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1994-01-13
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The TAR Shell Program
TARSHELL
Vers. 1.0
Timothy W. Saffell
4203 Enterprise Rd.
Bowie, Maryland 20720 USA
saffell@mail.loc.gov
Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
WARRANTY. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
INSTALLATION. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
EXECUTING TARSHELL. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
THE CONFIGURATION FILE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
EXITING TARSHELL. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
1. CONFIGURE TARSHELL. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
1.1. PATH TO TAR.EXE AND TAPE.EXE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
1.2. PATH TO YOUR EDITOR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
1.3. CONFIGURATION FILE NAME . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
1.4. TAPE FORMAT OPTIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
1.4.1. TAPE BLOCKSIZE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
1.4.2. BLOCKING FACTOR FOR TAPE ARCHIVE (-b) . . . . . . . . . . . 8
1.4.3. COMPRESS ARCHIVE (-z) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
1.4.4. PRESERVE ABSOLUTE PATHS (-P). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
1.4.5. INCLUDE EAs, HIDDEN, and SYSTEM FILES (-p). . . . . . . . . 9
1.4.6. SAVE CREATED/ACCESSED TIME STAMPS? (-pp). . . . . . . . . . 9
1.4.7. ALLOW MULTIVOLUME ARCHIVES (-M) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
1.4.8. CREATE/MAINTAIN A TAPE DIRECTORY (-D) . . . . . . . . . . . 9
1.4.9. TAPE DIRECTORY FILE NAME. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
1.5. PROGRESS REPORTING OPTIONS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
1.5.1. LEVEL OF PROGRESS REPORTING (-v, -E). . . . . . . . . . . . 10
1.5.2. PRINT RECORD NUMBERS (-R) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
1.6. BACKUP OPTIONS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
1.6.1. BACKUP PROCEDURE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
1.6.1.1. BASED ON DATE: FIRST, INCREMENTAL, (...). . . . . . . . 11
1.6.1.2. BASED ON DATE: FIRST, SECOND, (...). . . . . . . . . . 11
1.6.1.3. BASED ON ARCHIVE BIT: FIRST, INCREMENTAL, (...). . . . 11
1.6.1.4. BASED ON ARCHIVE BIT: FIRST, SECOND, (...) . . . . . . 12
1.6.2. DUMP FILE NAME (-g) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
2. Set TARSHELL Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
3. CREATE A TAPE ARCHIVE (-c). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
3.1. FILE SPECIFICATION. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
3.2. INCLUDE ONLY CERTAIN FILES (-T) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
3.3. FILES TO PROCESS ARE IN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
3.4. EXCLUDE CERTAIN FILES (-X). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
3.5. FILES TO EXCLUDE ARE IN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
TARSHELL: The TAR Shell Program, v. 1.0 3
3.6. PROCESS SUBDIRECTORIES (-Y) 14
3.7. GENERATION TYPE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
3.8. CONTINUE WITH CREATE FUNCTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
4. LIST THE TABLE OF CONTENTS OF A TAPE ARCHIVE (-t) . . . . . . . . . 14
4.1. FILE SPECIFICATION. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
4.2. INCLUDE ONLY CERTAIN FILES (-T) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
4.3. FILES TO PROCESS ARE IN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
4.4. EXCLUDE CERTAIN FILES (-X). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
4.5. FILES TO EXCLUDE ARE IN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
4.6. PROGRESS REPORTING OPTIONS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
4.6.1. LEVEL OF PROGRESS REPORTING (-v, -E). . . . . . . . . . . . 16
4.6.2. PRINT RECORD NUMBERS (-R) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
4.7. CONTINUE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
5. COMPARE FILES IN A TAPE ARCHIVE. (-d) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
5.1. FILE SPECIFICATION. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
5.2. INCLUDE ONLY CERTAIN FILES (-T) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
5.3. FILES TO PROCESS ARE IN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
5.4. EXCLUDE CERTAIN FILES (-X). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
5.5. FILES TO EXCLUDE ARE IN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
5.6. PROGRESS REPORTING OPTIONS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
5.6.1. LEVEL OF PROGRESS REPORTING (-v, -E). . . . . . . . . . . . 18
5.6.2. PRINT RECORD NUMBERS (-R) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
5.7. CONTINUE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
6. EXTRACT FROM A TAPE ARCHIVE--RANDOM (QFA) (-x -D) . . . . . . . . . 19
6.1. FILE SPECIFICATION. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
6.2. INCLUDE ONLY CERTAIN FILES (-T) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
6.3. FILES TO PROCESS ARE IN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
6.4. EXCLUDE CERTAIN FILES (-X). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
6.5. FILES TO EXCLUDE ARE IN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
6.6. PROCESS SUBDIRECTORIES (-Y) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
6.7. ABSOLUTE PATH/REDIRECTION (-P). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
6.8. PROGRESS REPORTING OPTIONS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
6.8.1. LEVEL OF PROGRESS REPORTING (-v, -E). . . . . . . . . . . . 20
6.8.2. PRINT RECORD NUMBERS (-R) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
6.9. CONTINUE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
7. EXTRACT FROM A TAPE ARCHIVE--SEQUENTIAL (-x). . . . . . . . . . . . 21
7.2. INCLUDE ONLY CERTAIN FILES (-T) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
7.3. FILES TO PROCESS ARE IN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
7.4. EXCLUDE CERTAIN FILES (-X). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
7.5. FILES TO EXCLUDE ARE IN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
7.6. PROCESS SUBDIRECTORIES (-Y) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
7.7. ABSOLUTE PATH/REDIRECTION (-P). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
7.8. PROGRESS REPORTING OPTIONS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
7.8.1. LEVEL OF PROGRESS REPORTING (-v, -E). . . . . . . . . . . . 22
7.8.2. PRINT RECORD NUMBERS (-R) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
7.9. CONTINUE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
TARSHELL: The TAR Shell Program, v. 1.0 4
8. TAPE UTILITY FUNCTIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
8.1. RETENTION TAPE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
8.2. REWIND TAPE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
8.3. ERASE TAPE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
8.4. POSITION TAPE BY FILE MARK. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
8.5. POSITION TAPE BY BLOCK. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
8.6. POSITION TAPE TO END OF DATA. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
8.7. TELL CURRENT TAPE POSITION. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
8.8. WRITE A TAPE MARK . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
INTRODUCTION
TARSHELL is a program which was written to make it easier to use the GNU
TAR (Tape Archive) port to OS/2 by Andreas Kaiser, namely GTAK. TARSHELL
does not require Presentation Manager, so it can be executed from a floppy
disk.
