Table of Contents

## Name

tar - manual page for tar 1.13

## Synopsis

tar [OPTION]... [FILE]...

## Description

GNU `tar' saves many files together into a single tape or disk archive, and can restore individual files from the archive.

If a long option shows an argument as mandatory, then it is mandatory for the equivalent short option also. Similarly for optional arguments.

### Main operation mode:

-t, --list
  list the contents of an archive
-x, --extract, --get
  extract files from an archive
-c, --create
  create a new archive
-d, --diff, --compare
  find differences between archive and file system
-r, --append
  append files to the end of an archive
-u, --update
  only append files newer than copy in archive
-A, --catenate
  append tar files to an archive
--concatenate
  same as -A
--delete
  delete from the archive (not on mag tapes!)

### Operation modifiers:

-W, --verify
  attempt to verify the archive after writing it
--remove-files
  remove files after adding them to the archive
-k, --keep-old-files
  don't overwrite existing files when extracting
-U, --unlink-first
  remove each file prior to extracting over it
--recursive-unlink
  empty hierarchies prior to extracting directory
-S, --sparse
  handle sparse files efficiently
-O, --to-stdout
  extract files to standard output
-G, --incremental
  handle old GNU-format incremental backup
-g, --listed-incremental
  handle new GNU-format incremental backup
--ignore-failed-read
  do not exit with nonzero on unreadable files

### Handling of file attributes:

--owner=NAME
  force NAME as owner for added files
--group=NAME
  force NAME as group for added files
--mode=CHANGES
  force (symbolic) mode CHANGES for added files
--atime-preserve
  don't change access times on dumped files
-m, --modification-time
  don't extract file modified time
--same-owner
  try extracting files with the same ownership
--numeric-owner
  always use numbers for user/group names
-p, --same-permissions
  extract all protection information
--preserve-permissions
  same as -p
-s, --same-order
  sort names to extract to match archive
--preserve-order
  same as -s
--preserve
  same as both -p and -s

### Device selection and switching:

-f, --file=ARCHIVE
  use archive file or device ARCHIVE
--force-local
  archive file is local even if has a colon
--rsh-command=COMMAND
  use remote COMMAND instead of rsh
-[0-7][lmh]
  specify drive and density
-M, --multi-volume
  create/list/extract multi-volume archive
-L, --tape-length=NUM
  change tape after writing NUM x 1024 bytes
-F, --info-script=FILE
  run script at end of each tape (implies -M)
--new-volume-script=FILE
  same as -F FILE
--volno-file=FILE
  use/update the volume number in FILE

### Device blocking:

-b, --blocking-factor=BLOCKS
  BLOCKS x 512 bytes per record
--record-size=SIZE
  SIZE bytes per record, multiple of 512
-i, --ignore-zeros
  ignore zeroed blocks in archive (means EOF)
-B, --read-full-records
  reblock as we read (for 4.2BSD pipes)

### Archive format selection:

-V, --label=NAME
  create archive with volume name NAME
PATTERN
  at list/extract time, a globbing PATTERN
-o, --old-archive, --portability
  write a V7 format archive
--posix
  write a POSIX conformant archive
-z, --gzip, --ungzip
  filter the archive through gzip
-Z, --compress, --uncompress
  filter the archive through compress
--use-compress-program=PROG
  filter through PROG (must accept -d)

### Local file selection:

-C, --directory=DIR
  change to directory DIR
-T, --files-from=NAME
  get names to extract or create from file NAME
--null
  -T reads null-terminated names, disable -C
--exclude=PATTERN
  exclude files, given as a globbing PATTERN
-X, --exclude-from=FILE
  exclude globbing patterns listed in FILE
-P, --absolute-names
  don't strip leading `/'s from file names
-h, --dereference
  dump instead the files symlinks point to
--no-recursion
  avoid descending automatically in directories
-l, --one-file-system
  stay in local file system when creating archive
-K, --starting-file=NAME
  begin at file NAME in the archive
-N, --newer=DATE
  only store files newer than DATE
--newer-mtime
  compare date and time when data changed only
--after-date=DATE
  same as -N
--backup[=CONTROL]
  backup before removal, choose version control
--suffix=SUFFIX
  backup before removel, override usual suffix

### Informative output:

--help
  print this help, then exit
--version
  print tar program version number, then exit
-v, --verbose
  verbosely list files processed
--checkpoint
  print directory names while reading the archive
--totals
  print total bytes written while creating archive
-R, --block-number
  show block number within archive with each message
-w, --interactive
  ask for confirmation for every action
--confirmation
  same as -w

The backup suffix is `~', unless set with --suffix or SIMPLE_BACKUP_SUFFIX. The version control may be set with --backup or VERSION_CONTROL, values are:

t, numbered
  make numbered backups
nil, existing
  numbered if numbered backups exist, simple otherwise
never, simple
  always make simple backups

GNU tar cannot read nor produce `--posix' archives. If POSIXLY_CORRECT is set in the environment, GNU extensions are disallowed with `--posix'. Support for POSIX is only partially implemented, don't count on it yet. ARCHIVE may be FILE, HOST:FILE or USER@HOST:FILE; and FILE may be a file or a device. *This* `tar' defaults to `-f- -b20'.

## Author

Written by John Gilmore and Jay Fenlason.

## Reporting Bugs

Report bugs to <tar-bugs@gnu.org>.

## Copyright

Copyright © 1988, 92,93,94,95,96,97,98, 1999 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
This is free software; see the source for copying conditions. There is NO warranty; not even for MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.

## See Also

The full documentation for tar is maintained as a Texinfo manual. If the info and tar programs are properly installed at your site, the command

info tar

should give you access to the complete manual.

Table of Contents

- Name
- Synopsis
- Description

- Main operation mode:
- Operation modifiers:
- Handling of file attributes:
- Device selection and switching:
- Device blocking:
- Archive format selection:
- Local file selection:
- Informative output:

- Author
- Reporting Bugs
- Copyright
- See Also