Dogcows Code - chaz/tar/blob - README

   1 GNU `tar' 1.12.lfs.2 is an unofficial port of GNU `tar' 1.12 to Large
   2 File Summit (LFS) environments like Solaris 2.6 that rely on integer
   3 system types longer than `long'.  Ordinary GNU `tar' 1.12 cannot handle
   4 files larger than 2 GB when compiled in such environments.  This port
   5 addresses that problem.  Please send bug reports specific to this
   6 unofficial version of GNU `tar' to <eggert@twinsun.com>.
   7
   8 This is not intended to be a forked release for GNU tar; it's
   9 just an interim experimental release, mostly intended for
  10 Large File Summit hosts like Solaris 2.6.  The patches of this
  11 release have all been submitted via the usual channels and
  12 they should no longer be needed once the next official release
  13 of GNU tar is out.
  14
  15
  16 Please glance through *all* sections of this
  17 `README' file before starting configuration.  Also make sure you read files
  18 `ABOUT-NLS' and `INSTALL' if you are not familiar with them already.
  19
  20 If you got the `tar' distribution in `shar' format, timestamps ought to be
  21 properly restored, do not ignore such complaints at `unshar' time.
  22
  23 GNU `tar' saves many files together into a single tape or disk
  24 archive, and can restore individual files from the archive.  It includes
  25 multivolume support, the ability to archive sparse files, automatic archive
  26 compression/decompression, remote archives and special features that allow
  27 `tar' to be used for incremental and full backups.  This distribution
  28 also includes `rmt', the remote tape server.  The `mt' tape drive control
  29 program is in the GNU `cpio' distribution.
  30
  31 GNU `tar' is derived from John Gilmore's public domain `tar'.
  32
  33 See file `ABOUT-NLS' for how to customize this program to your language.
  34 See file `BACKLOG' for a summary of pending mail and articles.
  35 See file `COPYING' for copying conditions.
  36 See file `INSTALL' for compilation and installation instructions.
  37 See file `PORTS' for various ports of GNU tar to non-Unix systems.
  38 See file `NEWS' for a list of major changes in the current release.
  39 See file `THANKS' for a list of contributors.
  40
  41 Besides those configure options documented in files `INSTALL' and
  42 `ABOUT-NLS', a few extra options may be accepted after `./configure':
  43
  44 * `--with-included-malloc' or `--without-included-malloc' may override
  45 the automatic choice made by `configure' about using included GNU malloc.
  46
  47 * `--with-dmalloc' is a debugging option for looking at memory management
  48 problems, it prerequires Gray Watson's package, which is available as
  49 `ftp://ftp.letters.com/src/dmalloc/dmalloc.tar.gz'.
  50
  51 The default archive device is now `stdin' on read and `stdout' on write.
  52 The installer can still override this by presetting `DEFAULT_ARCHIVE'
  53 in the environment before configuring (the behavior of `-[0-7]' or
  54 `-[0-7]lmh' options in `tar' are then derived automatically).  Similarly,
  55 `DEFAULT_BLOCKING' can be preset to something else than 20.
  56
  57 For comprehensive modifications to GNU tar, you might need tools beyond
  58 those used in simple installations.  Fully install GNU m4 1.4 first,
  59 and only then, Autoconf 2.12 with officious patches held in `AC-PATCHES'.
  60 Install Perl, then Automake 1.1n with officious patches in `AM-PATCHES'.
  61 You might need Bison 1.25 with officious patches in `BI-PATCHES' (but yacc
  62 and byacc may be OK for you), and GNU tar itself.  All are available on
  63 GNU archive sites, like in ftp://prep.ai.mit.edu/pub/gnu/, but Automake
  64 is still ftp://ftp.cygnus.com/pub/tromey/automake-1.1n.tar.gz.
  65
  66 Send bug reports to `tar-bugs@gnu.ai.mit.edu'.  (Beware, old-timers: it is
  67 `@gnu', not `@prep'; and not `bug-gnu-utils' anymore.)  A bug report is
  68 an adequate description of the problem: your input, what you expected,
  69 what you got, and why this is wrong.  Diffs are welcome, but they only
  70 describe a solution, from which the problem might be uneasy to infer.
  71 If needed, submit actual data files with your report.  Small data files
  72 are preferred.  Big files may sometimes be necessary, but do not send them
  73 to the report address; rather take special arrangement with the maintainer.
  74
  75 Your feedback will help us to make a better and more portable package.
  76 Consider documentation errors as bugs, and report them as such.  If you
  77 develop anything pertaining to `tar' or have suggestions, let us know
  78 and share your findings by writing at `tar-forum@iro.umontreal.ca'.
  79
  80 .--------------------.
  81 | Installation hints |
  82 `--------------------'
  83
  84 Here are a few hints which might help installing `tar' on some systems.
  85
  86 * Static linking.
  87
  88 Some platform will, by default, prepare a smaller `tar' executable
  89 which depends on shared libraries.  Since GNU `tar' may be used for
  90 system-level backups and disaster recovery, installers might prefer to
  91 force static linking, making a bigger `tar' executable maybe, but able to
  92 work standalone, in situations where shared libraries are not available.