TARSHELL does not process disk or tape files. It merely provides a menu of
choices and executes TAR.EXE with the appropriate combination of options.
Every possible attempt has been made to allow you to see the results passed
back from TAR.EXE or TAPE.EXE. When TARSHELL executes TAR or TAPE, it
first clears the screen. Before continuing, TARSHELL pauses to allow you
to see the output from the TAR or TAPE program.
TARSHELL has been kept as small as possible so that it can be executed from
a floppy disk. There are no pop-up context-sensitive help screens and
there is only minimal editing of your entries.
WARRANTY
None. You are responsible to test TARSHELL with GTAK on your system to be
sure that it works before depending on it. If you use TARSHELL, you do so
at your own risk.
INSTALLATION
Assuming that you have a SCSI Host Adapter with a SCSI Tape Backup Unit
supported by OS/2, in addition to TARSHELL, you will need GTAKxxx (the
latest one at the time that this was written is GTAK212). I would suggest
that you also get a copy of MAKEBOOT while you are at it.
Create a new subdirectory on your hard disk and unzip GTAK into it.
Determine from the GTAK documentation which of the drivers you need to use
for your SCSI Adapter/Tape Drive combination and install them in your
CONFIG.SYS. Be sure that GTAK is working before trying to use TARSHELL.
If you enter "TAPE LOAD", the first time (ONLY the first time since power
has been applied to your SCSI host adapter) you will get several lines of
feedback. If that seems to work, put a tape into the drive and enter "TAPE
ERASE". The tape should whrrr for several minutes.
With GTAK installed and working, you can install TARSHELL. TARSHELL can be
placed into the same subdirectory in which you have GTAK or it can be
placed in another subdirectory of its own.
When you are confident that the GTAK and TARSHELL programs are working well
together, create a boot disk and install SCSI support, GTAK and TARSHELL on
floppy disks. Your backup system will not do you much good if it is only
installed on a hard disk and that hard disk just went south.
TARSHELL: The TAR Shell Program, v. 1.0 6
If you have two floppy drives, it's most convenient to install GTAK and
TARSHELL on the disk size that fits into your b: drive. Otherwise, just
swap the boot disk for the disk with the backup software on it in your a:
drive.
EXECUTING TARSHELL
First of all, change the current directory to the drive and directory in
which you have installed TARSHELL. Then enter the program name "TARSHELL".
For this first time, TARSHELL will ask you where you have installed GTAK.
Enter the complete path of the subdirectory in which you have placed the
GTAK programs, TAR.EXE and TAPE.EXE.
After starting TARSHELL and entering the path to the GTAK programs, you
should see the screen go blank. TAR should display its version number, the
output from the TAPE LOAD command should be displayed on the screen and
then "Press a key to continue" should be displayed on the bottom line of
the screen.
DIAGNOSTIC: If you see only a blank screen except for the bottom line,
TARSHELL was not able to find TAR.EXE and TAPE.EXE in the location
that you just entered. Continue with the configuration process and
correct the entry for the location of TAR.EXE and TAPE.EXE as
described below.
If you will read through the rest of this document while looking at the
menus that TARSHELL presents to you, you will probably feel quite at home
with TARSHELL by the time you get finished.
This manual is organized to correspond to the menu options that are
available in TARSHELL. The numbers on the paragraphs correspond to the
choices that you must make from TARSHELL's main menu in order to perform
the operation described in the paragraph. Since it is organized in this
manner, some of the material is redundant. In the case where an option is
available at more than one place in TARSHELL, the explanation of the option
is repeated. I felt that it was better to have redundant information than
to send you searching all over the manual to find an explanation.
