-Hey! Emacs! Yo! This is -*- Text -*- !!!
+GNU `tar' 1.12.lfs.3 is an unofficial port of GNU `tar' 1.12 to Large
+File Summit (LFS) environments like Solaris 2.6 that rely on integer
+system types longer than `long'. Ordinary GNU `tar' 1.12 cannot handle
+files larger than 2 GB when compiled in such environments. This port
+addresses that problem, and fixes some other well-known bugs in GNU tar 1.12.
+Please send bug reports specific to this unofficial version of GNU `tar'
+to <eggert@twinsun.com>.
+
+This is not intended to be a forked release for GNU tar; it's
+just an interim experimental release, mostly intended for
+Large File Summit hosts like Solaris 2.6. The patches of this
+release have all been submitted via the usual channels and
+they should no longer be needed once the next official release
+of GNU tar is out.
+
+
+Please glance through *all* sections of this
+`README' file before starting configuration. Also make sure you read files
+`ABOUT-NLS' and `INSTALL' if you are not familiar with them already.
+
+If you got the `tar' distribution in `shar' format, timestamps ought to be
+properly restored, do not ignore such complaints at `unshar' time.
+
+GNU `tar' saves many files together into a single tape or disk
+archive, and can restore individual files from the archive. It includes
+multivolume support, the ability to archive sparse files, automatic archive
+compression/decompression, remote archives and special features that allow
+`tar' to be used for incremental and full backups. This distribution
+also includes `rmt', the remote tape server. The `mt' tape drive control
+program is in the GNU `cpio' distribution.
+
+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 `NEWS' for a list of major changes in the current release.
+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':
+
+* `--with-included-malloc' or `--without-included-malloc' may override
+the automatic choice made by `configure' about using included GNU malloc.
+
+* `--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'.
+
+The default archive device is now `stdin' on read and `stdout' on write.
+The installer can still override this by presetting `DEFAULT_ARCHIVE'
+in the environment before configuring (the behavior of `-[0-7]' or
+`-[0-7]lmh' options in `tar' are then derived automatically). Similarly,
+`DEFAULT_BLOCKING' can be preset to something else than 20.
+
+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 2.12 with officious patches held in `AC-PATCHES'.
+Install Perl, then Automake 1.1n with officious patches in `AM-PATCHES'.
+You might need Bison 1.25 with officious patches in `BI-PATCHES' (but yacc
+and byacc may be OK for you), and GNU tar itself. All are available on
+GNU archive sites, like in ftp://prep.ai.mit.edu/pub/gnu/, but Automake
+is still ftp://ftp.cygnus.com/pub/tromey/automake-1.1n.tar.gz.
+
+Send bug reports to `tar-bugs@gnu.ai.mit.edu'. (Beware, old-timers: it is
+`@gnu', not `@prep'; and not `bug-gnu-utils' anymore.) A bug report is
+an adequate description of the problem: your input, what you expected,
+what you got, and why this is wrong. Diffs are welcome, but they only
+describe a solution, from which the problem might be uneasy to infer.
+If needed, submit actual data files with your report. Small data files
+are preferred. Big files may sometimes be necessary, but do not send them
+to the report address; rather take special arrangement with the maintainer.
+
+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'.
+
+.--------------------.
+| Installation hints |
+`--------------------'
+
+Here are a few hints which might help installing `tar' on some systems.
+
+* Static linking.
+
+Some platform will, by default, prepare a smaller `tar' executable
+which depends on shared libraries. Since GNU `tar' may be used for
+system-level backups and disaster recovery, installers might prefer to
+force static linking, making a bigger `tar' executable maybe, but able to
+work standalone, in situations where shared libraries are not available.
+The way to achieve static linking varies between systems. Set LDFLAGS
+to a value from the table below, before configuration (see `INSTALL').
+
+ Platform Compiler LDFLAGS
+
+ (any) Gnu C -static
+ AIX (vendor) "-bnso -bI:/lib/syscalls.exp"
+ HPUX (vendor) -Wl,-a,archive
+ IRIX (vendor) -non_shared
+ OSF (vendor) -non_shared
+ SCO 3.2v5 (vendor) -dn
+ Solaris (vendor) -Bstatic
+ SunOS (vendor) -Bstatic
+
+* Failed `incremen.sh'.
+
+In an NFS environment, lack of synchronisation between machine clocks
+might create difficulties to any tool comparing dates and file timestamps,
+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.
