TAR exit codes

[ian walker_1]

Does anyone know what the various exit codes from the TAR command are?

[Neil Wilson_2 · Accepted solution]

Ian, here is a list of codes....

Code | Explanation
---------|-------------------------------------------------------
exit(0) | no error and no warning
---------|-------------------------------------------------------
exit(1) | tar: cannot create temporary file (%s)
| Invalid blocksize. (Max %d)
| tar: blocksize %d too big, can't get memory
| tar: Invalid or non-existent device file %s
| Can only create standard output archives
| tar: cannot open %s
| tar: option not supported for this device %s
| tar: cannot write to %s: write protected
| tar: usage tar [-]{txruc}[eONvVwAfblhm{op}][0-7[lmh]]..
| Attempt to create archive of no files. Nothing dumped.
| tar: cannot preserve extent attributes for %s. aborting...
| tar: cannot create temporary file (%s)
| Invalid blocksize. (Max %d)
| tar: blocksize %d too big, can't get memory
| tar: Invalid or non-existent device file %s
| Can only create standard output archives\
---------|------------------------------------------------------
exit(2) | directory checksum error
| tar: %s: HELP - extract write error
| tar: Cannot close %s
| tar: tape write error
---------|------------------------------------------------------
exit(3) | tar: tape read error
| tar: tape blocksize error
| tar: blocksize = 0; broken pipe?
| tar: error! blocksize changed
---------|------------------------------------------------------
exit(4) | tar: tape backspace error
| tar: ioctl to write filemarks failed (%d). aborting...
| tar: ioctl to determine device online failed. aborting...
---------|------------------------------------------------------
exit(5) | tar: %s: pathname too long
| tar: Cannot change directory to '%s'
| tar: Path '%s' skipped
| tar: cannot open %s Missing links to %s
| tar: %s: cannot access file
| tar: Out of memory. Cannot detect symbolic link loops
| tar: Loop of symbolic links detected, tar terminated
| tar: cannot stat %s. Not dumped.
| tar: Size of %s > %s. Not dumped.
| tar: %s: directory read error
| tar: %s: directory read error
| tar: %s: symbolic link too long
| tar: can't read symbolic link
| tar: %s: cannot open file
| tar: %s: link to name too long
| Out of memory. Link information lost
| %s: file changed size
| tar: %s is not a file. Not dumped.
| tar: %s: symbolic link failed %s: cannot link
| tar: %s couldn't create character device
| tar: %s couldn't create block device
| tar: %s couldn't create fifo
| tar: %s couldn't create directory
| tar: %s couldn't create directory
| tar: %s - cannot create
| tar: chmod failed
| tar: chown failed
| tar: couldn't get uname for uid %d
| tar: couldn't get gname for gid %d
| tar: pwd failed
| tar: %s: pathname too long
| tar: %s: prefix too long
| tar: %s: file name too long %s: file name too long
|
| Note: exit(5) is a 'NONFATAL_ERRCODE'.
---------|-------------------------------------------------------

[ian walker_1]

thanks...