compress a directory using tar
 

Hello everyone.

What command do I give to compress an entire directory and it's sub folders to a tar file?

I want to log in via ssh, go to inside the directory I want to tar, then issue this command.

What exact command do I need to do? Do I need to tar the files first on the old sever?

I have searched these forms, and found nothing that would help answer this question. I apologize if this is an easy answer. I am unsure of what to do at the moment and appreciate any help.

Do
man tar

(1) cd to the directory you want to tar
(2) choose your output files and directory ... I used /tmp for this example

No compression (larger output file):
Gzip compression (smaller output file):
Bzip compression (still smaller output file usually, but slower typically):
Extract the archives created above by replacing the "c" option with "x" (c = create, x = extract). Leave off the trailing "." from the create command. Files will be extracted to your current directory.

To compress any folder / file
To extract this fife back in current directory
To extract this fife back to a specific directory

For those who provided examples, thank you very much. Examples are easier to follow than the manual. I learn faster by example as I believe everyone does.

Thank you.