Creating and extract tar File in Linux

 

http://www.cyberciti.biz/faq/creating-a-tar-file-linux-command-line/

http://www.cyberciti.biz/faq/tar-extract-linux/

How can I extract or uncompress a file from tar ball downloaded from the Internet under Linux using bash command prompt?

You need to use the tar command to extract files from an archive or to create an archive (also known as tarball). A tarball or an archive is nothing but a single file that contains various individual files. It also includes information which allows your to restore files to their original form by one or more extraction programs such as tar command.

Extract or Unpack a TarBall File

To unpack or extract a tar file, type:

 
tar -xvf file.tar
 

To save disk space and bandwidth over the network all files are saved using compression program such as gzip or bzip2. To extract / unpack a .tar.gz (gzip) file, enter (note -z option):

 
tar -xzvf file.tar.gz
 

To extract / unpack a .tar.bz2 (bzip2) file, enter (note -j option):

 
tar -xjvf file.tar.bz2
 

Where,

• -x : Extract a tar ball.
• -v : Verbose output or show progress while extracting files.
• -f : Specify an archive or a tarball filename.
• -j : Decompress and extract the contents of the compressed archive created by bzip2 program (tar.bz2 extension).
• -z : Decompress and extract the contents of the compressed archive created by gzip program (tar.gz extension).

How Do I Extract A Single File Called foo.txt?

To extract a single file called foo.txt, enter:

 
tar -xvf file.tar foo.txt
tar -xzvf file.tar.gz foo.txt
tar -xjvf file.tar.bz2 foo.txt
 

You can also specify path such as etc/resolv.conf, enter:

 
tar -xvf file.tar etc/resolv.conf
tar -xzvf file.tar.gz etc/resolv.conf
tar -xjvf file.tar.bz2 etc/resolv.conf
 

How Do I Extract a Single Directory Called etc?

To extract a single directory called etc, enter:

 
tar -xvf file.tar etc
tar -xzvf file.tar.gz etc
tar -xjvf file.tar.bz2 etc
 

Sample outputs:

etc/
etc/pulse/
etc/pulse/default.pa
etc/pulse/client.conf
etc/pulse/daemon.conf
etc/pulse/system.pa
etc/xml/
etc/xml/docbook-xml.xml.old
etc/xml/xml-core.xml
etc/xml/catalog
etc/xml/catalog.old
etc/xml/docbook-xml.xml
etc/xml/rarian-compat.xml
etc/xml/sgml-data.xml
etc/xml/xml-core.xml.old
etc/xml/sgml-data.xml.old
etc/mail.rc
etc/Wireless/
etc/Wireless/RT2870STA/
etc/Wireless/RT2870STA/RT2870STA.dat
etc/logrotate.conf
etc/compizconfig/
etc/compizconfig/config
.....
...
....
etc/python/
etc/python/debian_config
etc/ConsoleKit/
etc/ConsoleKit/seats.d/
etc/ConsoleKit/seats.d/00-primary.seat
etc/ConsoleKit/run-session.d/
etc/ConsoleKit/run-seat.d/
etc/opt/

 

 

Creating A tar File in Linux Via Command Line Options

by Vivek Gite on December 15, 2007 · 0 comments· last updated at December 15, 2009

How do I create a tar file under Linux using command line options?

You need to use the tar command to create an archive (also known as tar ball) under Linux operating systems.

Linux tar command syntax

The syntax is as follows to create a tar file:

tar -cvf output.tar /dirname

OR

tar -cvf output.tar /dirname1 /dirname2 filename1 filename2

OR

tar -cvf output.tar /home/vivek/data /home/vivek/pictures /home/vivek/file.txt

OR

tar -cvf /tmp/output.tar /home/vivek/data /home/vivek/pictures /home/vivek/file.txt

Where,

• c : Create a tar ball.
• v : Verbose output (show progress).
• f : Output tar ball archive file name.

Example

Create a tar ball called /tmp/data.tar for /home/vivek/data directory, enter:

tar -cvf /tmp/data.tar /home/vivek/data

To View a Tar Ball Contains (list file inside a tar ball)

Type the following command:

tar -ctvf /tmp/data.ta

To Extract a Tar Ball

Type the following command to extract /tmp/data.tar in a current directory, enter:

tar -xvf /tmp/data.ta

Type the following command to extract /tmp/data.tar in a directory called /home/sales/data, enter:

tar -xvf /tmp/data.tar -C /home/sales/data

 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bzip2

http://jeremy.zawodny.com/blog/archives/000953.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_file_archivers

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_archive_formats 

http://www.computerhope.com/unix/utar.htm