GNU `tar' is derived from John Gilmore's public domain `tar'.
See file `ABOUT-NLS' for how to customize this program to your language.
-See file `BACKLOG' for a summary of pending mail and articles.
See file `COPYING' for copying conditions.
See file `INSTALL' for compilation and installation instructions.
See file `PORTS' for various ports of GNU tar to non-Unix systems.
See file `THANKS' for a list of contributors.
Besides those configure options documented in files `INSTALL' and
-`ABOUT-NLS', a few extra options may be accepted after `./configure':
+`ABOUT-NLS', an extra option may be accepted after `./configure':
-* `--with-dmalloc' is a debugging option for looking at memory management
-problems, it prerequires Gray Watson's package, which is available as
-`ftp://ftp.letters.com/src/dmalloc/dmalloc.tar.gz'.
+* `--disable-largefile' omits support for large files, even if the
+operating system supports large files. Typically, large files are
+those larger on 2 GB on a 32-bit host.
The default archive device is now `stdin' on read and `stdout' on write.
The installer can still override this by presetting `DEFAULT_ARCHIVE'
For comprehensive modifications to GNU tar, you might need tools beyond
those used in simple installations. Fully install GNU m4 1.4 first,
and only then, Autoconf 2.13 or later. Install Perl, then Automake
-1.4 or later. You might need Bison 1.26 or later, and GNU tar itself.
+1.4 or later. You might need Bison 1.28 or later, and GNU tar itself.
All are available on GNU archive sites, like in
ftp://ftp.gnu.org/pub/gnu/.
Your feedback will help us to make a better and more portable package.
Consider documentation errors as bugs, and report them as such. If you
develop anything pertaining to `tar' or have suggestions, let us know
-and share your findings by writing at `tar-forum@iro.umontreal.ca'.
+and share your findings by writing to <bug-tar@gnu.org>.
-.--------------------.
-| Installation hints |
-`--------------------'
+
+Installation hints
+------------------
Here are a few hints which might help installing `tar' on some systems.
+* gzip and bzip2.
+
+GNU tar uses the gzip and bzip2 programs to read and write compressed
+archives. If you don't have these programs already, you need to
+install them. Their sources can be found at:
+
+ftp://ftp.gnu.org/gnu/gzip/
+http://sourceware.cygnus.com/bzip2/
+
+If you see the following symptoms:
+
+ $ tar -xzf file.tar.gz
+ gzip: stdin: decompression OK, trailing garbage ignored
+ tar: Child returned status 2
+
+then you have encountered a gzip incompatibility that should be fixed
+in gzip test version 1.3, which as of this writing is available at
+<ftp://alpha.gnu.org/gnu/gzip/>. You can work around the
+incompatibility by using a shell command like
+ `gzip -d <file.tar.gz | tar -xzf -'.
+
+* Solaris issues.
+
+GNU tar exercises many features that can cause problems with older GCC
+versions. In particular, GCC 2.8.1 (sparc, -O1 or -O2) is known to
+miscompile GNU tar. No compiler-related problems have been reported
+when using GCC 2.95.2 or later.
+
+Recent versions of Solaris tar sport a new -E option to generate
+extended headers in an undocumented format. GNU tar does not
+understand these headers.
+
* Static linking.
Some platform will, by default, prepare a smaller `tar' executable
Platform Compiler LDFLAGS
(any) Gnu C -static
- AIX (vendor) "-bnso -bI:/lib/syscalls.exp"
+ AIX (vendor) -bnso -bI:/lib/syscalls.exp
HPUX (vendor) -Wl,-a,archive
IRIX (vendor) -non_shared
OSF (vendor) -non_shared
Solaris (vendor) -Bstatic
SunOS (vendor) -Bstatic
-* Failed `incremen.sh'.
+* Failed test `incremen.sh'.
In an NFS environment, lack of synchronization between machine clocks
might create difficulties to any tool comparing dates and file time stamps,
-like `tar' in incremental dumps. This has been a recurrent problem in
-GNU Makefiles for the last few years. We would like a general solution.
+like `tar' in incremental dumps. This has been a recurrent problem with
+GNU Make for the last few years. We would like a general solution.
* BSD compatibility matters.
Set LIBS to `-lbsd' before configuration (see `INSTALL') if the linker
-complains about undefined `valloc' (AIX) or `bsd_ioctl' (Slackware).
-Also set CPPFLAGS to `-I/usr/include/bsd/sys' before configuration to
-solve dirent problems (NeXT), or to `-I/usr/include/bsd' if <sgtty.h>
-is not found (Slackware).
-
-* `union wait' problems.
-
-Configuration of `union wait' does not always take the best decision.
-If you have this problem, edit file `config.cache' after configuration,
-find the line about `tar_cv_header_union_wait', change `yes' by `no'
-or vice-versa, execute `./config.status', then launch `make'.
-
-* `%lld' unsupported in `printf'.
-
-GNU C has `long long', but the underneath C library might not support
-the `%lld' format. If you have this problem, edit file `config.cache'
-after configuration, find the line about `ac_cv_sizeof_long_long, change
-`8' by `0', execute `./config.status', then launch `make'.
-
-* FreeBSD users -- `configure' fails.
-
-It has been reported that `configure' does not run on FreeBSD 2.1.7,
-because of a buggy `sh'. It works using `bash', however.
-
-* ISC users -- `S_*' symbols undefined.
+complains about `bsd_ioctl' (Slackware). Also set CPPFLAGS to
+`-I/usr/include/bsd' if <sgtty.h> is not found (Slackware).
-On ISC 4.1mu, POSIX environment, set CFLAGS to `-posix' and CPPFLAGS to
-`-D_SYSV3' before configuration (see `INSTALL'). This will trigger the
-definition of a few `S_' prefixed symbols from <sys/stat.h>.
+* OPENStep 4.2 swap files
-* Ultrix users -- broken `make'.
+Tar cannot read the file /private/vm/swapfile.front (even as root).
+This file is not a real file, but some kind of uncompressed view of
+the real compressed swap file; there is no reason to back it up, so
+the simplest workaround is to avoid tarring this file.
-It seems that Ultrix make does not correctly handle shell commands
-having logical connectives in them. Use `s5make' if you have it, try
-`PROG_ENV=SYSTEM_FIVE make' (works on Ultrix 4.4), or install GNU Make.
-.------------------.
-| Special topics. |
-`------------------'
+Special topics
+--------------
Here are a few special matters about GNU `tar', not related to build
matters. See previous section for such.
* What's next?
-The emphasis from 1.11.2 to 1.12 has been on solving the main portability,
-execution or usability bugs. This was accompanied all over with an
-internal cleanup in the sources, and the reassembly of a `tar' manual.
-
-The `BACKLOG' file shows approximate priorities of the many pending
-problems and suggestions. Besides pending problems and all other matters
-listed above, the cleanup is planned to continue and extend to the general
-organization of the code, preparing a long time in advance for a possible
-merge of the `cpio' and `tar' distributions, into some common `paxutils'.
-We also want to address some long-awaited performance issues (for example:
-double buffering) or enhancements (for example: per-file compression).
+In the future we will try to release tar-1.14 as soon as possible and
+start merging with paxutils afterwards. We'll also try to rewrite
+some parts of the documentation after paxutils has been merged.
projects / chaz / tar / blobdiff