmt**(1), [**match**(1)](/match/1.md), [**dd**(1)](/dd/1.md), [**sdd**(1)](/sdd/1.md), [**rsh**(1)](/rsh/1.md), [**ssh**(1)](/ssh/1.md), [**star**(1)](/star/1.md), **star**(4/5), [**rcmd**(3)](/rcmd/3.md), **fssnap**(1m) ## DIAGNOSTICS ## NOTES This **gnutar** implementation is based on the **star** implementation and does not implement all features of the original GNU tar program. ## BUGS ## AUTHOR ``` Joerg Schilling Seestr. 110 D-13353 Berlin Germany ``` Mail bugs and suggestions to: **schilling@fokus.fraunhofer.de** or **js@cs.tu-berlin.de** or **joerg@schily.isdn.cs.tu-berlin.de**