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File size

 
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Brian_71
Occasional Advisor

File size

We just setup an HP 11.11 system and it's connected to a set of EMC disks.
When I try and tar a directory, tar keeps stopping after the output tar is a little over 2GB and says
Tar: end of tape
Tar: to continue, enter device/file name when ready or null string to quit
The EMC is set up in 8 GB luns with about 5 luns per logical partition, so the partitions are about 40 GB any idea why the file can't be over 2GB?
15 REPLIES 15
Jeff Schussele
Honored Contributor

Re: File size

Hi Brian,

The tar command itself cannot handle nor create files > 2Gb.

Rgds,
Jeff
PERSEVERANCE -- Remember, whatever does not kill you only makes you stronger!
Patrick Wallek
Honored Contributor
Solution

Re: File size

Do you have largefiles enabled on that file system?

Check by:

# fsadm /mountpoint

It should return 'largefiles' or 'nolargefiles'. If 'noloargefiles' is returned you can change it by:

# fsadm -o largefiles /mountpoint
S.K. Chan
Honored Contributor

Re: File size

It's a tar limitation, you can download GNU tar to overcome this limit.

http://hpux.cs.utah.edu/hppd/hpux/Gnu/tar-1.13.25/
MANOJ SRIVASTAVA
Honored Contributor

Re: File size

Hi Brian


Tar is limited to 2 Gb , you can use GNU tar which is better than tar or cpio , fbackup they will help u go moer than 2 GB.


Manoj Srivastava
James R. Ferguson
Acclaimed Contributor

Re: File size

Hi Brian:

The standard HP-UX 'tar' does not support the archival of files larger than 2GB or files that have user/group IDs greater than 60K.

A far superior version is the gnu version:

http://hpux.cs.utah.edu/hppd/hpux/Gnu/tar-1.13.25/

Regards!

...JRF...
Jeff Schussele
Honored Contributor

Re: File size

Neither can cpio, gzip, etc.
If the archive will go to this system or another HP-UX system, I'd recommend you use fbackup which CAN handle files > 2 Gb.
Another option would be to use the GNU tar command - gtar. Can pick it up at

http://www.gnu.org/software/tar/tar.html

Rgds,
Jeff
PERSEVERANCE -- Remember, whatever does not kill you only makes you stronger!
Victor BERRIDGE
Honored Contributor

Re: File size

Yep,
but as Patrick mentionned if the file system is not large file enable e.g.:
/dev/r5vg01/lvol4 /data/mnt1 vxfs rw,suid,largefiles,delaylog,datainlog 0 2
then whatever utility you use will fail...


All the best
Victor
Brian_71
Occasional Advisor

Re: File size

large files are not enable on the file system. If I type in that command to enable it will may data that is there now get messed up?

Also what are the reasons that it is set to not enabled instead of enabled?

Any pros or cons?
pap
Respected Contributor

Re: File size

HI ,
Tar can not be used to backup file size larget than 2 GB.
IF you have large size file then try to compress it and make it less than 2 GB if you can make it. This is the only way to backup a file more than 2 GB size using tar.

-pap
"Winners don't do different things , they do things differently"
pap
Respected Contributor

Re: File size

USe fbackup for backing up this file.IT is an awesome tool from HP.

-pap
"Winners don't do different things , they do things differently"
Jeff Schussele
Honored Contributor

Re: File size

Brian,

Nope enabling now will not harm existing data.
The default is no largefiles & that's why it probably got set that way.
Go ahead & set it & you can TRY tar but > 2GB is NOT supported & not reliable.
Check fbackup out do a man fbackup.

Rgds,
Jeff
PERSEVERANCE -- Remember, whatever does not kill you only makes you stronger!
hpuxrox
Respected Contributor

Re: File size

Download and install gnu tar.
James R. Ferguson
Acclaimed Contributor

Re: File size

Hi:

You can convert a filesystem that does not have largefiles enabled to one that does without problem.

You can choose to enable largefiles or not. Consider that you may not want some filesystems to hold largefiles because you want to be able to use the old, standard utilities for backup. This would apply to the vg00 filesystems that you want Ignite to process.

The HP-UX Large Files White Paper is worth reading if you have not already done so:

http://docs.hp.com/hpux/onlinedocs/os/lgfiles4.pdf

Regards!

...JRF...
Brian_71
Occasional Advisor

Re: File size

Any idea on the logic of why the default is nolargfiles?
Jeff Schussele
Honored Contributor

Re: File size

Brian,

JRF's response pretty well summed it up.

Rgds,
Jeff
PERSEVERANCE -- Remember, whatever does not kill you only makes you stronger!