*BSD News Article 91852


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From: mheath@netspace.net.au (Mark Heath)
Newsgroups: comp.unix.bsd.freebsd.misc
Subject: Re: Tape file system
Date: 24 Mar 1997 03:23:30 GMT
Organization: Netspace Online Systems
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Gunther Schadow (gusw@zedat.fu-berlin.de) wrote:
: Hi,

: I am asking because I feel like the tar (`Tape ARchive') is not as
: well tailored as it could be, if it had an index at the head and would
: quickly proceed to the position of the desired files to be extracted.
: Dump(8) has a nice directory feature `restore -i'is very comfortable,
: however, restore does not seek quickly but reads over the whole tape.
: Finally would it not be a file system like thing in the end?

Im planning on writing another archiver (for tape drives) which stores a 
catalog at the beggining of the archive to allow quick listings and also 
a quick seek to the file you wish to extract.

I posted a simular question to comp.sys.linux.apps (Anything better than 
tar?) and got the answer:

use tar -R option to build a record file.
then use dd to seek to the appropriate position on the tape (or something 
like this)
One user even wrote a utility to take the record file and seek to the 
desired position.  called dds2tar (check your favourite search engine)

I have saved most of the replies I got from that post, if you want any 
info on using tar -R and dd together I can forward them to you.

Also if you want any info on the implementation of my archiver 
(marchiver or markiver :-)) Mail me.

-- Dos has a MOUSE command.  Unix has a CAT command.  Who eats Who?
-- mark heath 			| Netspace Online Systems
	mark@crafti.com.au	|
	mheath@netspace.net.au	| +61(0)411 224 397