Path: utzoo!utgpu!attcan!uunet!husc6!bloom-beacon!mit-eddie!bbn!rochester!ur-tut!ur-valhalla!socrates.ee.rochester.edu!deke From: deke@socrates.ee.rochester.edu (Deke Kassabian) Newsgroups: comp.unix.wizards Subject: Re: relative pathname question! Summary: use "." Message-ID: <1414@valhalla.ee.rochester.edu> Date: 8 Aug 88 15:02:37 GMT References: <1670003@hpcilzb.HP.COM> <5762@super.upenn.edu> Sender: usenet@valhalla.ee.rochester.edu Reply-To: deke@ee.rochester.edu (Deke Kassabian) Organization: UR Dept. of Electrical Engg, Rochester NY 14627 Lines: 28 >> [question about backing up files using tar WITHOUT absolute pathnames] >Set your default directory using "cd" and just use >tar cf /dev/whatever * I would suggest using "." rather than "*" to avoid the expansion of the commmand line to ridiculously long lengths. While the meaning is certainly different, I have yet to think of any problems with this method when the intent is to tar up the contents of my current directory. >>As far as I can tell, there is NO way to extract tar files with >>absolute pathnames anywhere except their original positions. > sure is, and a damned clever one at that. its called "sub-system root". > look up chroot(2) in your unix manual. Less "clever" and maybe even more sloppy, a few carefully placed symbolic links often does the trick as well. Using chroot(2) is probably a bit better. But who wants to do either one? The use of "." helps to avoid this situation, and can be used from anywhere (even from '/'). ------------------------------------------------------------------------ \\\ Deke Kassabian, URochester Department of Electrical Engineering \\\ \\\ deke@ee.rochester.edu "I never metacharacter \\\ \\\ or ...!rochester!ur-valhalla!deke I didn't like......" \\\ ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Quick as a wink, the sly cat stole Monroe's cheese sandwich