1 Introduction

GNU tar creates and manipulates archives which are actually collections of many other files; the program provides users with an organized and systematic method for controlling a large amount of data. The name “tar” originally came from the phrase “Tape ARchive”, but archives need not (and these days, typically do not) reside on tapes.

• What this Book Contains
• Some Definitions
• What tar Does
• How tar Archives are Named
• GNU tar Authors
• Reporting bugs or suggestions

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