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From: John Hay <jhay@zibbi.mikom.csir.co.za>
Message-Id: <199705130446.GAA05044@zibbi.mikom.csir.co.za>
Subject: Re: GNU is not tar
In-Reply-To: <33780356.486F@fps.biblos.unal.edu.co> from "Pedro F. Giffuni" at "May 12, 97 10:59:50 pm"
To: pgiffuni@fps.biblos.unal.edu.co (Pedro F. Giffuni)
Date: Tue, 13 May 1997 06:46:00 +0200 (SAT)
Cc: hackers@FreeBSD.ORG
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> Tom Samplonius wrote:
> > 
> >   Well, this is wrong for a start.  The params are in the wrong order, and
> > you shouldn't use a "-" with single letter options:
> > 
> > tar cbf 10 filename.tar *
> > 
> > (params in right order, and no "-")
> > 
> If I remember well, I copied the example from the manpage !
> mt(2?) didn't fix the blocksize either, but I'm not sure of that format:
> setenv TAPE /dev/rwt0
> mt BLOCKSIZE 10
> 
> Anyway I did get that working with the alternate form of tar, What keeps
> me worried is that I'll have to use gnu tar on every box.
> 

I use the tar that is in FreeBSD daily for backups to tape devices and
am using nondefault blocksizes and have yet to see a problem. Here is
the example out of the tar man page:
======
     To create an archive on tape drive /dev/rst0 with a block size of 20
     blocks, containing files named "bert" and "ernie", you can enter
           tar cfb /dev/rst0 20 bert ernie
     or
           tar --create --file /dev/rst0 --block-size 20 bert ernie
======

John
-- 
John Hay -- John.Hay@mikom.csir.co.za