On Tue, Aug 26, 2008 at 12:20, Mike McCarty <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Jimmy Wu wrote: > > [...] > >> So I was wondering: (1) Is it true that tar files can't be bigger than >> 8GB, and (2) If so, what should I use to backup directories bigger >> than 8GB? I wanted to stick with tar because I can open those on >> other platforms. If directory size isn't the problem, then what could >> be going on? > > I use tar to do backups, and have generated tarballs which span 26 > DVDs (roughly 118 Gig). The problem is likely not tar, but the file > system. Tar does not have a central directory, it has a distributed > directory. Each file in the archive has a little header which describes > it. Another thing to watch for, if you are putting files onto DVDs, > as opposed to writing them raw, is that the largest single file which > the ISO file system (not UDF) for DVDs can support is just under > 2 Gig. So you can't write a single huge 4.x Gig file to a DVD using > that file system. Here's a little piece of the script I use for > creating chunks which fit, four to a DVD.
Thanks for that - I've been using rsync and an external HD to do incremental backups, but I'll save your message for future reference. Jimmy -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with a subject of "unsubscribe". Trouble? Contact [EMAIL PROTECTED]
