Can tar work on files that are > 10 G?

[Sonk]

I would like to tar all the files in one of my directories, but I keep getting a 'too many parameters' message upon each try. I started with the basic
tar -cvf /dev/rmt2 * > invenbkup.txt
command that used to work, then altered it into
tar -cvf /dev/rmt2 [a-g]*
which did work, but when I repeated the command with
tar -cvf /dev/rmt2 [g-m]*
it overwrote what I had already tarred.
My next attempt was:
tar -cvf /dev/rmt2 [a-g]* [g-m]* [n-s]*
Again I received the 'too many parameters' message.

Is there a size limit on the total files that can be saved with a tar command?
I will welcome your reactions.

 

[RobJordan]

For the second tar, use -rfv to rather than -cvf.
The the r will append to the end of an existing tar file.

Maybe multiple *s are confusing tar?

Try

tar -cvf /dev/rmt2 [a-g]*;tar -rvf /dev/rmt2 [g-m]*
Robert G. Jordan
Unix Sys Admin
Sleepy Hollow, Illinois U.S.A.

http://www.InYourMind.com

FREE Unix Scripts

 

[Sonk]

Your command is running as I speak. Thanks! If it completes, I will edit our cron script to reflect your suggestion.