untar files only when required

rsiyer · 07-12-2010, 02:33 PM

I have to untar some files as part of a build process. Currently I have

Code:

tar xzf <file>.tar.gz

This results in untarring the files for every build, clearly not the best option. Is there a way to extract only delta/updates? This will save time and CPU resource for large files.

I am aware of the tar 'k' flag, but as far as I can tell it only checks if the file exists. Not good enough here.

Thank you

unSpawn · 07-12-2010, 06:38 PM

If your definition of "updates" equals "has more recent time stamp" and archive dates are in sync then 'tar -xzf <file>.tar.gz --newer YYYY-MM-DD' (and --newer "YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM:SS") should work?