Tar Files

UNIX for Beginners Q & A UNIX for Dummies Questions & Answers
1

How do I install .tar files? Can I unzip them on my local computer (win95) and then copy them to my server?

What is the deal with these?

Thanks for your time.

2

.tar files are just archives where the files and directories are contained in a nice archive.

Let's say you have a distribution at /usr/local/goodstuff

To create the tar file (one example):

tar cvf goodstuff.tar /usr/local/goodstuff

This creates a file names goodstuff.tar from the directory
and all files below the directory.

Now, if you move this to an Windows platform, you have to have a tar utility that works on that system. Archives tarred on UNIX systems will untar on Windows.

However, keep in mind that binary executables and similar files may not be compatible, so just because you can untar does not mean the files will run :slight_smile:

3

neo,

thanks for the response. I was thinking of untarring them on my windows machine and then uploading them to my server.

thanks for your help!