🚀 go-pugleaf

We just got AIX 2.2.1 for the RT, and it looks pretty good.  It has
real sendmail, supports NFS, and even symbolic links!  This is hot
stuff for us AIX dullards :-)

There is a rather severe problem with tar, however.  When a directory with
hard links is archived, the links all point to the first linked item.  Rather
odd things happen when the archive is restored.

Repeat this problem by:

	%mkdir /tmp/foo
	%cd /tmp/foo
	%touch a
	%touch b
	%ln a c
	%ln b d
	%cd ..
	%tar cf badstuff foo
	%tar tvf badstuff

	rwxrwx---340/19      0 Jan 11 18:08 1989 foo/
	rw-rw----340/19      0 Jan 11 18:08 1989 foo/a
	rw-rw----340/19      0 Jan 11 18:08 1989 foo/b
	rw-rw----340/19      0 Jan 11 18:08 1989 foo/c linked to foo/a
	rw-rw----340/19      0 Jan 11 18:08 1989 foo/d linked to foo/a

Notice that file "d" is linked to "a", which is incorrect.  (By the way,
this is a simulated example... the RT is not yet on the net.)  This problem
became apparent when all of my local programs became "compress".  

As far as I know, our install completed with no problems.  The disks are
ok, and linked files normally point to to the correct place.  I suspect
somebody goofed when modifying tar to make it handle SYMBOLIC links, and then
didn't check that hard links worked.

I have reported the problem to my local rep. and assume that IBM will fix
the problem soon.  Meanwhile,  I'll be installing gnu-tar...


***************************************************************************

	George Rankin
	Department of Research and Assessment
	Springfield Public School District #19
	525 Mill Street
	Springfield Oregon
	(503) 726-9529

UNIX in a school district?  Don't look, Martha!