Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!usc!snorkelwacker.mit.edu!hsdndev!cmcl2!adm!lhc!mimsy!nmrdc1!minixug!demug!root
From: root@demug.de.mugnet.org
Newsgroups: comp.os.minix
Subject: Re: tar
Message-ID: <910219395@demug.de.mugnet.org>
Date: 19 Feb 91 05:29:24 GMT
References: <30463@usc>
Organization: Paul Schneider Public Access MINIX -- MUGNET Deutschland
Lines: 51

In article <30463@usc>, kjh@pollux.usc.edu (Kenneth J. Hendrickson) wrote:
> A while ago, there was much comment about tar not working.  I just ran
> into the problem.
> 
> I did		tar c - . | compress | vol 1440 /dev/ps1
> and		vol -u 1440 /dev/ps1 | uncompress | tar x - .
I always use:

	(cd /; tar cfv - *) | to TAPEIT

with TAPEIT being a command line like:

	from TAPEIT | (cd /shadow; tar xfv -)

on my other ("uwalt") system. This effectively creates a pipe over the
Ethernet, and the entire file system of "minixug" will be copied to
"uwalt" in directory /shadow.

This is done each week. After this backup, "uwalt" starts to yell at its
tape drive, which completes the process...

Each night, my system does:

	(cd /; tar cf - etc usr/lib/news usr/lib/uucp usr/spool/mail) |
		vol 1200 /dev/at0

which backups some important directories to disk each time. It works OK.

> and I found that tar couldn't create directories!  :-(
I must admit: I use John Gilmore's PDTAR program, since that understands
about much more types of special files than the MINIX tar. However, the
standard MINIX tar does its work OK; it makes directories...

> THIS MAKES TAR USELESS!!!!!
Yes.  What TAR are you using?

> You can't use tar for backup purposes, or for moving files between
> machines, if any subdirectories are involved.
> 
> Has anybody fixed this?  Or ported some other version of tar?
See above: use PDTAR, available from me :-).  I can post it if you
are not the only one interested in it.....

> I am trying to set up a new Minix machine, and I need a working tar.
> Thanks very much for responding either by email, or posting.

Hurray, another MINIX box.  Look at this header; this is also a newly
set up MINIX machine... :-)

Cheers,
	Fred.


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