[Gllug] Compiling Debian Woody (not)

[John Hearns]

>
> tar xIf /usr/src/kernel-source-2.2.22.tar.bz2
>

the file has two suffixes - both 'tar' and 'bz2'
This indicates that it is a tar archive - ie. many files stuffed into one
'tape archive' type
file (tar files originally were intended to be streamed to tape for backups)

the bz2 indicates that this file has been then compressed using the Gnu
bzip2 program.
This is common, to save disk space.

When you still have your stabilizers on (and I had them on for years!)
you can extract this file in a two stage process, using first bunzip2.

bunzip2 /usr/src/kernel-source-2.2.22.tar.bz2

It would be wise at that stage to see what is in the tar file, by using 'tar
tf'
t = table of contents, f=operate on the filename which follows

tar tf /usr/src/kernel-source-2.2.22.tar

And then extract the file, using x=extract, f=filename following

tar xf /usr/src/kernel-source-2.2.22.tar

You should probably be in the /usr/src/ directory before doing this.
(I'm not sure if there are full or relative path names in this file.
Anyone?)


For a more advanced usage, you pipe the output from the unzip stage directly
to the untar:

bzcat  /usr/src/kernel-source-2.2.22.tar.bz2 | tar xvf -

where - = operate on standard input


I'm not familiar with the 'I' flag.
Either its a mistake, or a real guru will tell us that it does the
uncompress on the file.
In such case, admit my ignorance.


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