THE CONFIGURATION FILE
TARSHELL will accept one command line argument, the name of the
configuration file. The first time you execute TARSHELL, you don't have to
enter the name of a configuration file. TARSHELL will use the default
name, TARSHELL.CFG. If the file doesn't exist (probably it won't), it will
be created. The configuration file is the file in which TARSHELL keeps
configuration information about your environment and your preferences for
executing GTAK. Generally you will only need one configuration file,
although there are exceptions to this rule that are described below. If
TARSHELL: The TAR Shell Program, v. 1.0 7
you only have one configuration file, you never need to enter its name,
since TARSHELL will always use the default name, TARSHELL.CFG.
Now why would you want to have more than one configuration file? Let's
suppose that you have a regular backup routine in place, you've set up the
parameters in TARSHELL.CFG so that it works the way you want it to. But
periodically, you must send the contents of several directories to someone
else on tape. You could set up a second configuration file with a
different name for the dump file, and the directory file, and a different
file specification so that just the desired files would be copied to tape,
but your regular routine would not be disturbed.
EXITING TARSHELL
When you have finished using TARSHELL, you must return to the main menu to
exit. This can be done from anywhere in the program by pressing the "0"
zero choice on each menu until you return to the main menu. When you press
"0" zero on the main menu, TARSHELL will ask you if you want to UNLOAD the
tape. This might take a while, and may accomplish little, depending on the
device, so you may choose not to UNLOAD the tape. Generally, if you UNLOAD
the tape, it will be rewound to the beginning and if your device has an
LED, it will be turned off.
1. CONFIGURE TARSHELL
This is where you give TARSHELL some guidelines. You should look over the
default options, at least. Many of them will be OK without change, but you
might need to make some changes for your specific environment. As a
general rule, you will not need to change the configuration once it is set.
1.1. PATH TO TAR.EXE AND TAPE.EXE
Enter the path in which TARSHELL will find the GTAK programs TAR.EXE and
TAPE.EXE.
Enter the drive and directory, for example, "C:\GTAK212\".
1.2. PATH TO YOUR EDITOR
Enter the fully qualified name of your editor. If you want to use either
the "include only certain files" or the "exclude certain files" options,
TARSHELL will give you the opportunity to edit the text files which contain
these lists of file names. If you want to do this from a floppy disk, you
should be sure that your editor does not require that the presentation
manager be loaded, that is, it should be a text-mode editor.
Enter the drive, path, and complete program name, for example,
"C:\WE12\WE.EXE".
TARSHELL: The TAR Shell Program, v. 1.0 8
1.3. CONFIGURATION FILE NAME
TARSHELL saves the configuration parameters in a file, by default, TARSHELL
will use the name TARSHELL.CFG. This way, you will only need to set the
configuration parameters once and TARSHELL will remember them by reading
them back from the file the next time you run the program.
If you ask to change the name of the configuration file, TARSHELL will look
for a file with the name that you enter. If the file exists, the
parameters will be read in from the file and used for subsequent
operations. If you change any processing parameters, TARSHELL will write
the changes back to the new file.
If you enter the name of a file that does not exist, the parameters that
are currently in use will continue to be in use. If you change any
configuration parameters, TARSHELL will write the changes to the new file.
1.4. TAPE FORMAT OPTIONS
The options on this menu control what and how data is written on the tape
archive.
1.4.1. TAPE BLOCKSIZE
The tape blocksize is hardware dependent and should not be confused with
the software blocking factor which may be entered below. Some tape devices
give you the option of using a hardware blocksize of 512 or 1024 bytes. If
your device is capable of different blocksizes, you may specify your choice
here.
1.4.2. BLOCKING FACTOR FOR TAPE ARCHIVE (-b)
You can enter a number here to tell TAR how to block records on the tape
archive. If you enter zero, TARSHELL will indicate to TAR that it should
use its own default, currently blocking at a factor of 20, with 512 bytes
per record, and 10K bytes per block.
1.4.3. COMPRESS ARCHIVE (-z)
If set to YES, data on the tape archive will be compressed. There are pros
and cons to using this option. Obviously, if the tape archive is
compressed, more data will fit on a given tape. Not so obviously, though,
if a tape archive is damaged, it is impossible to recover data after the
spot on the tape where the damage occurred, whereas, if the tape archive is
not compressed, it is possible to skip over the damaged spot on the tape
and continue to process the data, minimizing the loss.
TARSHELL: The TAR Shell Program, v. 1.0 9
1.4.4. PRESERVE ABSOLUTE PATHS (-P)
If this option is set to YES, TAR will include the "drive:" in the name of
the file as it places it on the tape archive. Otherwise TAR removes the
"drive:" part of the file name. If you will be archiving files from more
than one disk drive, say C: and D:, onto the same archive tape, there might
be some confusion if the files do not have their absolute paths. Even
files with absolute paths can be redirected to another drive or directory
when they are restored.
1.4.5. INCLUDE EAs, HIDDEN, and SYSTEM FILES (-p)
If set to YES, TAR will include the Extended Attributes of each file in the
tape archive. Also hidden and system files will be included ... just like
it says.
1.4.6. SAVE CREATED/ACCESSED TIME STAMPS? (-pp)
If set to YES, TAR will preserve information that indicates when each file
was created and last accessed.
1.4.7. ALLOW MULTIVOLUME ARCHIVES (-M)
If set to YES, when TAR reaches the end of a tape volume (cartridge), TAR
will ask you to insert another tape. TAR will then continue processing on
the next tape.
