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Source code changes of the file "afio.1" between
afio-2.5.1.tgz and afio-2.5.2.tgz

About: Afio is an archiver & backup program with builtin compression (generates cpio-format archives).

[ To the main Afio source changes report ]

afio.1  (afio-2.5.1.tgz):afio.1  (afio-2.5.2.tgz)
skipping to change at line 27 skipping to change at line 27
With -o, reads pathnames from the standard input and writes an archive. With -o, reads pathnames from the standard input and writes an archive.
With -t, reads an archive and writes a table-of-contents to the standard output. With -t, reads an archive and writes a table-of-contents to the standard output.
With -i, installs the contents of an archive relative to the working dire ctory. With -i, installs the contents of an archive relative to the working dire ctory.
With -p, reads pathnames from the standard input and copies the files to each directory. Cannot be com- With -p, reads pathnames from the standard input and copies the files to each directory. Cannot be com-
bined with the -Z option. bined with the -Z option.
With -r, reads archive and verifies it against the filesystem. This i s useful for verifying tape ar- With -r, reads archive and verifies it against the filesystem. This i s useful for verifying tape ar-
chives. chives, to ensure they have no bit errors. The verification compares fil
e contents, but not permission
bits and non-file filesystem entities, so it cannot be used as a reliabl
e tool to detect every possible
change made to a filesystem.
Creates missing directories as necessary, with permissions to match their parents. Creates missing directories as necessary, with permissions to match their parents.
Removes leading slashes from pathnames, making all paths relative to the current directory. This is a Removes leading slashes from pathnames, making all paths relative to the current directory. This is a
safety feature to prevent inadvertent overwriting of system files when do ing restores. To suppress this safety feature to prevent inadvertent overwriting of system files when do ing restores. To suppress this
safety feature, the -A option must be used while writing an archive, but also when reading (installing), safety feature, the -A option must be used while writing an archive, but also when reading (installing),
verifying, and cataloging an existing archive. verifying, and cataloging an existing archive.
Supports compression while archiving, with the -Z option. Will compr ess individual files in the ar- Supports compression while archiving, with the -Z option. Will compr ess individual files in the ar-
chive, not the entire archive datastream, which makes afio compressed arc hives much more robust than chive, not the entire archive datastream, which makes afio compressed arc hives much more robust than
`tar zc' type archives. `tar zc' type archives.
Supports multi-volume archives during interactive operation (i.e., when /dev/tty is accessible and SIG- Supports multi-volume archives during interactive operation (i.e., when /dev/tty is accessible and SIG-
INT is not being ignored). INT is not being ignored).
ARCHIVE PORTABILITY
afio archives are portable between different types of UNIX systems, as th
ey contain only ASCII-formatted
header information.
Except in special cases discussed below, afio will create archives with t
he same format as ASCII cpio(1)
archives. Therefore cpio(1) can usually be used to restore an afio archi
ve in the case that afio is not
available on a system. (With most cpio versions, to unpack an ASCII forma
t archive, use cpio -c, and for
GNU cpio(1) use cpio -H odc.) When unpacking with cpio, any compressed f
iles inside an afio -Z archive
are not uncompressed by cpio, but will be created on the file syste
m as compressed files with a .z
extension.
Unfortunately, the ASCII cpio archive format cannot represent some files
and file properties that can be
present in a modern UNIX filesystem. If afio creates an archive with suc
h things, then it uses an afio-
specific 'large ASCII' header for the files concerned. Archives with la
rge ASCII headers cannot be
unpacked completely by cpio or afio versions before 2.4.8.
When creating an archive, the `large ASCII' header is used by afio to cov
er the following situations:
o A file has a size larger than 2 GB
o The archive contains more than 64K files which have hard links
o A file, directory, or special file has a UID or GID value larger th
an 65535.
The -5 option can be used to always preserve cpio compatibility, it will
cause afio to fail rather than
produce an incompatible archive in the cases above.
Archives made using the (deprecated) -4 option are also not compatible wi
th cpio, but they are compati-
ble with afio versions 2.4.4 and later.
ARCHIVE FILE FORMAT
An afio archive file has a simple format. The archive starts with a file
header for the first file, fol-
lowed by the contents of the first file (which will either be the exact c
ontents byte-for-byte, or the
exact contents in some compressed format). The data of the first file
is immediately followed by the
file header of the second file, and so on. At the end, there is a specia
l `end of archive' header, usu-
ally followed by some padding bytes.
A multi-volume afio archive is simply a normal archive split up into mu
ltiple parts. There are no spe-
cial volume-level data headers. This means that that volumes can be spli
t and merged by external pro-
grams, as long as the data stays in the correct order. It also implie
s that the contents of a single
file can cross volume boundaries. Selective restores of files at known v
olume locations can be done by
feeding only the needed volumes to afio, provided that the -k option is u
sed.
The contents of hard linked files are (unless the -l option is used) o
nly stored once in the archive.
The file headers for the second, third, and later occurence of a hard lin
ked file have no data after
them. This makes selective restores of hard-liked files difficult
: if later occurences are to be
restored correctly, the first occurence always needs to be selected too.
OPTIONS OPTIONS
-@ address Send email to address when a volume change (tape change, flo ppy change) is needed, and also -@ address Send email to address when a volume change (tape change, flo ppy change) is needed, and also
when the entire operation is complete. Uses sendmail(1) to send the mail. when the entire operation is complete. Uses sendmail(1) to send the mail.
-a Preserve the last access times (atimes) of the files read when making or verifying an ar- -a Preserve the last access times (atimes) of the files read when making or verifying an ar-
chive. Warning: if this option is used, afio will change t he last inode changed times chive. Warning: if this option is used, afio will change t he last inode changed times
(ctimes) of these files. Thus, this option cannot be us ed together with an incremental (ctimes) of these files. Thus, this option cannot be us ed together with an incremental
backup scheme that relies on the ctimes being preserved. backup scheme that relies on the ctimes being preserved.
-b size Read or write size-character archive blocks. Suffices of b, k, m and g denote multiples of -b size Read or write size-character archive blocks. Suffices of b, k, m and g denote multiples of
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-m Mark output files with a common current timestamp (rather th an with input file modification -m Mark output files with a common current timestamp (rather th an with input file modification
times). times).
-n Protect newer existing files (comparing file modification ti mes). -n Protect newer existing files (comparing file modification ti mes).
