NAME

star - Creates tape archives and adds or extract files

SYNOPSIS

star [options] … [file] …

AVAILABILITY

SUNWsamfs

DESCRIPTION

This man (1) page describes the GNU version of the tar (1) command as extended by Oracle. Oracle has enhanced the tar (1) command to support the StorageTek QFS and Oracle HSM file systems. The star command saves many files together into a single tape or disk archive, and it can be used to restore individual files from the archive.

OPTIONS

This command accepts options in both single-character and multicharacter equivalent option formats.

Main Operation Mode Options

-t, --list: Lists the content of an archive.
-x, -extract, -get: Extracts files from an archive.
-c, --create: Creates a new archive.
-d, --diff, --compare: Finds differences between archive and file system.
-r, --append: Appends files to the end of an archive.
-u, --update: Only appends files newer than the copy in archive.
-A, --catenate, --concatenate: Appends tar (1) files to an archive.
--delete: Deletes from the archive (not on mag tapes!).

Operation Modifier Options

-W, --verify: Attempts to verify the archive after writing it.
--remove-files: Removes files after adding them to the archive.
-k, --keep-old-files: Does not overwrite existing files when extracting.
-U, --unlink-first: Removes each file prior to extracting over it.
--recursive-unlink: Empties hierarchies prior to extracting directory.
-S, --sparse: Handles sparse files efficiently.
-O, --to-stdout: Extracts files to standard output.
-G, --incremental: Handles old GNU-format incremental backup.
-g, --listed-incremental: Handles new GNU-format incremental backup.
--ignore-failed-read: Does not exit with nonzero on unreadable files.

File Attribute Handling Options

--owner=name: Forces name as the owner for added files.
--group=name: Forces name as the group for added files.
--mode=changes: Forces (symbolic) mode changes for added files.
--atime-preserve: Does not change access times on dumped files.
-m, --modification-time: Does not extract file modified time.
--same-owner: Tries extracting files with the same ownership.
--numeric-owner: Specifies to always use numbers for user∕group names.
-p, --same-permissions, --preserve-permissions: Extracts all protection information.
-s, --same-order, --preserve-order: Sorts names to extract to match archive.
--preserve: Same as specifying both -p and -s.

Device Selection and Switching Options

-f=archive, --file=archive: Uses archive file or device archive. The archive can be file, host:file or user@host:file.
--force-local: Specifies that archive file is local even if has a colon.
--rsh-command=command: Specifies to use remote command instead of rsh.
-[0-7][lmh]: Specifies drive and density.
-M, --multi-volume: Creates∕lists∕extracts multivolume archive.
-L=num, --tape-length=num: Changes tape after writing num x 1024 bytes.
-F=file, --info-script=file, --new-volume-script=file: Runs script in file at the end of each tape (implies -M).
--volno-file=file: Uses∕updates the volume number in file.

Device Blocking Options

-b=blocks, --blocking-factor=blocks: Specifies blocks x 512 bytes per record.
--record-size=size: Specifies size bytes per record, multiple of 512.
-i, --ignore-zeros: Ignores zeroed blocks in archive (means EOF).
-B, --read-full-records: Specifies to reblock as the file is being read (for 4.2BSD pipes).

Archive Format Selection Options

-V=name_or_pattern, --label=name_or_pattern: Creates archive with volume name name or globbing pattern pattern at list∕extract time.
-o, --old-archive, --portability: Writes a V7 format archive.
--posix: Writes a POSIX-conformant archive (GNU). Support for POSIX is only partially implemented. The star command cannot read, nor can it produce, --posix archives. If the POSIXLY_CORRECT environment variable is set, GNU extensions are disallowed with --posix.
-z, --gzip, --ungzip: Filters the archive through gzip (1).
-Z, --compress, --uncompress: Filters the archive through compress (1).
--use-compress-program=prog: Filters through prog (must accept -d).

Local File Selection Options

-C=dir, --directory=dir: Changes to directory dir.
-T=name, --files-from=name: Gets names to extract or create from file name.
--null: Instructs star to expect file names terminated with NUL characters so star can work correctly with file names that contain newline characters. Must be specified in conjunction with the -t or the -files-from=name option. Disables the -C option.
--exclude=pattern: Excludes files, given as a globbing pattern.
-X=file, --exclude-from=file: Excludes globbing patterns listed in file.
-P, --absolute-names: Does not strip leading slash characters (∕) from file names.
-h, --dereference: Dumps instead the files to which symlinks point.
--no-recursion: Avoids descending automatically in directories.
-l, --one-file-system: Stays in local file system when creating archive.
-K=name, --starting-file=name: Begins at file name in the archive.
-n, --newer_than_existing: Only restores files newer than the existing copy.
-N=date, --newer=date, --after-date=date: Only restores files newer than date.
--newer-mtime: Compares date and time when data changed only.
--backup[=control]: Backs up before removal, chooses version control. You can use the VERSION_CONTROL environment variable or the control argument to specify version control. The possible values for control are as follows:

control Values: Version
t, numbered: Makes numbered backups.
nil, existing: Makes numbered if numbered backups exist, simple otherwise.
never, simple: Specifies to always make simple backups.

--suffix=suffix: Backs up before removal. Overrides usual suffix. By default, the backup suffix is a tilde character (~). You can use this option or the SIMPLE_BACKUP_SUFFIX environment variable to specify an alternative suffix.

Informative Output Message Options

--help: Writes help text (which is this man (1) page), then exits.
--version: Writes the tar (1) program version number, then exits.
-v, --verbose: Lists files processed verbosely.
--checkpoint: Writes directory names while reading the archive.
--totals: Writes total bytes written while creating archive.
-R, --block-number: Shows block number within archive with each message.
-w, --interactive, --confirmation: Prompts for confirmation for every action.

Input File Option

file: The file can be a file or a device.

NOTES

The star (1m) command defaults to -f- and -b20.

Be careful when combining options. The star (1m) command supports old-style tar combined options without the leading "-", e.g.

∕opt∕SUNWsamfs∕sbin∕star tvbf 128 file
sets the blocksize to 64K and uses "file" as the archive.  However,
∕opt∕SUNWsamfs∕sbin∕star -tvbf 128 file
sets the blocksize to "f" and uses "128" as the archive.  If you want to
use the leading "-" you should separate the options as follows:
∕opt∕SUNWsamfs∕sbin∕star -tv -b 128 -f file