Go to the previous, next section.

Changing How tar Writes Files

FIXME: find a better title

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

Normally, tar writes extracted files into the file system without regard to the files already on the system--files with the same name as archive members are overwritten. To prevent tar from extracting an archive member from an archive, if doing so will overwrite a file in the file system, use `--keep-old-files' (`-k') in conjunction with the `--extract' (`-x') operation. When this option is specified, tar reports an error stating the name of the files in conflict, instead of writing the file from the archive.

`--keep-old files'

`-k'

Prevents tar from overwriting files in the file system during extraction.

Normally, tar sets the modification times of extracted files to the modification times recorded for the files in the archive, but limits the permissions of extracted files by the current umask setting.

To set the modification times of extracted files to the time when the files were extracted, use the `--modification-time' (`-m') option in conjunction with `--extract' (`-x').

`--modification-time'

`-m'

Sets the modification time of extracted archive members to the time they were extracted, not the time recorded for them in the archive. Use in conjunction with `--extract' (`-x').

To set the modes (access permissions) of extracted files to those recorded for those files in the archive, use the option in conjunction with the `--extract' (`-x') operation.

FIXME: mib -- should be aliased to ignore-umask.  

`--preserve-permission'

`--same-permission'

`--ignore-umask'

`-p'

Set modes of extracted archive members to those recorded in the archive, instead of current umask settings. Use in conjunction with `--extract' (`-x').

FIXME: following paragraph needs to be rewritten: why doesnt' this cat
FIXME: files together, why is this useful.  is it really useful with
FIXME: more than one file?

`--to-stdout'

`-O'

Writes files to the standard output. Used in conjunction with `--extract' (`-x').

FIXME: why would you want to do such a thing, how are files separated on
FIXME: the standard output? is this useful with more that one file?  are
FIXME: pipes the real reason?

Go to the previous, next section.