  93 The way to achieve static linking varies between systems.  Set LDFLAGS
  94 to a value from the table below, before configuration (see `INSTALL').
  95
  96         Platform        Compiler        LDFLAGS
  97
  98         (any)           Gnu C           -static
  99         AIX             (vendor)        "-bnso -bI:/lib/syscalls.exp"
 100         HPUX            (vendor)        -Wl,-a,archive
 101         IRIX            (vendor)        -non_shared
 102         OSF             (vendor)        -non_shared
 103         SCO 3.2v5       (vendor)        -dn
 104         Solaris         (vendor)        -Bstatic
 105         SunOS           (vendor)        -Bstatic
 106
 107 * Failed `incremen.sh'.
 108
 109 In an NFS environment, lack of synchronisation between machine clocks
 110 might create difficulties to any tool comparing dates and file timestamps,
 111 like `tar' in incremental dumps.  This has been a recurrent problem in
 112 GNU Makefiles for the last few years.  We would like a general solution.
 113
 114 * BSD compatibility matters.
 115
 116 Set LIBS to `-lbsd' before configuration (see `INSTALL') if the linker
 117 complains about undefined `valloc' (AIX) or `bsd_ioctl' (Slackware).
 118 Also set CPPFLAGS to `-I/usr/include/bsd/sys' before configuration to
 119 solve dirent problems (NeXT), or to `-I/usr/include/bsd' if <sgtty.h>
 120 is not found (Slackware).
 121
 122 * `union wait' problems.
 123
 124 Configuration of `union wait' does not always take the best decision.
 125 If you have this problem, edit file `config.cache' after configuration,
 126 find the line about `tar_cv_header_union_wait', change `yes' by `no'
 127 or vice-versa, execute `./config.status', then launch `make'.
 128
 129 * `%lld' unsupported in `printf'.
 130
 131 GNU C has `long long', but the underneath C library might not support
 132 the `%lld' format.  If you have this problem, edit file `config.cache'
 133 after configuration, find the line about `ac_cv_sizeof_long_long, change
 134 `8' by `0', execute `./config.status', then launch `make'.
 135
 136 * FreeBSD users -- `configure' fails.
 137
 138 It has been reported that `configure' does not run on FreeBSD 2.1.7,
 139 because of a buggy `sh'.  It works using `bash', however.
 140
 141 * ISC users -- `S_*' symbols undefined.
 142
 143 On ISC 4.1mu, POSIX environment, set CFLAGS to `-posix' and CPPFLAGS to
 144 `-D_SYSV3' before configuration (see `INSTALL').  This will trigger the
 145 definition of a few `S_' prefixed symbols from <sys/stat.h>.
 146
 147 * Ultrix users -- broken `make'.
 148
 149 It seems that Ultrix make does not correctly handle shell commands
 150 having logical connectives in them.  Use `s5make' if you have it, try
 151 `PROG_ENV=SYSTEM_FIVE make' (works on Ultrix 4.4), or install GNU Make.
 152
 153 .------------------.
 154 | Special topics.  |
 155 `------------------'
 156
 157 Here are a few special matters about GNU `tar', not related to build
 158 matters.  See previous section for such.
 159
 160 * File attributes.
 161
 162 About *security*, it is probable that future releases of `tar' will have
 163 some behaviour changed.  There are many pending suggestions to choose from.
 164 Today, extracting an archive not being `root', `tar' will restore suid/sgid
 165 bits on files but owned by the extracting user.  `root' automatically gets
 166 a lot of special priviledges, `-p' might later become required to get them.
 167
 168 GNU `tar' does not properly restore symlink attributes.  Various systems
 169 implement flavours of symbolic links showing different behaviour and
 170 properties.  We did not successfully sorted all these out yet.  Currently,
 171 the `lchown' call will be used if available, but that's all.
 172
 173 * POSIX compliance.
 174
 175 GNU `tar' implements an early draft of the POSIX 1003.1 `ustar' standard
 176 which is different from the final standard.  This will be progressively
 177 corrected over the incoming few years.  Don't be mislead by the mere
 178 existence of the --posix option.  Later releases will become able to
 179 read truly POSIX archives, and also to produce them under option.  (Also,
 180 if you look at the internals, don't take the GNU extensions you see for
 181 granted, as they are planned to change.)  GNU tar 2.0 will produce POSIX
 182 archives by default, but there is a long way before we get there.
 183
 184 * What's next?
 185
 186 The emphasis from 1.11.2 to 1.12 has been on solving the main portability,
 187 execution or usability bugs.  This was accompanied all over with an
 188 internal cleanup in the sources, and the reassembly of a `tar' manual.
 189
 190 The `BACKLOG' file shows an approximative priorisation of the many pending
 191 problems and suggestions.  Besides pending problems and all other matters
 192 listed above, the cleanup is planned to continue and extend to the general
 193 organisation of the code, preparing a long time in advance for a possible
 194 merge of the `cpio' and `tar' distributions, into some common `paxutils'.
 195 We also want to address some long-awaited performance issues (for example:
 196 double buffering) or enhancements (for example: per-file compression).