🚀 go-pugleaf

From: mark@cbpavo.mis.oh.att.com (Mark Horton)

In article <8144@ut-sally.UUCP> gnu@hoptoad.UUCP (John Gilmore) writes:
>*	People like cpio's user interface better.
>
>*	Tar's format on the tape is more portable.

Personally, I feel exactly the opposite.

The cpio format is quite portable, as long as you're careful to use
the c option.  The advantage to cpio format is that the images created
are considerably smaller than tar's.  Also, cpio can save/restore entries
from /dev, making it useful for backups.

[ The format in POSIX 10.1 can also do this.  -mod ]

The user interface, on the other hand, of cpio is horrible, unless you
are trying to do an incremental backup.  Compare the following equivalent
commands:
	$ tar c .
	$ find . -print | cpio -oc > /dev/rmt8

	$ tar x .
	$ cpio -icd < /dev/rmt8

Not only do you need a find command with cpio, but you'd better
remember the c and d options, or you'll regret it later!

cpio is a big win for incremental backups, as long as they fit
on one reel of tape:
	$ find . -newer /etc/lastbackup -print | cpio -oc > /dev/rmt8
Of course, that's a pretty major "as long as", and there are lots
of special versions of cpio that understand multiple backup volumes
and streaming I/O and such things.

	Mark

Volume-Number: Volume 11, Number 44