I have a tar file that I created on a windows server that contains source code (text & binary files). When I extract the archive everything appears to extract out normally except that any binary files are now corrupt. I used binary mode sftp to get the archive to the linux server so I know that is not the problem. Is there an option with tar -xf that prevents this issue when extracting files? Or could it be that I need to do something at creation of the archive that prevents this issue?

This has nothing to do with the files being binary or anything like that.

In first place, if the tarball was corrupted at all you wouldn't even be able to uncompress it. The files you get when extracting should be 1:1 the same than they were when compressing.

How do you know that the binaries inside the tarball are corrupted at all?? What are the symptoms? Are they binaries for windows or for linux?

I would like to agree with you but the binary files put into the archive are fine when added, but after extraction and opening one I get a corrupt file. The binary file I am using to test are images. So I am just trying to open them with an image viewer. Files I tried are .png & .bmp After I extract the archive I binary sftp them back to my windows machine and they are no good.

These files are from a cvsnt repository. Originally all these files were located on a linux cvs server, but due to a failure I moved them to cvsnt thinking that I would just use windows going forward. Well it is a long story but now I am moving them back to a linux cvs server. I am aware of the issues of trying to do this, but we only used the cvsnt server for about 2 months and we did not use any cvsnt specific features so the data should be fine.

Anyway for the life of me I can't figure out why the binary files are corrupt just moving them to linux fs. I guess I could just move a file directly from the windows box to linux box and see if it get corrupted. This would rule out taring as the culprit.

Then the only plausible explanation is that somehow they get corrupted before they are tarred in the windows machine. Or... they are corrupted after they are uncompressed in the linux machine. It's the only thing I can't think of.

Mind that even if a single byte gets screwed on the tarball file while you are transmitting it you will never be able to uncompress it. Tar will just exit with an error.