-s size Restrict each portion of a multi-volume archive to size cha racters. This option recognizes -s size Restrict each portion of a multi-volume archive to size cha racters. This option recognizes
the same size suffices as -b. Also, the suffix x denotes a multiple of the -b block size the same size suffices as -b. Also, the suffix x denotes a multiple of the -b block size
(and must follow any -b specification). size can be a si ngle size or a comma-seperated (and must follow any -b specification). size can be a si ngle size or a comma-seperated
list of sizes, for example '2m,5m,8m', to specify different sizes for the subsequent vol- list of sizes, for example '2m,5m,8m', to specify different sizes for the subsequent vol-
umes. If there are more volumes than sizes, the last specified size is used for all umes. If there are more volumes than sizes, the last specified size is used for all
remaining volumes. This option is useful with finite-length remaining volumes. If this option is used, the special char
devices which do not return acter sequences %V and %S in
short counts at end of media (sigh); output to magnetic tape the input/output filename or command string are replaced b
typically falls into this cat- y the current volume number and
egory. When an archive is being read or written, using -s volume size. Use %% to produce a single % character. The -
causes afio to prompt for the s option is useful with finite-
next volume if the specified volume length is reached. The length devices which do not return short counts at end of m
-s option will also cause afio edia (sigh); output to magnetic
to prompt if there is a premature EOF while reading the inpu tape typically falls into this category. When an archive i
t. The special case -s 0 will s being read or written, using
activate this prompting for the next volume on prematu -s causes afio to prompt for the next volume if the spec
re EOF without setting a volume ified volume length is reached.
length. When writing an archive, afio will prompt for the The -s option will also cause afio to prompt if there is a p
next volume on end-of-media, remature EOF while reading the
even without -s 0 being supplied, if the device is capable input. The special case -s 0 will activate this prompting f
of reporting end-of-media. If or the next volume on premature
the volume size specified is not a multiple of the block siz EOF without setting a volume length. When writing an archiv
e set with the -b option, then e, afio will prompt for the
afio(1) will silently round down the volume size to the near next volume on end-of-media, even without -s 0 being suppli
est multiple of the block size. ed, if the device is capable of
This rounding down can be suppressed using the -9 option: if reporting end-of-media. If the volume size specified is not
-9 is used, afio(1) will write a multiple of the block size
a small block of data, smaller than the -b size, at the set with the -b option, then afio(1) will silently round do
end of the volume to completely wn the volume size to the near-
fill it to the specified size. Some devices are not able est multiple of the block size. This rounding down can be s
to handle such small block uppressed using the -9 option:
writes. if -9 is used, afio(1) will write a small block of data, s
maller than the -b size, at the
end of the volume to completely fill it to the specified si
ze. Some devices are not able
to handle such small block writes.
-u Report files with unseen links. -u Report files with unseen links.
-v Verbose. Report pathnames (to stderr) as they are processed. When used with -t, gives an ls -v Verbose. Report pathnames (to stderr) as they are processed. When used with -t, gives an ls
-l style report (including link information) to stdout inste ad. When used twice (-vv) with -l style report (including link information) to stdout inste ad. When used twice (-vv) with
-o, gives an ls -l style report to stdout while writing th e archive. (But this use of -vv -o, gives an ls -l style report to stdout while writing th e archive. (But this use of -vv
will not work if the archive is also being written to stdout .) will not work if the archive is also being written to stdout .)
-w filename Treats each line in filename as an -y pattern, see -y. -w filename Treats each line in filename as an -y pattern, see -y.
skipping to change at line 256 skipping to change at line 212
-G factor Specifies the gzip(1) compression speed factor, used whe n compressing files with the -Z -G factor Specifies the gzip(1) compression speed factor, used whe n compressing files with the -Z
option. Factor 1 is the fastest with least compression, 9 i s slowest with best compres- option. Factor 1 is the fastest with least compression, 9 i s slowest with best compres-
sion. The default value is 6. See also the gzip(1) m anual page. If you have a slow sion. The default value is 6. See also the gzip(1) m anual page. If you have a slow
machine or a fast backup medium, you may want to specify a l ow value for factor to speed up machine or a fast backup medium, you may want to specify a l ow value for factor to speed up
the backup. On large (>200k) files, -G 1 typically zips twi ce as fast as -G 6, while still the backup. On large (>200k) files, -G 1 typically zips twi ce as fast as -G 6, while still
achieving a better result than compress(1). The zip speed f or small files is mainly deter- achieving a better result than compress(1). The zip speed f or small files is mainly deter-
mined by the invocation time of gzip (1), see the -T option. mined by the invocation time of gzip (1), see the -T option.
-H promptscript -H promptscript
Specify a script to run, in stead of using the normal promp t, before advancing to the next Specify a script to run, in stead of using the normal promp t, before advancing to the next
achive volume. The script will be run with the volume numbe r, archive specification, and archive volume. The script will be run with the volume numb er, archive specification, and
the reason for changing to the next volume as arguments. Th e script should exit with 0 for the reason for changing to the next volume as arguments. Th e script should exit with 0 for
OK and 1 for abort, other exit codes will be treated as fata OK and 1 for abort, other exit codes will be treated as fata
l errors. afio executes the l errors. As of afio version
script by taking the promptscript string, appending the 2.5.2, the promptscript can be a file name containing spaces
arguments, and then calling the or other special characters.
shell to execute the resulting command line. This means t
hat a general-purpose prompt
script can be supplied with additional arguments, via the a
fio command line, by using a -H
option value like -H "generic_promptscript additional_arg_1
additional_arg_2".
-J Try to continue after a media write error when doing a backu p (normal behavior is to abort -J Try to continue after a media write error when doing a back up (normal behavior is to abort
with a fatal error). with a fatal error).
-K Verify the output against what is in the memory copy of the disk (-F required). If the -K Verify the output against what is in the memory copy of the disk (-F required). If the
writing or verifying fails the following menu pops up writing or verifying fails the following menu pops up
[Writing/Verify] of disk [disk #] has FAILED! [Writing/Verify] of disk [disk #] has FAILED!
Enter 1 to RETRY this disk Enter 1 to RETRY this disk
Enter 2 to REFORMAT this disk before a RETRY Enter 2 to REFORMAT this disk before a RETRY
Enter quit to ABORT this backup Enter quit to ABORT this backup
Currently, afio will not process the answers 1 and 2 in the right way. The menu above is Currently, afio will not process the answers 1 and 2 in th e right way. The menu above is
only useful in that it signifies that something is wrong. only useful in that it signifies that something is wrong.
-L Log_file_path -L Log_file_path
Specify the name of the file to log errors and the final tot als to. Specify the name of the file to log errors and the final tot als to.
-M size Specifies the maximum amount of memory to use for the t -M size Specifies the maximum amount of memory to use for the temp
emporary storage of compression orary storage of compression
results when using the -Z option. The default is -M 250m (2 results when using the -Z option. The default is -M 250
50 megabytes). If the com- m (250 megabytes). If the com-
pressed version of a file is larger than this (or if af pressed version of a file is larger than this (or if afio r
io runs out of virtual memory), uns out of virtual memory),
gzip(1) is run twice of the file, the first time to determin e the length of the result, the gzip(1) is run twice of the file, the first time to determin e the length of the result, the
second time to get the compressed data itself. second time to get the compressed data itself.
