Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!auspex!guy
From: guy@auspex.auspex.com (Guy Harris)
Newsgroups: comp.unix.questions
Subject: Re: tar -r on a diskfile/tar arg too long
Keywords: tar -r on disk file
Message-ID: <3448@auspex.auspex.com>
Date: 11 Jun 90 21:01:05 GMT
References: <1339@ziggy.EDU> <173@twg.UUCP>
Organization: Auspex Systems, Santa Clara
Lines: 18

>I have always used "tar cvf TARFILE `cat long_list`" to do this.

Well, to quote the very article to which you're following up:

> note:
> 
> tar -cvf /dev/rmt0 `cat long_list` 
> 
> Would give tar argument too long error.

so, apparently, he *can't* use that.  Maybe you did that under SunOS 4.x
or some other system that permits huge argument lists, or maybe your
"long_list" wasn't as long as his.

>There is also the -F option to specify the file:

There is also the "-F" option on *some* systems.  It is *not* present in
all versions of "tar".