1.4.8. CREATE/MAINTAIN A TAPE DIRECTORY (-D)
If set to YES, TAR will keep a directory of files that it writes to tape.
This directory has information that allows TAR to go directly to a file on
the tape. This is known as Quick File Access (QFA). QFA must be available
on the hardware that you have installed for this to work.
1.4.9. TAPE DIRECTORY FILE NAME
This option allows you to enter the name of the file in which you want TAR
to store the directory information for QFA. Generally, you should not need
to change this name. The same file should be used for all processes on a
tape. Even if you backup more than one disk drive to the tape, you should
use the same directory file for the tape.
When you create a new tape, TARSHELL will ask you if you want to delete
this file so TAR can create a new one. Generally you should. Then when
you create any additional archives on the tape, you should continue to use
the same directory file, so that it can be updated to reflect the files
that are being added to the tape.
Where should you put the directory file? This file can get very large, and
might not fit on the floppy disk with GTAK and TARSHELL. But, if you have
TARSHELL: The TAR Shell Program, v. 1.0 10
a hard disk failure, you might not be able to have access to the directory
if it was placed on the hard disk that failed. On the other hand, if you
have a major crash, you will be doing massive restores of whole archives
and you don't need QFA for that. Go ahead and put it on your hard disk
where there will be plenty of room.
Additionally, you might want to create an archive on the tape which
contains only the tape directory file. This file could be copied to tape
after the hard disk backup is completed.
1.5. PROGRESS REPORTING OPTIONS
Progress reporting options will keep you informed of the progress that TAR
is making. Keep in mind that a lot of data being written on the monitor
will slow down the operation. You might want to compromise between
informative and efficient operation.
1.5.1. LEVEL OF PROGRESS REPORTING (-v, -E)
There are three levels of progress reporting. 1) TAR will inform you of
every file that it processes, 2) TAR will inform you as it processes each
directory, 3) TAR will not tell you anything. You might want to choose the
first option while you are installing and testing TAR and TARSHELL, then
move to the second option. If you have lots of confidence, you can then
move to the third option.
1.5.2. PRINT RECORD NUMBERS (-R)
If set to YES, TAR will print out the record number corresponding to the
beginning of each file on the tape. This option can be very useful if you
are trying to process a tape that has been damaged. Note that this option
does not take into consideration the setting of progress reporting above,
so if you request record numbers and progress reporting by directory, you
will see a directory name followed by a string of record numbers (one for
each file), but without the file names that the record numbers correspond
to.
1.6. BACKUP OPTIONS
This is where you indicate the basic philosophy of the backup procedure
that you desire. One of these should be selected before creating a new
tape and the same procedure should remain in effect for the use of the
tape.
1.6.1. BACKUP PROCEDURE
This is where you specify which of the backup procedures you wish to have
performed. You should select one of these methods and continue to use it
unless you have a good reason to switch to another method. When you
indicate that you wish to create a tape archive, you will be asked whether
TARSHELL: The TAR Shell Program, v. 1.0 11
you want to do a first, second, or incremental backup based on the
selection that you make here.
1.6.1.1. BASED ON DATE: FIRST, INCREMENTAL, (...)
The first time you use this procedure, all files from the disk are archived
to tape. The date on which this takes place is written on the dump file.
The next and all subsequent backups are incremental archives. The date of
the last modification of each file is compared to the date on the dump file
and any file that has been modified since the date on the dump file is
archived to tape. The dump file is modified with the date on which this
takes place. The same procedure is followed for all subsequent backups.
In order to perform a complete restore from tape with this procedure, you
must first restore the first backup, then each and every incremental backup
in the order in which they were taken.
1.6.1.2. BASED ON DATE: FIRST, SECOND, (...)
The first time you use this procedure, all files from the disk are archived
to tape. The date on which this takes place is written on the dump file.
The next and all subsequent backups are second archives. The date of
modification is compared to the date on the dump file and any file that has
been modified since the date of the first backup is archived to tape. With
this procedure the dump file is NOT modified with the date on which this
takes place. The same procedure is followed for all subsequent backups.
Thus, each subsequent backup will archive all files that have been modified
since the first backup.
In order to perform a complete restore from tape with this procedure, you
must first restore the first backup, then only the latest second backup.
There is no need to restore any of the intermediate second backups.
1.6.1.3. BASED ON ARCHIVE BIT: FIRST, INCREMENTAL, (...)
The first time you use this procedure, all files from the disk are archived
to tape. The archive attribute of each file is reset (turned OFF).
On the second and all subsequent uses of this procedure, TAR will archive
only those files whose archive bit has been set (turned ON). The archive
bit associated with a file is turned on automatically by the operating
system when the file is modified or copied to the hard disk.
In order to perform a complete restore from tape with this procedure, you
must first restore the first backup, then each and every incremental backup
in the order in which they were taken.
TARSHELL: The TAR Shell Program, v. 1.0 12
1.6.1.4. BASED ON ARCHIVE BIT: FIRST, SECOND, (...)
The first time you use this procedure, all files from the disk are archived
to tape. The archive attribute of each file is reset (turned OFF).
On the second and all subsequent uses of this procedure, TAR will archive
only those files whose archive bit has been set (turned ON), but will NOT
turn off the archive bit.