-P progname Use the program progname instead of the standard gzip(1) fo -P progname Use the program progname instead of the standard gzip(1) for
r compression and decompression compression and decompression
with the -Z option. For example, use the options -Z -P bzip2 with the -Z option. For example, use the options -Z -P bzip
to write and install archives 2 to write and install archives
using bzip2(1) compression. If progname does not have co using bzip2(1) compression. If progname does not have comma
mmand line options (-c, -d, and nd line options (-c, -d, and
-<number>) in the style of gzip(1) then the -Q option can b -<number>) in the style of gzip(1) then the -Q option
e used to supply the right can be used to supply the right
options. The compression program used must have the propert y that, if the output file size options. The compression program used must have the propert y that, if the output file size
exceeds the value of the -M option, then when the compressio exceeds the value of the -M option, then when the compress
n program is run for a second ion program is run for a second
time on the same input, it must produce an output with ex time on the same input, it must produce an output with exact
actly the same size. (See also ly the same size. (See also
the -M option description.) The GnuPG (gpg) encryption pr the -M option description.) The GnuPG (gpg) encryptio
ogram does not satisfy this n program does not satisfy this
lenght-preserving criterion unless its built-in compressi lenght-preserving criterion unless its built-in compression
on is disabled (see examples in is disabled (see examples in
the afio source script3/ directory). See also the -Q, -U an d -3 options. the afio source script3/ directory). See also the -Q, -U an d -3 options.
-Q opt Pass the option opt to the compression or decompression prog -Q opt Pass the option opt to the compression or decompression p
ram used with the -Z option. rogram used with the -Z option.
For passing multiple options, use -Q multiple times. If n For passing multiple options, use -Q multiple times. If no
o -Q flag is present, the stan- -Q flag is present, the stan-
dard options are passed. The standard options are -c -6 whe dard options are passed. The standard options are -c -6
n the program is called for when the program is called for
compression and -c -d when the program is called for decom compression and -c -d when the program is called for decompr
pression. Use the special case ession. Use the special case
-Q "" if no options at all are to be passed to the program. -Q "" if no options at all are to be passed to the program.
-R Disk format command string -R Disk format command string
This is the command that is run when you enter 2 to reformat This is the command that is run when you enter 2 to reform
the disk after a failed ver- at the disk after a failed ver-
ify. The default (fdformat /dev/fd0H1440) can be changed ify. The default (fdformat /dev/fd0H1440) can be changed to
to a given system's default by a given system's default by
editing the Makefile. You are also prompted for formatting editing the Makefile. You are also prompted for forma
whenever a disk change is tting whenever a disk change is
requested. requested.
-S Do not ignore a leading slash in the pattern or the file na me when matching -y and -Y pat- -S Do not ignore a leading slash in the pattern or the file nam e when matching -y and -Y pat-
terns. See also -A. terns. See also -A.
-T threshold Only compress a file when using the -Z option if its length -T threshold Only compress a file when using the -Z option if its len
is at least threshold. The gth is at least threshold. The
default is -T 0k. This is useful if you have a slow m default is -T 0k. This is useful if you have a slow machin
achine or a fast backup medium. e or a fast backup medium.
Specifying -T 3k typically halves the number of invocations Specifying -T 3k typically halves the number of invocati
of gzip(1), saving some 30% ons of gzip(1), saving some 30%
computation time, while creating an archive that is only 5% computation time, while creating an archive that is only 5%
longer. The combination -T 8k longer. The combination -T 8k
-G 1 typically saves 70% computation time and gives a 20% si ze increase. The latter combi- -G 1 typically saves 70% computation time and gives a 20% si ze increase. The latter combi-
nation may be a good alternative to not using -Z at all. nation may be a good alternative to not using -Z at all. Th
These figures of course depend ese figures of course depend
heavily on the kind of files in the archive and the processo heavily on the kind of files in the archive and the proc
r - i/o speed ratio on your essor - i/o speed ratio on your
machine. See also the -2 option. machine. See also the -2 option.
-U If used with the -Z option, forces compressed versions to -U If used with the -Z option, forces compressed versions to be
be stored of all files, even if stored of all files, even if
the compressed versions are bigger than the original ve the compressed versions are bigger than the original
rsions, and disregarding any versions, and disregarding any
(default) values of the -T and -2 options. This is useful (default) values of the -T and -2 options. This is useful w
when the -P and -Q options are hen the -P and -Q options are
used to replace the compression program gzip with an encrypt ion program in order to make an used to replace the compression program gzip with an encrypt ion program in order to make an
archive with encrypted files. Due to internal limitations o f afio, use of this flag forces archive with encrypted files. Due to internal limitations o f afio, use of this flag forces
the writing of file content with each hard linked file, rath er than only once for every set the writing of file content with each hard linked file, rath er than only once for every set
of hard linked files. WARNING: use of the -U option will a of hard linked files. WARNING: use of the -U option will al
lso cause compression (or what- so cause compression (or what-
ever operation the -P option indicates) on files larger than ever operation the -P option indicates) on files larger tha
2 GB, if these are present in n 2 GB, if these are present in
the input. Not all compression programs might handle su the input. Not all compression programs might handle such
ch huge files correctly (recent huge files correctly (recent
Linux versions of gzip, bzip2, and gpg have all been tested Linux versions of gzip, bzip2, and gpg have all been teste
and seem to work OK). If your d and seem to work OK). If your
setup is obscure, some testing might be warranted. setup is obscure, some testing might be warranted.
-W filename Treats each line in filename as an -Y pattern, see -Y. -W filename Treats each line in filename as an -Y pattern, see -Y.
-Y pattern Do not process files whose names match shell wildcard patter n pattern. See also -y and -W. -Y pattern Do not process files whose names match shell wildcard patter n pattern. See also -y and -W.
-Z Compress the files that go into the archive when creating an archive, or uncompress them -Z Compress the files that go into the archive when creating an archive, or uncompress them
again when installing an archive. afio -Z will compress eac h file in the archive individu- again when installing an archive. afio -Z will compress eac h file in the archive individu-
ally, while keeping the archive headers uncompressed. Com ally, while keeping the archive headers uncompressed. Compa
pared to tar zc style archives, red to tar zc style archives,
afio -Z archives are therefore much more fault-tolerant agai afio -Z archives are therefore much more fault-tolerant ag
nst read errors on the backup ainst read errors on the backup
medium. When creating an archive with the -Z option, medium. When creating an archive with the -Z option, afio
afio will run gzip on each file will run gzip on each file
encountered, and, if the result is smaller than the original encountered, and, if the result is smaller than the origina
, store the compressed version l, store the compressed version
of the file. Requires gzip(1) to be in your path. Mainly t o speed up afio operation, com- of the file. Requires gzip(1) to be in your path. Mainly t o speed up afio operation, com-
pression is not attempted on a file if: 1) the file is very pression is not attempted on a file if: 1) the file is ver
small (see the -T option), 2) y small (see the -T option), 2)
the file is very large (see the -2 option), 3) the file the file is very large (see the -2 option), 3) the file has
has a certain extension, so it a certain extension, so it
probably contains compressed data already (see the -E option ), 4) the file pathname matches probably contains compressed data already (see the -E option ), 4) the file pathname matches
a certain pattern, as set by the -6 option, 5) the file a certain pattern, as set by the -6 option, 5) the file has
has hard links (this due to an hard links (this due to an
internal limitation of afio, but this limitation does not ap internal limitation of afio, but this limitation does not
ply if the -l option is also apply if the -l option is also
used). Regardless of the above, if the -U option is used used). Regardless of the above, if the -U option is used th
then the compression program is en the compression program is
always run, and the compressed result is always stored. Whe always run, and the compressed result is always stored.
