RHCSA Day 10: Archiving Files in Linux

Introduction

Hello, fellow tech enthusiasts! Welcome back to Day 10 of our Linux journey as I prepare for the RHCSA exam. Today, we're diving into the world of file archiving in Linux. Archiving is a crucial skill for system administrators, allowing us to efficiently manage, backup, and compress data. Whether you're new to Linux or looking to brush up on your skills, this guide will walk you through the process step by step.

Index

1. What is an Archive File?
2. What is tar?
3. Tar Command Syntax
4. Commonly Used tar Options
5. How to Create a Tar Archive File
6. Showing File Size in Human Readable Format
7. Testing a Tar Archive File
8. Extracting a Tar Archive File to the Default Location
9. Extracting a Tar Archive File to a Specific Location
10. Creating a Tar Archive File with Gzip Compression
11. Extracting a Gzip Compressed Tar Archive File
12. Creating a Tar Archive File with Bzip2 Compression
13. Extracting a Bzip2 Compressed Tar Archive File
14. Creating a Tar Archive File with Xz Compression
15. Extracting an Xz Compressed Tar Archive File
16. Summary
17. What's Next

1. What is an Archive File?

Archiving is the process of combining multiple files and directories, regardless of their sizes, into a single file. This process is particularly useful for backup purposes and for reducing the size of data through compression. Archiving simplifies data management and transfer by consolidating files into one.

2. What is tar?

The tar command in Linux stands for "tape archive." It's widely used by system administrators to create archive files and to compress or backup data. tar can utilize various compression algorithms such as gzip, bzip2, and xz to reduce file sizes.

3. Tar Command Syntax

The basic syntax for the tar command is as follows: tar <options> <files>

Explaination: Where <options> specify the actions to be performed and <files> denote the files or directories to be archived.

4. Commonly Used tar Options

• c - Create a new archive
• x - Extract files from an archive
• v - Verbose, list files processed
• f - Use archive file
• t - List the contents of an archive
• z - Compress the archive with gzip
• j - Compress the archive with bzip2
• J - Compress the archive with xz
• C - Change to a specific directory

5. How to Create a Tar Archive File

To create a tar archive file:

• c - Create a new archive
• v - Verbose, show the progress in the terminal
• f - Specifies the file name of the archive
• /mnt/backup.tar - The name and path of the archive file
• /var - The directory to be archived

This command creates an archive of the /var directory and saves it as backup.tar in the /mnt directory.

6. Showing File Size in Human Readable Format

To show the file size in a human-readable format:

• du - Disk usage
• -s - Summarize
• -h - Human-readable format

These commands display the sizes of the /var directory and the backup.tar archive in a format that is easy to understand.

7. Testing a Tar Archive File

To test the contents of a tar archive file:

• t - List the contents of an archive
• v - Verbose
• f - Specifies the file name of the archive

This command lists all files and directories inside the backup.tar archive without extracting them.

8. Extracting a Tar Archive File to the Default Location

To extract a tar archive file to the default location:

• x - Extract files from an archive
• v - Verbose
• f - Specifies the file name of the archive

This command extracts the contents of backup.tar to the current directory.

9. Extracting a Tar Archive File to a Specific Location

To extract a tar archive file to a specific location:

• x - Extract files from an archive
• v - Verbose
• f - Specifies the file name of the archive
• -C - Change to the specified directory

This command extracts the contents of backup.tar to the /root/Desktop/ directory.

10. Creating a Tar Archive File with Gzip Compression

To create a tar archive file with gzip compression:

• z - Compress the archive with gzip

This command creates a gzip compressed archive of the /var directory.

11. Extracting a Gzip Compressed Tar Archive File

To extract a gzip compressed tar archive file:

• z - Decompress the archive with gzip

This command extracts the contents of the backup.tar.gz file.

12. Creating a Tar Archive File with Bzip2 Compression

To create a tar archive file with bzip2 compression:

• j - Compress the archive with bzip2

This command creates a bzip2-compressed archive of the /var directory.

13. Extracting a Bzip2 Compressed Tar Archive File

To extract a bzip2 compressed tar archive file:

• j - Decompress the archive with bzip2

This command extracts the contents of the backup.tar.bz2 file.

14. Creating a Tar Archive File with Xz Compression

To create a tar archive file with xz compression:

• J - Compress the archive with xz

This command creates an xz-compressed archive of the /var directory.

15. Extracting an Xz Compressed Tar Archive File

To extract an xz compressed tar archive file:

• J - Decompress the archive with xz

This command extracts the contents of the backup.tar.xz file.

Summary

Today, we've covered the fundamentals of archiving files in Linux using the tar command. From creating and extracting tar archives to utilizing various compression methods, we've explored the versatility and power of tar. Understanding these concepts is crucial for efficient data management, backup, and transfer in any IT environment.

What's Next

In our next session, we'll dive into the exciting topic of job automation in Red Hat Linux. Automating repetitive tasks is a key skill for system administrators, and we'll explore various tools and techniques to make your workflow more efficient. Stay tuned!

P.S. If you have any questions or need further clarification on today's topic, feel free to reach out. Your feedback is always welcome and helps me improve the content for everyone.