Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!gem.mps.ohio-state.edu!ginosko!uunet!virtech!cpcahil
From: cpcahil@virtech.UUCP (Conor P. Cahill)
Newsgroups: comp.unix.questions
Subject: Re: saving directories when they don't fit on 1 tape
Summary: cpio does not accept just a return for subsequent disks/tapes
Keywords: multi-volume tar, archive
Message-ID: <1220@virtech.UUCP>
Date: 2 Oct 89 23:42:48 GMT
References: <1454@mdbs.UUCP> <895@kcdev.UUCP>
Organization: Virtual Technologies Inc
Lines: 27

In article <895@kcdev.UUCP>, gentry@kcdev.UUCP (Art Gentry) writes:
> In article <1454@mdbs.UUCP>, wsmith@mdbs.UUCP (Bill Smith) writes:
> > Is there an automatic, reasonably portable way to save a directory and all 
> > files beneath it on tape when it does not fit on a single piece of media 
> > and can not easily be split at the next level down in the directory tree?
> 
> At least on my Hewlett Packard and AT&T systems, both tar and cpio will do
> multi tape saves.  They will write untill eot is detected and then prompt
> for another device to continue writting.  If you just hit [return], they
> will continue writing to the same device (after you have changed the tape,
> of course!! :-})

Cpio does not allow this.  You must enter the name of the output device for
each follow on tape. This is the most agravating feature of any unix utility
that I use.   Invariably I will absent mindedly hit just a return on the 12th
diskette and have to remake the entire set.

I would prefer the mechanism that you specify or at least a mechanism that
requires a confirmation that you wish to abort the archiving.



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| Conor P. Cahill     uunet!virtech!cpcahil      	703-430-9247	!
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