n installing an archive with When installing an archive with
compressed files, the -Z option needs to be used in order to make afio automatically uncom- compressed files, the -Z option needs to be used in order to make afio automatically uncom-
press the files that it compressed earlier. The -P option c press the files that it compressed earlier. The -P option
an be used to do the (un)com- can be used to do the (un)com-
pression with programs other than gzip, see the -P (and -Q pression with programs other than gzip, see the -P (and -Q a
and -3) options in this manpage nd -3) options in this manpage
for details. See also the -G option which provides yet anot her way to tune the compression for details. See also the -G option which provides yet anot her way to tune the compression
process. process.
-0 Use filenames terminated with '\0' instead of '\n'. When us -0 Use filenames terminated with '\0' instead of '\n'. When use
ed as follows: find ... -print0 d as follows: find ... -print0
| afio -o -0 ..., it ensures that any input filename can be | afio -o -0 ..., it ensures that any input filename can be
handled, even a file name con- handled, even a file name con-
taining newlines. When used as afio -t -0 ... | ..., th taining newlines. When used as afio -t -0 ... | ..., this a
is allows the table of contents llows the table of contents
output to be parsed unambiguosly even if the filenames conta output to be parsed unambiguosly even if the filenames c
in newlines. The -0 option ontain newlines. The -0 option
also affects the parsing of the files supplied by -w f also affects the parsing of the files supplied by -w file a
ile and -W file options: if the nd -W file options: if the
option -0 precedes them in the command line then the pattern option -0 precedes them in the command line then the patte
lines contained in the files rn lines contained in the files
should be terminated with '\0' in stead of '\n'. A secon should be terminated with '\0' in stead of '\n'. A second u
d use of -0 toggles the option. se of -0 toggles the option.
This can be useful when using multiple pattern files or when combining with the -t option. This can be useful when using multiple pattern files or when combining with the -t option.
-1 warnings-to-ignore -1 warnings-to-ignore
Control if afio(1) should exit with a nonzero code after pri nting certain warning messages, Control if afio(1) should exit with a nonzero code after pri nting certain warning messages,
and if certain warning messages should be printed at all. and if certain warning messages should be printed at all. T
This option is sometimes useful his option is sometimes useful
when calling afio(1) from inside a backup script or program. when calling afio(1) from inside a backup script or pro
afio(1) will exit with a gram. afio(1) will exit with a
nonzero code on encountering various 'hard' errors, and also (with the default value of the nonzero code on encountering various 'hard' errors, and also (with the default value of the
-1 option) when it has printed certain warning messages du ring execution. warnings-to- -1 option) when it has printed certain warning messages during execution. warnings-to-
ignore is a list of letters which determines the behavior re lated to warning messages. The ignore is a list of letters which determines the behavior re lated to warning messages. The
default value for this option is -1 mc. For afio versions 2 .4.3 and earlier, the default default value for this option is -1 mc. For afio versions 2.4.3 and earlier, the default
was -1 a. For afio versions 2.4.4 and 2.4.5, the default wa s -1 ''. The defined warnings- was -1 a. For afio versions 2.4.4 and 2.4.5, the default wa s -1 ''. The defined warnings-
to-ignore letters are as follows. a is for for ignoring all to-ignore letters are as follows. a is for for ignoring al
possible warnings on exit: if l possible warnings on exit: if
this letter is used, the printing of a warning message this letter is used, the printing of a warning message will
will never cause a nonzero exit never cause a nonzero exit
code. m is for ignoring in the exit code any warning about code. m is for ignoring in the exit code any warning abo
missing files, which will be ut missing files, which will be
printed when, on creating an archive, a file whose name was read from the standard input is printed when, on creating an archive, a file whose name was read from the standard input is
not found. c is for ignoring in the exit code the warning t not found. c is for ignoring in the exit code the warning
hat the archive being created that the archive being created
will not be not fully compatible with cpio or afio versions will not be not fully compatible with cpio or afio versions
2.4.7 or lower. C is the same 2.4.7 or lower. C is the same
as c, but in addition the warning message will not even be p as c, but in addition the warning message will not even b
rinted. M will suppress the e printed. M will suppress the
printing of all warning messages asssociated with Multivo printing of all warning messages asssociated with Multivolum
lume archive handling, messages e archive handling, messages
like "Output limit reached" and "Continuing". r is for igno like "Output limit reached" and "Continuing". d is for igno
ring certain warnings during ring in the exit code any warn-
the verify (-r) operation. If this letter is used, some ve ings about changed files, which will be printed when, on cre
rification errors that are very ating an archive, a file that
probably due to changes in the filesystem, during or after t is being archived changes while it is being written into the
he backup was made, are ignored archive, where the changing is
in determining the exit code. The two verification errors detected by examining the file modification time stamp. r i
that are ignored are: 1) a file s for ignoring certain warnings
in the archive is no longer present on the filesystem, and 2 during the verify (-r) operation. If this letter is used
) the file contents in the ar- , some verification errors that
chive and on the filesystem are different, but the file l are very probably due to changes in the filesystem, during o
engths or the file modification r after the backup was made,
times are also different, so the difference in contents is p are ignored in determining the exit code. The two verif
robably due to the file on the ication errors that are ignored
file system having been changed. n is for ignoring in the are: 1) a file in the archive is no longer present on the fi
exit code a particular class of lesystem, and 2) the file con-
no-such-file warnings: it ignores these warnings when they tents in the archive and on the filesystem are different, b
happen after the file has ut the file lengths or the file
already been succesfully opened. This unusual warning sit modification times are also different, so the difference in
uation can occur when archiving contents is probably due to the
files on Windows smbfs filesystems -- due to a Windows probl file on the file system having been changed. s is for igno
em, smbfs files with non-ASCII ring in the exit code the warn-
characters in their names can sometimes be opened but n ing printed when the protection code (as described in the s
ot read. When the -Z option is ection about the -8 option)
used, the n letter function is (currently) only implemented rewrites a suspicious path name for a file or symlink th
for files with sizes smaller at is being unpacked. l is for
than indicated by the -T option, so in that case the -T opti ignoring in the exit code the warning printed when the -8 no
on is also needed for this let- symlinks option is used and a
ter to have any effect. symlink is encountered. n is for ignoring in the exit code
a particular class of no-such-
file warnings: it ignores these warnings when they happen af
ter the file has already been
successfully opened. This unusual warning situation can occ
ur when archiving files on Win-
dows smbfs filesystems -- due to a Windows problem, smbfs fi
les with non-ASCII characters
in their names can sometimes be opened but not read. Wh
en the -Z option is used, the n
letter function is (currently) only implemented for files wi
th sizes smaller than indicated
by the -T option, so in that case the -T option is also nee
ded for this letter to have any
effect.