In order to perform a complete restore from tape with this procedure, you
must first restore the first backup, then only the most recent second
archive. There is no need to restore any of the other second backups.
1.6.2. DUMP FILE NAME (-g)
The dump file is the file in which TAR keeps data about the date of the
last backup. It is required for backup procedures based on date. It is
written to during first and incremental backups.
2. Set TARSHELL Mode
TARSHELL operates in two modes. This choice toggles between the two modes.
By default, TARSHELL is in EXECUTE PROGRAM mode. As you make choices from
the TARSHELL menus, TARSHELL will call TAR and TAPE to perform the
functions that you have requested. If you toggle the mode to GENERATE .CMD
FILE, rather than calling TAR and TAPE programs, TARSHELL will write the
commands into a .CMD file. You can execute the command file whenever you
please. One advantage of executing a command file over executing the
programs dynamically, is that you do not have to be present to interact
with TARSHELL.
If you make an entry like "FULLBACK.CMD", a file named FULLBACK.CMD will be
written in the current directory. If you enter something like
"C:\CMDFILES\FULLBACK.CMD" the output will be written into the specified
directory. If you enter "FULLBACK", a file named FULLBACK will be written
in the current directory, but you will have to rename it with an extension
of .CMD before you can execute it as a .CMD file.
3. CREATE A TAPE ARCHIVE (-c)
This option causes TAR to copy a set of files to tape, creating a new tape
archive.
3.1. FILE SPECIFICATION
The file specification tells TAR which files to process. For example,
"C:\" along with PROCESS SUBDIRECTORIES below set to YES, will process your
TARSHELL: The TAR Shell Program, v. 1.0 13
entire C: drive. Similarly "C:\ D:\" will process both the C: and D:
drives.
Please note: If you specify "process only certain files" below, the file
specification that you enter here will be ignored.
3.2. INCLUDE ONLY CERTAIN FILES (-T)
If you want to process only selected files, you may place the names of the
files that you wish to process in a text file. Only the files whose names
are in the text file will be processed.
Please note: If you specify "process only certain files" here, the file
specification that you enter above will be ignored.
Also note that filenames are case sensitive and must be specified exactly
as they appear in a table of contents listing.
3.3. FILES TO PROCESS ARE IN
This option is used in conjunction with the one above. If you set "process
only certain files" to "yes", you must provide a list of the files that you
want to process.
When you select this option from the menu, you can enter the name of the
file that contains the list of files that you want to process. If you have
entered the name of an editor in the configuration section above, TARSHELL
will give you the opportunity to start the editor with the file that you
specify so that you can enter or modify the list of filenames.
Filenames should be listed one per line. They may contain wildcards. Also
note that filenames are case sensitive and must be specified exactly as
they appear in a table of contents listing.
3.4. EXCLUDE CERTAIN FILES (-X)
If you want to exclude certain files from processing, you may place the
names of the files that you wish to exclude in a text file.
This option may be used with either the "file specification" or the
"include only certain files" in effect.
Note that filenames are case sensitive and must be specified exactly as
they appear in a table of contents listing.
3.5. FILES TO EXCLUDE ARE IN
This option is used in conjunction with the one above. If you set "exclude
certain files" to "yes", you must provide a list of the files that you want
to exclude.
TARSHELL: The TAR Shell Program, v. 1.0 14
When you select this option from the menu, you can enter the name of the
file that contains the list of files that you want to exclude from
processing. If you have entered the name of an editor in the configuration
section above, TARSHELL will give you the opportunity to start the editor
with the file that you specify so that you can enter or modify the list of
filenames.
Filenames should be listed one per line. They may contain wildcards. Note
that filenames are case sensitive and must be specified exactly as they
appear in a table of contents listing.
3.6. PROCESS SUBDIRECTORIES (-Y)
Set this option to YES and TAR will process files in the subdirectories
under the location that you specify in FILE SPECIFICATION above.
3.7. GENERATION TYPE
You will be prompted for the type of generation that you want to produce.
If you have chosen one of the procedures that produces either a first or
incremental generation, you will be given those two options to choose from.
If you have chosen one of the procedures that produces a first or second
generation, those options will be available.
If you have selected one of the backup procedures which are based on date,
you must also enter a dump file name in order for it to work.
3.8. CONTINUE WITH CREATE FUNCTION
When you have set the above options the way you want them to be, select
this option to continue to create an archive on tape.
You will be reminded that TAR will normally append data to the end of the
tape. If you would like this file to be the first one on the tape
(discarding the data that was previously on the tape), you will be given
the opportunity to erase the tape first.
DIAGNOSTIC: If you erase the tape, TAR may (depending on the device)
display an error message when it attempts to seek the end of the
data. This is normal.
When you erase the tape, or begin using a new one, you should also delete
the directory file. TARSHELL will ask you if you would like to delete it.
TAR will then create a new one from scratch.
4. LIST THE TABLE OF CONTENTS OF A TAPE ARCHIVE (-t)
This option causes TAR to read a tape archive and list its contents. The
result is dependent on the reporting options that you have set. You will
TARSHELL: The TAR Shell Program, v. 1.0 15
probably want to set TAR to report BY FILE. You may also want to have
record numbers displayed.
