Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/18/84; site rlgvax.UUCP 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!