-2 maximum-file-size-to-compress -2 maximum-file-size-to-compress
Do not compress any files which are larger than this size wh en making a compressed archive Do not compress any files which are larger than this size wh en making a compressed archive
with the -Z option. The default value is -2 200m (200 Megab ytes). This maximum size cutoff with the -Z option. The default value is -2 200m (200 Megab ytes). This maximum size cutoff
lowers the risk that a major portion of a large file will be irrecoverable due to small lowers the risk that a major portion of a large file will be irrecoverable due to small
media errors. If a media error occurs while reading a file that afio has stored in a com- media errors. If a media error occurs while reading a file that afio has stored in a com-
pressed form, then afio and gzip will not be able to restore the entire remainder of that pressed form, then afio and gzip will not be able to restore the entire remainder of that
file. This is usually an acceptable risk for small files. H owever for very large files the file. This is usually an acceptable risk for small files. H owever for very large files the
risk of loosing a large amount of data because of this effec t will usually be too big. The risk of loosing a large amount of data because of this effec t will usually be too big. The
special case -2 0 eliminates any maximum size cutoff. special case -2 0 eliminates any maximum size cutoff.
-3 filedescriptor-nr -3 filedescriptor-nr
Rewind the filedescriptor before invoking the (un)comp ression program if using the -Z Rewind the filedescriptor before invoking the (un)comp ression program if using the -Z
option. This is useful when the -P and -Q options are used t o replace the compression pro- option. This is useful when the -P and -Q options are used t o replace the compression pro-
gram gzip with some types of encryption programs in order to make or read an archive with gram gzip with some types of encryption programs in order to make or read an archive with
encrypted files. The rewinding is needed to interface corre ctly with some encryption pro- encrypted files. The rewinding is needed to interface corre ctly with some encryption pro-
grams that read their key from an open filedescriptor. If the -P program name matches grams that read their key from an open filedescriptor. If the -P program name matches
'pgp' or 'gpg', then the -3 option must be used to avoid afi o(1) reporting an error. Use 'pgp' or 'gpg', then the -3 option must be used to avoid afi o(1) reporting an error. Use
the special case -3 0 to supress the error message without the special case -3 0 to suppress the error message without
rewinding any file descriptor. rewinding any file descriptor.
The -3 0 option may also be needed to sucessfully read back The -3 0 option may also be needed to successfully read back
encrypted archives made with encrypted archives made with
afio version 2.4.5 and older. afio version 2.4.5 and older.
-4 (Deprecated, the intended effect of this option is now ach ieved by default as long as the -4 (Deprecated, the intended effect of this option is now arc hived by default as long as the
-5 option is not used. This option could still be useful fo r compatibility with machines -5 option is not used. This option could still be useful fo r compatibility with machines
running an older version of afio.) Write archive with the `extended ASCII' format headers running an older version of afio.) Write archive with the `extended ASCII' format headers
which use 4-byte inode numbers. Archives using the extended ASCII format headers are not which use 4-byte inode numbers. Archives using the extended ASCII format headers are not
compatible with any other archiver. This option was u seful for reliably creating and compatible with any other archiver. This option was u seful for reliably creating and
restoring sets of files with many internal hard links, for e xample a news spool. restoring sets of files with many internal hard links, for e xample a news spool.
-5 Refuse to create an archive that is incompatible with cpio(1 ). If this option is used, -5 Refuse to create an archive that is incompatible with cpio(1 ). If this option is used,
afio will never write any `large ASCII' file headers that are incompatible with cpio(1), afio will never write any `large ASCII' file headers that are incompatible with cpio(1),
but fail with an error code instead. See the ARCHIVE PORTAB ILITY section above for more but fail with an error code instead. See the ARCHIVE PORTAB ILITY section above for more
information on the use of `large ASCII' file headers. information on the use of `large ASCII' file headers.
skipping to change at line 455 skipping to change at line 415
If the -7 option is used in front of any option -y, -Y, -w, or -W, then the patterns sup- If the -7 option is used in front of any option -y, -Y, -w, or -W, then the patterns sup-
plied in these options are not intrerpreted as wildcard pat terns, but as character strings plied in these options are not intrerpreted as wildcard pat terns, but as character strings
that must match exactly to the file name, except possibly in leading slashes. This option that must match exactly to the file name, except possibly in leading slashes. This option
can be useful for handling the exceptional cases where fi le names in the archive, or the can be useful for handling the exceptional cases where fi le names in the archive, or the
names of files to be archived, contain wildcard characters t hemselves. For example, find names of files to be archived, contain wildcard characters t hemselves. For example, find
/tmp -print0 | afio -ov -Y '*.jpg' -7 -Y '/tmp/a[12]*4' -0 archive can be used to archive /tmp -print0 | afio -ov -Y '*.jpg' -7 -Y '/tmp/a[12]*4' -0 archive can be used to archive
files all files under /tmp, even files with a '\n' character in the name, except for .jpg files all files under /tmp, even files with a '\n' character in the name, except for .jpg
files and the file with the exact name /tmp/a[12]*4. A seco nd use of -7 toggles the match- files and the file with the exact name /tmp/a[12]*4. A seco nd use of -7 toggles the match-
ing for subsequently occuring -y, -Y, -w, and -W back to she ll wildcard pattern matching. ing for subsequently occuring -y, -Y, -w, and -W back to she ll wildcard pattern matching.
