[bionet.software] tar-Z archive decompression under MSDOS

harper@csc.fi (02/27/90)

In article <9002212359.AA29825@net.bio.net>, AKC01@dk0rrzk1.bitnet (Kay Hofmann) writes:
> If there is no VMS-program i could also use MSDOS,VM/CMS,Mac or unix
> programs (in order of preference).                   Kay Hofmann.
>                                    

I used LDBASE to run through the archives on RED-UG (the European
LIST that usually has the answer to everything) I did a
SELECT TAR and PC in RED-UG
and came up with a couple of interesting hits, which might help
you with your uncompressing problem. Follow it up on TRICKLE if you
are interested.  I should also mention that the latest edition of PAX
for the PC appeared.
=================EXTRACT=================
>>> Item number 590, dated 89/08/25 10:03:42 -- ALL
=========================================================================
From:         Gustaf Neumann <NEUMANN@AWIWUW11>
Subject:      re: uncompressing tar-z files on a pc

>I would like to read a .tar-z file on a PC, but no utility from
>PD1:<MSDOS> works. Is there a solution ?
>Any help would be appreciated.
>
>Adam MIROWSKI

Try
       <msdos.sq-usq>u16-v12.arc

I have used it several times with good success

-gustaf

>>> Item number 607, dated 89/08/28 09:10:55 -- ALL
=========================================================================
From:         A0045@DK0RRZK1
Subject:      Re: Reading TAR-Z files on a PC

The .TAR-Z files in the UNIX-C directories of the SIMTEL/TRICKLE archive
are compressed archives similar to the .ARC files in the PC directories,
but are constructed in a different way:
First, TAR gathers several files together in a archive without
compression, second, COMPRESS compresses this tar file. The resulting
file then usually has the ending .tar.Z on a UNIX system which is
translated to .TAR-Z on SIMTEL20.

The unarchiving must reverse this process again in two steps:
First, UNCOMPRESS the .TAR-Z file to a .TAR file, second, UNTAR this file
to get the original files again.

There are several PC programs in the archive for these two conversions,
most of which are ports from UNIX programs for the same purpose.
I had good results with those from
  <MSDOS.SQ-USQ>COMP410E.ARC  and  <MSDOS.FILUTL>PAX.ARC.

After the unarchiving you have usually a number of text files in UNIX
format, thet means with UNIX style line ends (LF only as line
delimiter). So to actually use these files on a PC you have also to
convert them to PC style text files (CR,LF as line delimiter).
There are again several programs to do this, a recent entry in the
archives is the portable program FLIP contained in
  <MSDOS.TXTUTL>FLIP1EXE.ARC  and  <MSDOS.TXTUTL>FLIP1SRC.ARC.
For the PC the EXE part is sufficient, the SRC file is interesting if
you want to have the same program on a real UNIX system.

One last small problem to mention: there are often UNIX file names
in the TAR files which are not compatible with PC file names
conventions, watch out especially for long names and several dots in a
file name. The PC TAR programs usually just pass the original names to
DOS, which either truncates or refuses them.

Jochen Roderburg
Regional Computing Center
University of Cologne
Robert-Koch-Str. 10                Tel. :  +49-221/470-4564
D-5000 Koeln 41                    Email:  A0045 @ DK0RRZK0.BITNET (CDC)
West Germany                           or  A0045 @ DK0RRZK1.BITNET (IBM)