(tar)Dealing with Compressed Archives

Sparse Files

Compressed Archives

Compression

Dealing with Compressed Archives
--------------------------------

     *(This message will disappear, once this node revised.)*

   You can have archives be compressed by using the `--gzip' (`-z')
option.  This will arrange for `tar' to use the `gzip' program to be
used to compress or uncompress the archive wren writing or reading it.

   To use the older, obsolete, `compress' program, use the `--compress'
(`-Z') option.  The GNU Project recommends you not use `compress',
because there is a patent covering the algorithm it uses.  Merely by
running `compress' you could be sued for patent infringment.

   When using either `--gzip' (`-z') or `--compress' (`-Z'), `tar' does
not do blocking (
FIXME: pxref Blocking
   ) correctly.  Use `--gzip-block' or `--compress-blocks' instead when
using real tape drives.