+
+* 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.
+
+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>.
+
+* Ultrix users -- broken `make'.
+
+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. |
+`------------------'
+
+Here are a few special matters about GNU `tar', not related to build
+matters. See previous section for such.
+
+* File attributes.
+
+About *security*, it is probable that future releases of `tar' will have
+some behaviour changed. There are many pending suggestions to choose from.
+Today, extracting an archive not being `root', `tar' will restore suid/sgid
+bits on files but owned by the extracting user. `root' automatically gets
+a lot of special priviledges, `-p' might later become required to get them.
+
+GNU `tar' does not properly restore symlink attributes. Various systems
+implement flavours of symbolic links showing different behaviour and
+properties. We did not successfully sorted all these out yet. Currently,
+the `lchown' call will be used if available, but that's all.
-This GNU tar 1.11. Please send bug reports, etc., to
-bug-gnu-utils@prep.ai.mit.edu. This is a beta-test release. Please
-try it out. After bug reports are processed for this release, version
-1.12 will be released.
+* POSIX compliance.
-GNU tar is based heavily on John Gilmore's public domain tar, but with
-added features. The manual is currently being written. An old
-manual, surely riddled with errors, is in tar.texinfo. Please don't
-send in bug reports about that manual. In particular, the mechanism
-for doing incremental dumps has been significantly changed.
+GNU `tar' implements an early draft of the POSIX 1003.1 `ustar' standard
+which is different from the final standard. This will be progressively
+corrected over the incoming few years. Don't be mislead by the mere
+existence of the --posix option. Later releases will become able to
+read truly POSIX archives, and also to produce them under option. (Also,
+if you look at the internals, don't take the GNU extensions you see for
+granted, as they are planned to change.) GNU tar 2.0 will produce POSIX
+archives by default, but there is a long way before we get there.
-This distribution also includes rmt, the remote tape server (which
-must reside in /etc). The mt program is in the GNU cpio distribution.
-
-See the file INSTALL for compilation and installation instructions for Unix.
-
-makefile.pc is a makefile for Turbo C 2.0 on MS-DOS.
-
-Various people have been having problems using floppies on a NeXT.
-I've gotten conflicting reports about what should be done to solve the
-problems, and we have no way to test it ourselves.
-
-If you want to do incremental dumps, use the distributed backup
-scripts. They are what we use at the FSF to do all our backups. Most
-importantly, do not use +incremental (-G) or +after-date (-N) or
-+newer-mtime to do incremental dumps. The only option that works
-correctly for this purpose is +listed-incremental. (When extracting
-incremental dumps, use +incremental (-G).)
-
-There is no tar manual in this release. The old manual has too many
-problems to make it usable. A new manual will appear in version 1.12.
-
-User-visible changes since 1.10:
-
-o Many bug fixes
-
-o Now uses GNU standard configure, generated by Autoconf.
-
-o Long options now use `--'; use of `+' is deprecated and support for it
- will eventually be removed.
-
-o New option --null causes filenames read by -T to be null-terminated,
- and causes -C to be ignored.
-
-o New option --remove-files deletes files (but not directories) after
- they are added to the archive.
-
-o New option --ignore-failed-read prevents read-errors from affecting
- the exit status.
-
-o New option --checkpoint prints occasional messages as the tape is
- being read or written.
-
-o New option --show-omitted-dirs prints the names of directories
- omitted from the archive.
-
-o Some tape drives which use a non-standard method of indicating
- end-of-tape now work correctly with multi-tape archives.
-
-o --volno-file: Read the volume number used in prompting the user (but
- not in recording volume ID's on the archive) from a file.
-
-o When using --multi-volume, you can now give multiple -f arguments;
- the various tape drives will get used in sequence and then wrap
- around to the beginning.
-
-o Remote archive names no longer have to be in /dev: any file with a
- `:' is interpreted as remote. If new option --force-local is given,
- then even archive files with a `:' are considered local.
-
-o New option --atime-preserve restores (if possible) atimes to their
- original values after dumping the file.
-
-o No longer does tar confusingly dump "." when you don't tell it what
- to dump.
-
-o When extracting directories, tar now correctly restores their
- modification and access times.
-
-o Longnames support is redone differently--long name info directly
- precedes the long-named file or link in the archive, so you no
- longer have to wait for the extract to hit the end of the tape for
- long names to work.
+* 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 an approximative priorisation 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
+organisation 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).
projects / chaz / tar / blobdiff