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. -- +-----------------------------------------------------------------------+ | Conor P. Cahill uunet!virtech!cpcahil 703-430-9247 ! | Virtual Technologies Inc., P. O. Box 876, Sterling, VA 22170 | +-----------------------------------------------------------------------+