Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!lll-winken!ames!mailrus!cornell!uw-beaver!uoregon!rankin
From: rankin@uoregon.uoregon.edu (6eorge Rankin.)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.rt
Subject: TAR warning for AIX 2.2.1
Summary: TAR fails on links for AIX 2.2.1
Keywords: AIX tar problems
Message-ID: <3501@uoregon.uoregon.edu>
Date: 12 Jan 89 02:25:22 GMT
Reply-To: rankin@drizzle.UUCP (6eorge Rankin.)
Distribution: na
Organization: University of Oregon, Computer Science, Eugene OR
Lines: 50


We just got AIX 2.2.1 for the RT, and it looks pretty good.  It has
real sendmail, supports NFS, and even symbolic links!  This is hot
stuff for us AIX dullards :-)

There is a rather severe problem with tar, however.  When a directory with
hard links is archived, the links all point to the first linked item.  Rather
odd things happen when the archive is restored.

Repeat this problem by:

	%mkdir /tmp/foo
	%cd /tmp/foo
	%touch a
	%touch b
	%ln a c
	%ln b d
	%cd ..
	%tar cf badstuff foo
	%tar tvf badstuff

	rwxrwx---340/19      0 Jan 11 18:08 1989 foo/
	rw-rw----340/19      0 Jan 11 18:08 1989 foo/a
	rw-rw----340/19      0 Jan 11 18:08 1989 foo/b
	rw-rw----340/19      0 Jan 11 18:08 1989 foo/c linked to foo/a
	rw-rw----340/19      0 Jan 11 18:08 1989 foo/d linked to foo/a

Notice that file "d" is linked to "a", which is incorrect.  (By the way,
this is a simulated example... the RT is not yet on the net.)  This problem
became apparent when all of my local programs became "compress".  

As far as I know, our install completed with no problems.  The disks are
ok, and linked files normally point to to the correct place.  I suspect
somebody goofed when modifying tar to make it handle SYMBOLIC links, and then
didn't check that hard links worked.

I have reported the problem to my local rep. and assume that IBM will fix
the problem soon.  Meanwhile,  I'll be installing gnu-tar...


***************************************************************************

	George Rankin
	Department of Research and Assessment
	Springfield Public School District #19
	525 Mill Street
	Springfield Oregon
	(503) 726-9529

UNIX in a school district?  Don't look, Martha!