X-Git-Url: https://git.dogcows.com/gitweb?a=blobdiff_plain;f=README;h=124522063c9ea5a463de2c1d42f3f3c1d6ebdca3;hb=c54ec5a8957749d4f4d1ae99f05f553013ad3e1d;hp=6cff0a082c3a0198d92640d7f29c765c482c0f3b;hpb=6c48e007301ae2fb9f4e003237bd019204310f78;p=chaz%2Ftar diff --git a/README b/README index 6cff0a0..1245220 100644 --- a/README +++ b/README @@ -1,9 +1,32 @@ +README for GNU tar + + Copyright (C) 1990, 1991, 1992, 1994, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, + 2001, 2003 Free Software Foundation, Inc. + + This file is part of GNU tar. + + GNU tar is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify + it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by + the Free Software Foundation; either version 2, or (at your option) + any later version. + + GNU tar is distributed in the hope that it will be useful, + but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of + MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. See the + GNU General Public License for more details. + + You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License + along with tar; see the file COPYING. If not, write to + the Free Software Foundation, Inc., 59 Temple Place - Suite 330, + Boston, MA 02111-1307, USA. + + 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. +If you got the `tar' distribution in `shar' format, time stamps 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 @@ -16,7 +39,6 @@ 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. @@ -24,11 +46,11 @@ 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': +`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' @@ -38,14 +60,13 @@ in the environment before configuring (the behavior of `-[0-7]' or 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. -All are available on GNU archive sites, like in -ftp://ftp.gnu.org/pub/gnu/. - -Send bug reports to `bug-tar@gnu.org'. (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, +and only then, Autoconf 2.57 or later. Install Perl, then Automake +1.7.5 or later. Also, install gettext 0.12.1 or later. You might +need Bison 1.875 or later, and GNU tar itself. All are available on +GNU archive sites, like in ftp://ftp.gnu.org/pub/gnu/. + +Send bug reports to . A bug report should contain +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 @@ -55,14 +76,46 @@ 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'. +and share your findings by writing to . + -.--------------------. -| 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 +. You can work around the +incompatibility by using a shell command like + `gzip -d -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 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 . +* 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. @@ -140,13 +167,13 @@ 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. +some behavior 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. +a lot of special privileges, `-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 +implement flavors of symbolic links showing different behavior and properties. We did not successfully sorted all these out yet. Currently, the `lchown' call will be used if available, but that's all. @@ -163,14 +190,6 @@ archives by default, but there is a long way before we get there. * 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). +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.