Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!usc!apple!tahoe!equinox.unr.edu!malc
From: malc@equinox.unr.edu (Malcolm Carlock)
Newsgroups: comp.unix.questions
Subject: Resolved tar-to-a-pipe problem ("tar: blocksize=1")
Message-ID: <5932@tahoe.unr.edu>
Date: 2 Apr 91 07:37:23 GMT
Sender: news@tahoe.unr.edu
Reply-To: malc@equinox.unr.edu (Malcolm Carlock)
Organization: University of Nevada, Reno  Campus Computing Services
Lines: 18

It looks as if tar commands of the form

  tar cf - files | rsh somewhere dd [ibs=???] [obs=???] of=/dev/sometape

just can't be made to work the way you'd expect (i.e., being able to
read the tape later using a normal tar command.)  GNU tar was recommended
as the solution, and indeed does the job very neatly:

  gtar -cf somewhere:/dev/sometape files

Piece o' cake, and highly recommended.  Beats me why dd doesn't seem to
behave more reasonably, though.

GNU tar can be ftp'd from prep.ai.mit.edu (18.71.0.38).

Malcolm L. Carlock                      Internet:  malc@unr.edu
                                        UUCP:      unr!malc
                                        BITNET:    malc@equinox