tar command (tape archive) is used to convert a group of files into an archive.
Syntax: tar [options] [tar-archive-name] [other-file-names]
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.
o Option v stands for verbose mode, displays additional information while executing the command.
o 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.
# 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.
# tar xvf /tmp/my_home_directory.tar
How do I extract tar.gz files to a specific directory?
# tar xvfz /tmp/my_home_directory.tar.gz –C /home/ramesh