-8 directive Modify various behavior regarding symlinks. The directive n
osymlinks applies to both ar-
chive creation and archive unpacking. During archive creati
on, it suppresses the inclusion
of any symlink entry in the archive. In unpacking, it suppr
esses the unpacking of any sym-
link entry in the archive. This directive does not affect
the interpretation of existing
symlinks on the filesystem during the path resolution proc
ess where afio resolves the
directory name components in front of the last / in a path
name. The directive allowinse-
curepaths applies to the security of archive unpacking. As o
f version 2.5.2, afio has pro-
tection mechanisms that apply to the unpacking of pote
ntially untrusted archives. On
unpacking, afio will by default (since version 2.5.2) inspec
t every pathname in the archive
to detect the occurrence of a .. subpath in it. If one or mo
re of these are present this is
almost almost certainly due to the archive having been const
ructed by an attacker. The
goal of the attack would be to have the afio unpacking oper
ation over-write system or user
files with new contents, via the use of using specially
constructed path names like
../../../../../etc/password or ../../../../../home/a_user/.b
ashrc that resolve to the loca-
tion of such configuration files. Therefore, if any .. subp
aths are detected in a path
name in an archive being unpacked, afio issues a warning,
and then rewrites every '..' in
the path name to 'XX', and the archive entry is unpacked
to the rewritten path name
instead. The allowinsecurepaths directive disables the abo
ve rewriting of likely-insecure
path names. Note that afio, while unpacking an archive, wil
l also protect against that ar-
chive including potentially insecure path names that start
with a leading /, by stripping
off the leading / before using the path name is used, which
has the effect of the archive
entry relative to the current working directory. This str
ipping behavior can be disabled
with the -A option. The directive allowinsecuresymlinks app
lies to a further the protec-
tion mechanism that applies to the unpacking of potentially
untrusted archives. On unpack-
ing, afio will by default (since version 2.5.2) inspect ever
y symlink destination in the
archive to detect the occurrence of a leading / or a .. su
bpath in it. If a leading / or
.. subpaths are detected in the symlink destination, afio i
ssues a warning, rewrites them
to X or XX, and the result is used as the unpacked sy
mlink destination instead. The
allowinsecuresymlinks directive disables this protective rew
riting behavior. Some further
background: an attacking archive with an insecure symlin
k will typically include, as an
entry after the insecure symlink, a file entry with a path t
hat follows the insecure sym-
link leading to a location in the filesystem where a system
or user configuration file can
be overwritten. An archive with an insecure symlink may be
created most easily an attacker
who has the entire archive creation process under their cont
rol. However, in another case,
the attacker is an untrusted end user on a multi-user system
, where a trusted system admin-
istrator is creating a backup of a live file system containi
ng directories under control of
the untrusted end user. The untrusted end user can potentia
lly exploit race conditions in
the backup process, by creating temporary symlinks and fil
es in their own home directory,
resulting in in archive contents that would modify system co
nfiguration files when later
unpacked if the protection mechanism were disabled using t
he allowinsecuresymlinks direc-
tive. The above described protection mechanisms are limited
to symlinks. A untrusted ar-
chive attack that uses specially constructed hard link entr
ies in the archive is theoreti-
cally possible with some archivers, but is not possible with
afio, because of the special
way that afio represents hard links in an archive.
-9 Do not round down any -s volume sizes to the nearest -b bloc k size. See the -s option. -9 Do not round down any -s volume sizes to the nearest -b bloc k size. See the -s option.
ARCHIVE PORTABILITY
afio archives are portable between different types of UNIX systems, as th
ey contain only ASCII-formatted
header information.
Except in special cases discussed below, afio will create archives with t
he same format as ASCII cpio(1)
archives. Therefore cpio(1) can usually be used to restore an afio archi
ve in the case that afio is not
available on a system. (With most cpio versions, to unpack an ASCII forma
t archive, use cpio -c, and for
GNU cpio(1) use cpio -H odc.) When unpacking with cpio, any compressed
files inside an afio -Z archive
are not uncompressed by cpio, but will be created on the file system as
compressed files with a .z
extension.
Unfortunately, the ASCII cpio archive format cannot represent some files
and file properties that can be
present in a modern UNIX filesystem. If afio creates an archive with suc
h things, then it uses an afio-
specific 'large ASCII' header for the files concerned. Archives wit
h large ASCII headers cannot be
unpacked completely by cpio or afio versions before 2.4.8.
When creating an archive, the `large ASCII' header is used by afio to cov
er the following situations:
o A file has a size larger than 2 GB
o The archive contains more than 64K files which have hard links
o A file, directory, or special file has a UID or GID value larger th
an 65535.
The -5 option can be used to always preserve cpio compatibility, it will
cause afio to fail rather than
produce an incompatible archive in the cases above.
Archives made using the (deprecated) -4 option are also not compatible w
ith cpio, but they are compati-
ble with afio versions 2.4.4 and later.
ARCHIVE FILE FORMAT
An afio archive file has a simple format. The archive starts with a file
header for the first file, fol-
lowed by the contents of the first file (which will either be the exact
contents byte-for-byte, or the
exact contents in some compressed format). The data of the first file is
immediately followed by the
file header of the second file, and so on. At the end, there is a specia
l `end of archive' header, usu-
ally followed by some padding bytes.
A multi-volume afio archive is simply a normal archive split up into mult
iple parts. There are no spe-
cial volume-level data headers. This means that that volumes can be sp
lit and merged by external pro-
grams, as long as the data stays in the correct order. It also implies t
hat the contents of a single
file can cross volume boundaries. Selective restores of files at known
volume locations can be done by
feeding only the needed volumes to afio, provided that the -k option is u
sed.
The contents of hard linked files are (unless the -l option is used) only
stored once in the archive.
The file headers for the second, third, and later occurrence of a hard
linked file have no data after
them. This makes selective restores of hard-liked files difficult: if
later occurrences are to be
restored correctly, the first occurrence always needs to be selected too.
NOTES NOTES
Special-case archive names: Special-case archive names:
o Specify - to read or write the standard input or output, respective ly. This disables multi-volume o Specify - to read or write the standard input or output, respective ly. This disables multi-volume
archive handling. archive handling.
o Prefix a command string to be executed with an exclamation mark (!) . The command is executed once o Prefix a command string to be executed with an exclamation mark (!) . The command is executed once
for each archive volume, with its standard input or output piped to afio. It is expected to pro- for each archive volume, with its standard input or output piped t o afio. It is expected to pro-
duce a zero exit code when all is well. duce a zero exit code when all is well.
o Use system:file to access an archive in file on system. This i s really just a special case of o Use system:file to access an archive in file on system. This is re ally just a special case of
pipelining. It requires a 4.2BSD-style remote shell (rsh(1C)) and a remote copy of afio. pipelining. It requires a 4.2BSD-style remote shell (rsh(1C)) and a remote copy of afio.
o A more elaborate case of the above is [user@]host[%rsh][=afio]:file where the optional user@ com- o A more elaborate case of the above is [user@]host[%rsh][=afio]:fil e where the optional user@ com-
ponent specifies the user name on the remote host, the optional %rs h specifies the (local) name of ponent specifies the user name on the remote host, the optional %rs h specifies the (local) name of
the remote shell command to use, and the optional =afio specifies t he name of the remote copy of the remote shell command to use, and the optional =afio specifies the name of the remote copy of
the afio command. the afio command.
o Anything else specifies a local file or device. An output file will be created if it does not o Anything else specifies a local file or device. An output file wil l be created if it does not
already exist. already exist.
Recognizes obsolete binary cpio(1) archives (including those from machine o When the -s option is used to invoke multi-volume archive proces
s with reversed byte order), sing, any %V in the file/device
name or command string is subsisuted by the current volume number,
and any %S by the current vol-
ume size. Use %% to produce a single % character.
Recognizes obsolete binary cpio(1) archives (including those from mach
ines with reversed byte order),
but cannot write them. but cannot write them.
