Editing Linux 101 hacks (section)

=='''Hack 48. Tar Command Basics'''==


tar command (tape archive) is used to convert a group of files into an archive.


<nowiki>Syntax: tar [options] [tar-archive-name] [other-file-names]</nowiki>


'''How can I create a single backup file of all files and subdirectories under my home directory?'''


The following command creates a single archive backup file called my_home_directory.tar under /tmp. This archive will contain all the files and subdirectories under /home/jsmith.


o Option c, stands for create an archive.


# Option v stands for verbose mode, displays additional information while executing the command. 

# 
## Option f indicates the archive file name mentioned in the command. 

# tar cvf /tmp/my_home_directory.tar /home/jsmith 



'''How do I view all the files inside the tar archive?'''


Option t will display all the files from the tar archive.


<nowiki># </nowiki>tar tvf /tmp/my_home_directory.tar


'''How do I extract all the files from a tar archive?'''


Option x will extract the files from the tar archive as shown below. This will extract the content to the current directory location from where the command is executed.


<nowiki># </nowiki>tar xvf /tmp/my_home_directory.tar


'''How do I extract tar.gz files to a specific directory?'''


<nowiki># tar xvfz /tmp/my_home_directory.tar.gz –C /home/ramesh</nowiki>