🚀 go-pugleaf

Hi:

Using gtar 1.11.1, when I use the following command line:

   tar -cvvf  /dev/null /

and / contains long file names that have to be mangled, I get the
following error message:

  ./tar: Visible longname error

  ?rwxr-xr-x root/system       0 Nov 19 13:33 1992 ././@LongLink unknown file type 'L'
  drwxr-xr-x rouilj/system     0 Nov 19 13:33 1992 usr/tmp/foo/foo/foo/foo/foo/foo/foo/foo/foo/foo/foo/foo/foo/foo/foo/foo/foo/foo/foo/foo/foo/foo/foo/
  ./tar: Visible longname error

  ?rwxr-xr-x root/system       0 Nov 19 13:33 1992 ././@LongLink unknown file type 'L'

Why is listing an @LongLink file an error? With a single -v option the
@LongLink files are listed as being on the tape. Why should it be an
error to request a long listing of these files?  

Also, why are the @LongLink files being listed at all. With a "tar
-tvf", these @LongLink files aren't listed at all. Shouldn't the long
listing generated during the creation of the file jibe with the
listing of the file after the fact?

I would very much like to comment out the warning message in list.c at
line 576, but I am not sure why this would be an error in the first
place. Is ignoring this "error" a safe thing to do?

This has implications for some patches I am making to gnu tar to
support saving of verbose listing information to a file so that the
listing infomation isn't lumped into the error stream when gnu tar
produces an archive to standard output. This provides a better
interface between gnu tar and some wrapper scripts that drive the
backup process.

A quick reply would be appreciated.

-- John

-- 
                            John Rouillard
Special Projects Volunteer                	Systems Programmer
rouilj@cs.umb.edu (Preferred Address)	  	rouilj@dl5000.bc.edu
(617) 287-6480					(617) 552-8793

University of Massachusetts at Boston 	  	Boston College
   Boston, MA				  	Institute for Space Research  
					     	   Bedford, MA  
===============================================================================
My employers don't acknowledge my existence much less my opinions.