Recovers from archive corruption by searching for a valid magic number. This is rather simplistic, but, Recovers from archive corruption by searching for a valid magic number. T his is rather simplistic, but,
much like a disassembler, almost always works. much like a disassembler, almost always works.
Optimizes pathnames with respect to the current and parent
directories. For example,
./src/sh/../misc/afio.c becomes src/misc/afio.c.
CONTROL FILES CONTROL FILES
Afio archives can contain so-called control files. Unlike normal archive entries, a control file in not Afio archives can contain so-called control files. Unlike normal archive entries, a control file in not
unpacked to the filesystem. A control file has a label and some data. W hen afio encounters a control unpacked to the filesystem. A control file has a label and some data. W hen afio encounters a control
file in the archive it is reading, it will feed the label and data to a so-called control script. The file in the archive it is reading, it will feed the label and data to a so-called control script. The
control script is supplied by the user. It can perform special actions b ased on the label and data it control script is supplied by the user. It can perform special actions b ased on the label and data it
receives from afio. receives from afio.
Control file labels. The control file mechanism can be used for many th ings. Examples are putting ar- Control file labels. The control file mechanism can be used for many th ings. Examples are putting ar-
chive descriptions at the beginning of the archive and embedding lists of files to move before unpacking chive descriptions at the beginning of the archive and embedding lists of files to move before unpacking
the rest or the archive. the rest or the archive.
To distinguish between different uses, the label of a control file should indicate the program that made To distinguish between different uses, the label of a control file should indicate the program that made
the contol file and the purpose of the control file data. It should have the form the control file and the purpose of the control file data. It should hav e the form
programname.kindofdata programname.kindofdata
where programname is the name of the backup program that generated the co ntrol file, and kindofdata is where programname is the name of the backup program that generated the co ntrol file, and kindofdata is
the meaning of the control file data. Some examples are the meaning of the control file data. Some examples are
tbackup.movelist tbackup.updatescript tbackup.movelist tbackup.updatescript
blebberfiler.archivecontents blebberfiler.archivecontents
backup_script_of_Joe_User.archivedescription backup_script_of_Joe_User.archivedescription
skipping to change at line 542 skipping to change at line 596
Control scripts. A control script is supplied to afio with the Control scripts. A control script is supplied to afio with the
-D controlscript -D controlscript
command line option. The controlscript must be an executable program. T he script is run whenever afio command line option. The controlscript must be an executable program. T he script is run whenever afio
encounters a control file while doing a -i -t or -r operation. Afio wil l supply the control file label encounters a control file while doing a -i -t or -r operation. Afio wil l supply the control file label
as an argument to the script. The script should read the control file da ta from its standard input. If as an argument to the script. The script should read the control file da ta from its standard input. If
the script exits with a non-zero exit status, afio will issue a warning m essage. the script exits with a non-zero exit status, afio will issue a warning m essage.
If a contol file is encountered and no -D option is given, afio will is sue a warning message. To sup- If a control file is encountered and no -D option is given, afio will is sue a warning message. To sup-
press the warning message and ignore all control scripts, -D "" can be us ed. press the warning message and ignore all control scripts, -D "" can be us ed.
An example of a control script is An example of a control script is
#!/bin/sh #!/bin/sh
if [ $1 = "afio_example.headertext" ]; then if [ $1 = "afio_example.headertext" ]; then
#the headertext control file is supposed to be packed as the first #the headertext control file is supposed to be packed as the first
#entry of the archive #entry of the archive
echo Archive header: echo Archive header:
cat - cat -
skipping to change at line 583 skipping to change at line 637
Restricts pathnames to 1023 characters, and 255 meaningful elements (w here each element is a pathname Restricts pathnames to 1023 characters, and 255 meaningful elements (w here each element is a pathname
component separated by a /). component separated by a /).
Does not use the same default block size as tar(1). tar(1) uses 10 KB, a fio uses 5 KB by default. Some Does not use the same default block size as tar(1). tar(1) uses 10 KB, a fio uses 5 KB by default. Some
tape drives only work with a 10 KB block size, in that case the afio opti on -b 10k is needed to make the tape drives only work with a 10 KB block size, in that case the afio opti on -b 10k is needed to make the
tape work. tape work.
There is no sequence information within multi-volume archives. Input seq uence errors generally masquer- There is no sequence information within multi-volume archives. Input seq uence errors generally masquer-
ade as data corruption. A solution would probably be mutually exclusive with cpio(1) compatibility. ade as data corruption. A solution would probably be mutually exclusive with cpio(1) compatibility.
Degenerate uses of symbolic links are mangled by pathname optimizati
on. For example, assuming that
"usr.src" is a symbolic link to "/usr/src", the pathname "usr.src/../b
in/cu" is mis-optimized into
"bin/cu" (rather than "/usr/bin/cu").
The afio code for handling floppies (-F and -f and -K options) has buggy error handling. afio does not The afio code for handling floppies (-F and -f and -K options) has buggy error handling. afio does not
allow one to retry a failed floppy write on a different floppy, and it c annot recover from a verify allow one to retry a failed floppy write on a different floppy, and it c annot recover from a verify
error. If the floppy handling code is used and write or verify errors do occur, it is best to restart error. If the floppy handling code is used and write or verify errors do occur, it is best to restart
afio completely. Making backups to floppies should really be done with a more specialised backup pro- afio completely. Making backups to floppies should really be done with a more specialised backup pro-
gram that wraps afio. gram that wraps afio.
The Linux floppy drivers below kernel version 1.1.54 do not allow afio to find out about floppy write The Linux floppy drivers below kernel version 1.1.54 do not allow afio to find out about floppy write
errors while writing. If you are running a kernel below 1.1.54, afio wil l happily fail to write to errors while writing. If you are running a kernel below 1.1.54, afio wil l happily fail to write to
(say) a write protected disk and not report anything wrong! The only way to find out about write errors (say) a write protected disk and not report anything wrong! The only way to find out about write errors
in this case is by watching the kernel messages, or by switching on the v erify (-K) option. in this case is by watching the kernel messages, or by switching on the v erify (-K) option.
skipping to change at line 640 skipping to change at line 690
all subsequent copies, if selected, will not be correctly restored. 4) U nless the -4 option is used, all subsequent copies, if selected, will not be correctly restored. 4) U nless the -4 option is used,
the inode number fields in the archive headers for files with hard link s of the archive will sometimes the inode number fields in the archive headers for files with hard link s of the archive will sometimes
not contain the actual (least significant 16 bits of) the inode number of the original file. not contain the actual (least significant 16 bits of) the inode number of the original file.
Some Linux kernels no not allow one to create a hard link to a symbolic l ink. afio will try to re-cre- Some Linux kernels no not allow one to create a hard link to a symbolic l ink. afio will try to re-cre-
ate such hard links when unpacking an archive, but might fail due to kern el restrictions. ate such hard links when unpacking an archive, but might fail due to kern el restrictions.
