File Compression and Archiving

File Compression and Archiving

One way to minimize disk usage is to encourage your users to archive or compress their files. Compression works best for files that are rarely used but that should not be discarded. Users can achieve some disk savings by using the compress(1) utility. Compressing a file allows you to leave it on the system, but can reduce the size of the file by as much as 50%. Compressed files have the suffix .Z and should not be renamed. Compression and archiving can be used together for maximum disk space savings.

If the files in question are used infrequently, consider archiving them to tape, floppy, or some other archive media. This maintains protection if you need the files later, but regaining them is slightly more difficult than if they were compressed.