4.1. FILE SPECIFICATION
This option allows you to specify which files are to be processed.
4.2. INCLUDE ONLY CERTAIN FILES (-T)
If you want to process only selected files, you may place the names of the
files that you wish to process in a text file. Only the files whose names
are in the text file will be processed.
Please note: If you specify "process only certain files" here, the file
specification that you enter above will be ignored.
Also note that filenames are case sensitive and must be specified exactly
as they appear in a table of contents listing.
4.3. FILES TO PROCESS ARE IN
This option is used in conjunction with the one above. If you set "process
only certain files" to "yes", you must provide a list of the files that you
want to process.
When you select this option from the menu, you can enter the name of the
file that contains the list of files that you want to process. If you have
entered the name of an editor in the configuration section above, TARSHELL
will give you the opportunity to start the editor with the file that you
specify so that you can enter or modify the list of filenames.
Filenames should be listed one per line. They may contain wildcards. Also
note that filenames are case sensitive and must be specified exactly as
they appear in a table of contents listing.
4.4. EXCLUDE CERTAIN FILES (-X)
If you want to exclude certain files from processing, you may place the
names of the files that you wish to exclude in a text file.
This option may be used with either the "file specification" or the
"include only certain files" in effect.
Note that filenames are case sensitive and must be specified exactly as
they appear in a table of contents listing.
TARSHELL: The TAR Shell Program, v. 1.0 16
4.5. FILES TO EXCLUDE ARE IN
This option is used in conjunction with the one above. If you set "exclude
certain files" to "yes", you must provide a list of the files that you want
to exclude.
When you select this option from the menu, you can enter the name of the
file that contains the list of files that you want to exclude from
processing. If you have entered the name of an editor in the configuration
section above, TARSHELL will give you the opportunity to start the editor
with the file that you specify so that you can enter or modify the list of
filenames.
Filenames should be listed one per line. They may contain wildcards. Note
that filenames are case sensitive and must be specified exactly as they
appear in a table of contents listing.
4.6. PROGRESS REPORTING OPTIONS
Progress reporting options will keep you informed of the progress that TAR
is making. Keep in mind that a lot of data being written on the monitor
will slow down the operation. You might want to compromise between
informative and efficient operation.
4.6.1. LEVEL OF PROGRESS REPORTING (-v, -E)
There are three levels of progress reporting. 1) TAR will inform you of
every file that it processes, 2) TAR will inform you as it processes each
directory, 3) TAR will not tell you anything. You might want to choose the
first option while you are installing and testing TAR and TARSHELL, then
move to the second option. If you have lots of confidence, you can then
move to the third option.
4.6.2. PRINT RECORD NUMBERS (-R)
If set to YES, TAR will print out the record number corresponding to the
beginning of each file on the tape. This option can be very useful if you
are trying to process a tape that has been damaged. Note that this option
does not take into consideration the setting of progress reporting above,
so if you request record numbers and progress reporting by directory, you
will see a directory name followed by a string of record numbers (one for
each file), but without the file names that the record numbers correspond
to.
4.7. CONTINUE
When you have set the file specification option the way you want it, select
this option to continue the process.
TARSHELL: The TAR Shell Program, v. 1.0 17
5. COMPARE FILES IN A TAPE ARCHIVE. (-d)
This option causes TAR to read both the files on the file system and the
tape archive and compare the two. Differences in attributes, dates, sizes,
and content will be reported.
5.1. FILE SPECIFICATION
This option allows you to specify which files are to be processed.
5.2. INCLUDE ONLY CERTAIN FILES (-T)
If you want to process only selected files, you may place the names of the
files that you wish to process in a text file. Only the files whose names
are in the text file will be processed.
Please note: If you specify "process only certain files" here, the file
specification that you enter above will be ignored.
Also note that filenames are case sensitive and must be specified exactly
as they appear in a table of contents listing.
5.3. FILES TO PROCESS ARE IN
This option is used in conjunction with the one above. If you set "process
only certain files" to "yes", you must provide a list of the files that you
want to process.
When you select this option from the menu, you can enter the name of the
file that contains the list of files that you want to process. If you have
entered the name of an editor in the configuration section above, TARSHELL
will give you the opportunity to start the editor with the file that you
specify so that you can enter or modify the list of filenames.
Filenames should be listed one per line. They may contain wildcards. Also
note that filenames are case sensitive and must be specified exactly as
they appear in a table of contents listing.
5.4. EXCLUDE CERTAIN FILES (-X)
If you want to exclude certain files from processing, you may place the
names of the files that you wish to exclude in a text file.
This option may be used with either the "file specification" or the
"include only certain files" in effect.
Note that filenames are case sensitive and must be specified exactly as
they appear in a table of contents listing.
TARSHELL: The TAR Shell Program, v. 1.0 18
5.5. FILES TO EXCLUDE ARE IN
This option is used in conjunction with the one above. If you set "exclude
certain files" to "yes", you must provide a list of the files that you want
to exclude.
When you select this option from the menu, you can enter the name of the
file that contains the list of files that you want to exclude from
processing. If you have entered the name of an editor in the configuration
section above, TARSHELL will give you the opportunity to start the editor
with the file that you specify so that you can enter or modify the list of
filenames.