Due to internal limitations of afio, the use of the -U option forces t he writing of file content with Due to internal limitations of afio, the use of the -U option forces t he writing of file content with
each hard linked file, rather than only once for every set of hard linked files. each hard linked file, rather than only once for every set of hard linked files.
When it is run without super-user priviliges, afio is not able to unpack a file into a directory for When it is run without super-user privileges, afio is not able to unpack a file into a directory for
which it has no write permissions, even if it just created that directory itself. This can be a problem which it has no write permissions, even if it just created that directory itself. This can be a problem
when trying to restore directory structures created by some source code c ontrol tools like RCS. when trying to restore directory structures created by some source code c ontrol tools like RCS.
When block or character device files are packed into an archive on one op erating system (e.g. Linux) and When block or character device files are packed into an archive on one op erating system (e.g. Linux) and
unpacked on another operating system, which uses different sizes for th e major and minor device number unpacked on another operating system, which uses different sizes for th e major and minor device number
data types (e.g. Solaris), the major and minor numbers of the device file s will not be restored cor- data types (e.g. Solaris), the major and minor numbers of the device file s will not be restored cor-
rectly. This can be a problem if the operating systems share a cross-mo unted filesystem. A workaround rectly. This can be a problem if the operating systems share a cross-mo unted filesystem. A workaround
is to use tar(1) for the device files. is to use tar(1) for the device files.
SECURITY CONSIDERATIONS
Security considerations arise when unpacking archives from untrusted sour
ces. The recommended technique
is to unpack such archives into a temporary, empty destination director
y, unaccessible to other system
users, while running afio as a normal user, so without superuser privileg
es. As of version 2.5.2, afio
has security measures, enabled by default, to guard against a class
of attacks where specially con-
structed path names and/or symlink destinations in an archive cause afio
to to create or modify system
or user files outside of the destination directory. See the -8 option
for a more detailed description
of these attacks and measures.
On UNIX multi-user systems with untrusted users, there are several known
attacks where, unless the sys-
tem administrator is very careful, end users can exploit backup an
d restore activites on the user
filesystems to subvert data or operational security. See e.g. the securi
ty section of the GNU tar man-
ual, at
http://www.gnu.org/software/tar/manual/html_node/Security.html
for a description of some issues and precautions.
An archive from an untrusted source could in theory contain mal-formatt
ed data designed to implement a
buffer overflow attack when afio reads the archive during a -t or -i oper
ation. While the afio archive
procesing code is fairly robust, and has passed some automated code check
ing tools, no formal review has
been done to guarantee the absense of buffer overflow attack vulnerabilit
ies. Running afio in a sand-
boxed virtual machine or from inside chroot(8) will improve the sec
urity of handling archives from
untrusted sources, but the most secure option is to never touch such arch
ives at all.
EXAMPLES EXAMPLES
Create an archive with compressed files: Create an archive with compressed files:
find .... | afio -o -v -Z /dev/fd0H1440 find .... | afio -o -v -Z /dev/fd0H1440
Install (unpack) an archive with compressed files: Install (unpack) an archive with compressed files:
afio -i -v -Z achive afio -i -v -Z archive
Install (unpack) an archive with compressed files, protecting newer exist ing files: Install (unpack) an archive with compressed files, protecting newer exist ing files:
afio -i -v -Z -n achive afio -i -v -Z -n archive
Create an archive with compressed files on floppy disks: Create an archive with compressed files on floppy disks:
find .... | afio -o -v -s 1440k -F -Z /dev/fd0H1440 find .... | afio -o -v -s 1440k -F -Z /dev/fd0H1440
Create an archive with all file contents encrypted by pgp: Create an archive with all file contents encrypted by pgp:
export PGPPASSFD=3 export PGPPASSFD=3
find .... | afio -ovz -Z -U -P pgp -Q -fc -Q +verbose=0 -3 3 archive 3<pa ssphrasefile find .... | afio -ovz -Z -U -P pgp -Q -fc -Q +verbose=0 -3 3 archive 3<pa ssphrasefile
Create an archive on recordable CDs using the cdrecord utility to write e ach CD: Create an archive on recordable CDs using the cdrecord utility to write e ach CD:
find .... | afio -o -b 2048 -s325000x -v '!cdrecord .... -' find .... | afio -o -b 2048 -s325000x -v '!cdrecord .... -'
skipping to change at line 693 skipping to change at line 766
find /home | afio -o ... - | split -b1024m - archive. find /home | afio -o ... - | split -b1024m - archive.
the files will be called archive.aa, archive.ab, etc. You can restore th e whole archive using: the files will be called archive.aa, archive.ab, etc. You can restore th e whole archive using:
cat archive.* | afio -i ... - cat archive.* | afio -i ... -
The wildcard expansion by the shell will ensure that cat will read the pa rts in the right (alphabetic) The wildcard expansion by the shell will ensure that cat will read the pa rts in the right (alphabetic)
order. order.
SEE ALSO SEE ALSO
cpio(1), find(1), tar(1), compress(1), gzip(1). cpio(1), find(1), tar(1), compress(1), gzip(1).
WEB SITE AND INTERNET RESOURCES WEB SITE AND INTERNET RESOURCES
There is no official web site for afio. However, the current maintainer The afio home page is at http://members.chello.nl/~k.holtman/afio.html
does post information on alpha, See the home page for information on submitting questions, bug reports, p
beta, and production releases at http://freecode.com/projects/afio/ atches, etc.
The Debian project maintains a binary distribution package of afio, see h
ttp://packages.debian.org
Bug reporting on the Debian package can be done to the Debian project, bu
gs with a scope beyond Debian
will usually also reach the current afio maintainer mentioned below.
For general bug reporting, patches, suggestions and status inquiries,
please e-mail the current afio
maintainer. Though the maintenance and distribution effort of afio is
Linux-centered, correspondence
with respect to the use of afio on other operating systems is also welcom
e.
When mailing the maintainer, please use the word `afio' somewhere in th
e subject line, this lowers the
chance that your mail will get accidentally deleted. The current maintain
er e-mail address is:
koen.holtman@ieee.org
AUTHORS AUTHORS
Mark Brukhartz Mark Brukhartz
Jeff Buhrt Jeff Buhrt
Dave Gymer Dave Gymer
Andrew Stevens Andrew Stevens
Koen Holtman (current maintainer) koen.holtman@ieee.org Koen Holtman (current maintainer) koen.holtman@ieee.org
Anders Baekgaard Anders Baekgaard
Too many other people to list here have contributed code, patches, ideas, and bug reports. Many of Too many other people to list here have contributed code, patches, i deas, and bug reports. Many of
these are mentioned in the HISTORY file that is included with the sources . these are mentioned in the HISTORY file that is included with the sources .
AFIO(1) AFIO(1)
 End of changes. 50 change blocks. 
314 lines changed or deleted 436 lines changed or added
To the Man Pages (all 1): section of the Afio source changes report or the top of this page
Mainly generated by pkgdiff using rfcdiff
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