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Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!allegra!mit-eddie!think!harvard!seismo!trwatf!rlgvax!tjk
From: tjk@rlgvax.UUCP (Tom Kredo)
Newsgroups: net.unix,net.unix-wizards
Subject: Tar Padding Nulls Advice
Message-ID: <691@rlgvax.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 9-Jul-85 16:50:32 EDT
Article-I.D.: rlgvax.691
Posted: Tue Jul  9 16:50:32 1985
Date-Received: Thu, 11-Jul-85 20:29:08 EDT
Organization: CCI Office Systems Group, Reston, VA
Lines: 8
Xref: watmath net.unix:4999 net.unix-wizards:13768

We have a data base program that allocates nulls in the middle of
the file to use for data expansion.  This may be created as a
1MB file, but only be a 1KB file of data.  UNIX only really allocates 1 block
for this file.  If we tar, cpio, or cp this file, the file becomes
fully allocated as the nulls are fully padded.  This is a problem
since a backup may no longer fit on the same file system.  Any
suggestions as to ways around this other than hacking tar, cpio, and cp?
Thanks!