Filenames should be listed one per line. They may contain wildcards. Note
that filenames are case sensitive and must be specified exactly as they
appear in a table of contents listing.
5.6. PROGRESS REPORTING OPTIONS
Progress reporting options will keep you informed of the progress that TAR
is making. Keep in mind that a lot of data being written on the monitor
will slow down the operation. You might want to compromise between
informative and efficient operation.
5.6.1. LEVEL OF PROGRESS REPORTING (-v, -E)
There are three levels of progress reporting. 1) TAR will inform you of
every file that it processes, 2) TAR will inform you as it processes each
directory, 3) TAR will not tell you anything. You might want to choose the
first option while you are installing and testing TAR and TARSHELL, then
move to the second option. If you have lots of confidence, you can then
move to the third option.
5.6.2. PRINT RECORD NUMBERS (-R)
If set to YES, TAR will print out the record number corresponding to the
beginning of each file on the tape. This option can be very useful if you
are trying to process a tape that has been damaged. Note that this option
does not take into consideration the setting of progress reporting above,
so if you request record numbers and progress reporting by directory, you
will see a directory name followed by a string of record numbers (one for
each file), but without the file names that the record numbers correspond
to.
5.7. CONTINUE
When you have set the file specification option the way you want it, select
this option to continue the process.
TARSHELL: The TAR Shell Program, v. 1.0 19
6. EXTRACT FROM A TAPE ARCHIVE--RANDOM (QFA) (-x -D)
This option causes TAR to read the tape archive and copy files to the file
system.
6.1. FILE SPECIFICATION
This option allows you to specify which files are to be processed.
6.2. INCLUDE ONLY CERTAIN FILES (-T)
If you want to process only selected files, you may place the names of the
files that you wish to process in a text file. Only the files whose names
are in the text file will be processed.
Please note: If you specify "process only certain files" here, the file
specification that you enter above will be ignored.
Also note that filenames are case sensitive and must be specified exactly
as they appear in a table of contents listing.
6.3. FILES TO PROCESS ARE IN
This option is used in conjunction with the one above. If you set "process
only certain files" to "yes", you must provide a list of the files that you
want to process.
When you select this option from the menu, you can enter the name of the
file that contains the list of files that you want to process. If you have
entered the name of an editor in the configuration section above, TARSHELL
will give you the opportunity to start the editor with the file that you
specify so that you can enter or modify the list of filenames.
Filenames should be listed one per line. They may contain wildcards. Also
note that filenames are case sensitive and must be specified exactly as
they appear in a table of contents listing.
6.4. EXCLUDE CERTAIN FILES (-X)
If you want to exclude certain files from processing, you may place the
names of the files that you wish to exclude in a text file.
This option may be used with either the "file specification" or the
"include only certain files" in effect.
Note that filenames are case sensitive and must be specified exactly as
they appear in a table of contents listing.
TARSHELL: The TAR Shell Program, v. 1.0 20
6.5. FILES TO EXCLUDE ARE IN
This option is used in conjunction with the one above. If you set "exclude
certain files" to "yes", you must provide a list of the files that you want
to exclude.
When you select this option from the menu, you can enter the name of the
file that contains the list of files that you want to exclude from
processing. If you have entered the name of an editor in the configuration
section above, TARSHELL will give you the opportunity to start the editor
with the file that you specify so that you can enter or modify the list of
filenames.
Filenames should be listed one per line. They may contain wildcards. Note
that filenames are case sensitive and must be specified exactly as they
appear in a table of contents listing.
6.6. PROCESS SUBDIRECTORIES (-Y)
Set this option to YES and TAR will process files in the subdirectories
under the location that you specify in FILE SPECIFICATION above.
6.7. ABSOLUTE PATH/REDIRECTION (-P)
This option allows you to specify whether the files which are restored are
to be copied back onto the hard disk to their original location (possibly
overwriting the current file), or redirected to a different location.
6.8. PROGRESS REPORTING OPTIONS
Progress reporting options will keep you informed of the progress that TAR
is making. Keep in mind that a lot of data being written on the monitor
will slow down the operation. You might want to compromise between
informative and efficient operation.
6.8.1. LEVEL OF PROGRESS REPORTING (-v, -E)
There are three levels of progress reporting. 1) TAR will inform you of
every file that it processes, 2) TAR will inform you as it processes each
directory, 3) TAR will not tell you anything. You might want to choose the
first option while you are installing and testing TAR and TARSHELL, then
move to the second option. If you have lots of confidence, you can then
move to the third option.
6.8.2. PRINT RECORD NUMBERS (-R)
If set to YES, TAR will print out the record number corresponding to the
beginning of each file on the tape. This option can be very useful if you
are trying to process a tape that has been damaged. Note that this option
does not take into consideration the setting of progress reporting above,
TARSHELL: The TAR Shell Program, v. 1.0 21
so if you request record numbers and progress reporting by directory, you
will see a directory name followed by a string of record numbers (one for
each file), but without the file names that the record numbers correspond
to.
6.9. CONTINUE
When you have set the file specification option the way you want it, select
this option to continue the process.
7. EXTRACT FROM A TAPE ARCHIVE--SEQUENTIAL (-x)
This option causes TAR to read the tape archive and copy files to the file
system.
7.1. FILE SPECIFICATION
This option allows you to specify which files are to be processed.
7.2. INCLUDE ONLY CERTAIN FILES (-T)
If you want to process only selected files, you may place the names of the
files that you wish to process in a text file. Only the files whose names
are in the text file will be processed.
Please note: If you specify "process only certain files" here, the file
specification that you enter above will be ignored.
Also note that filenames are case sensitive and must be specified exactly
as they appear in a table of contents listing.
7.3. FILES TO PROCESS ARE IN
This option is used in conjunction with the one above. If you set "process
only certain files" to "yes", you must provide a list of the files that you
want to process.
When you select this option from the menu, you can enter the name of the
file that contains the list of files that you want to process. If you have
entered the name of an editor in the configuration section above, TARSHELL
will give you the opportunity to start the editor with the file that you
specify so that you can enter or modify the list of filenames.
Filenames should be listed one per line. They may contain wildcards. Also
note that filenames are case sensitive and must be specified exactly as
they appear in a table of contents listing.
TARSHELL: The TAR Shell Program, v. 1.0 22
7.4. EXCLUDE CERTAIN FILES (-X)
If you want to exclude certain files from processing, you may place the
names of the files that you wish to exclude in a text file.
This option may be used with either the "file specification" or the
"include only certain files" in effect.
Note that filenames are case sensitive and must be specified exactly as
they appear in a table of contents listing.
7.5. FILES TO EXCLUDE ARE IN
This option is used in conjunction with the one above. If you set "exclude
certain files" to "yes", you must provide a list of the files that you want
to exclude.
When you select this option from the menu, you can enter the name of the
file that contains the list of files that you want to exclude from
processing. If you have entered the name of an editor in the configuration
section above, TARSHELL will give you the opportunity to start the editor
with the file that you specify so that you can enter or modify the list of
filenames.
Filenames should be listed one per line. They may contain wildcards. Note
that filenames are case sensitive and must be specified exactly as they
appear in a table of contents listing.
7.6. PROCESS SUBDIRECTORIES (-Y)
Set this option to YES and TAR will process files in the subdirectories
under the location that you specify in FILE SPECIFICATION above.
7.7. ABSOLUTE PATH/REDIRECTION (-P)
This option allows you to specify whether the files which are restored are
to be copied back onto the hard disk to their original location (possibly
overwriting the current file), or redirected to a different location.
7.8. PROGRESS REPORTING OPTIONS
Progress reporting options will keep you informed of the progress that TAR
is making. Keep in mind that a lot of data being written on the monitor
will slow down the operation. You might want to compromise between
informative and efficient operation.
7.8.1. LEVEL OF PROGRESS REPORTING (-v, -E)
There are three levels of progress reporting. 1) TAR will inform you of
every file that it processes, 2) TAR will inform you as it processes each
TARSHELL: The TAR Shell Program, v. 1.0 23
directory, 3) TAR will not tell you anything. You might want to choose the
first option while you are installing and testing TAR and TARSHELL, then
move to the second option. If you have lots of confidence, you can then
move to the third option.
7.8.2. PRINT RECORD NUMBERS (-R)
If set to YES, TAR will print out the record number corresponding to the
beginning of each file on the tape. This option can be very useful if you
are trying to process a tape that has been damaged. Note that this option
does not take into consideration the setting of progress reporting above,
so if you request record numbers and progress reporting by directory, you
will see a directory name followed by a string of record numbers (one for
each file), but without the file names that the record numbers correspond
to.
7.9. CONTINUE
When you have set the file specification option the way you want it, select
this option to continue the process.
8. TAPE UTILITY FUNCTIONS
The functions in this menu are used to do basic tape manipulation. These
are provided by TAPE.EXE, rather than by TAR, so they are grouped here.
8.1. RETENTION TAPE
This option retentions the tape. It is a good idea to do this when using a
new tape and periodically thereafter.
8.2. REWIND TAPE
This option rewinds the tape to the beginning.
DIAGNOSTIC: If you request that the tape be rewound, but nothing
happens (the tape does not move, the drive light does not come on,
etc.), the tape may already be rewound. Request TELL CURRENT TAPE
POSITION below.
8.3. ERASE TAPE
This option erases data from the tape.
8.4. POSITION TAPE BY FILE MARK
This option positions the tape to a particular file by spacing over file
marks. You will be asked how many file marks you wish to space over.
TARSHELL: The TAR Shell Program, v. 1.0 24
A negative number will cause the tape to space backwards. (The use of
negative numbers is not supported on some devices. On other devices it
works very slowly.)
8.5. POSITION TAPE BY BLOCK
This option positions the tape to a particular block. You will be asked
how many blocks you wish to space over.
A negative number will cause the tape to space backwards. (The use of
negative numbers is not supported on some devices. On other devices it
works very slowly.)
8.6. POSITION TAPE TO END OF DATA
This option will cause the tape to be positioned after the last file on the
tape.
8.7. TELL CURRENT TAPE POSITION
This option will cause the TAPE program to return the block number at which
the tape is currently positioned. (This option works only on devices which
support QFA.)
8.8. WRITE A TAPE MARK
This option causes TAPE to write a tape mark (end-of-file mark) on the tape
at the current position.