tar: restore only non-hidden files during a restore of /home

Alan_ · 05-24-2014, 04:55 PM

I am stuck for a solution to this seemingly simple problem: restore all non-hidden files and directories to all /home directories found in in a full-system tarball.

I created this test environment in my home directory to mimic a /home restore from a backup directory in /:

I made and populate the following directories:

~/ttar
~/ttar/td1 (several dummy files, some links, some hidden)
~/ttar/td1/root (several dummy files, some links, some hidden)
~/ttar/td1/bin (several dummy files, some links, some hidden)
~/ttar/td1/usr (several dummy files, some links, some hidden)
~/ttar/td1/home/alan/.config (same as ~/.config)
~/ttar/td1/home/alan/.gconfig (same as ~/.gconfig)
~/ttar/td1/home/alan/ (numerous dummy files, some links, some hidden)

and ~/ttar/td1/backups (to simulate a backup archive in /)

Moving into ~/ttar/td1/backups I created a tar archive simulating a full system archive using the command:

tar -zxvpf ttar.tar.gz --directory=../ .

Then, for several hours, I repeatedly erased everything in ~/ttar/td1 (except ~/ttar/backups) during research and trial-and-error; this the partial solution I came up with:

tar -xzvpf ttar.tar.gz --directory=../ ./home

The partial solution yields only the original ~/ttar/td1/home/alan but with unwanted hidden files.

Can anyone tell me how to avoid restoring those last few hidden files?

TIA

darthaxul · 05-24-2014, 11:16 PM

you can run find .* and it will list all the hidden files/folders

Alan_ · 05-25-2014, 03:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by darthaxul

you can run find .* and it will list all the hidden files/folders

Yup, that will list all hidden files and folders in and below a directory in an existing file system, but even redirecting the output to a file, and using that file as input to tar to exclude files from the restore, will not stop tar from restoring hidden files in the archive tarball that aren't on the system yet.

By the by, I altered my 'nearest solution' tar command posted above as it was the wrong example.

Regards,

rknichols · 05-25-2014, 01:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Alan_

Moving into ~/ttar/td1/backups I created a tar archive simulating a full system archive using the command:

tar -zxvpf ttar.tar.gz --directory=../ .

That command extracts from a tar archive. It does not create one.

Quote:

Then, for several hours, I repeatedly erased everything in ~/ttar/td1 (except ~/ttar/backups) during research and trial-and-error; this the partial solution I came up with:

tar -xzvpf ttar.tar.gz --directory=../ ./home

I'm having trouble figuring out just what you did, but this should extract everything except the dotfiles and directories:

Code:

tar -zxvpf ttar.tar.gz --exclude='.[^/]*' --directory=../ .

That pattern excludes any name that begins with a dot that is not immediately followed by a slash (so that "./" itself is not excluded).

AlanWalker · 05-25-2014, 06:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rknichols

That command extracts from a tar archive. It does not create one.

Right (I guess I'd been up awhile by that time). The line should have been

Code:

tar -cvpf ttar.tar.gz --directory=../ --exclude=backups .

Quote:

Originally Posted by rknichols

I'm having trouble figuring out just what you did, but this should extract everything except the dotfiles and directories:

Code:

tar -zxvpf ttar.tar.gz --exclude='.[^/]*' --directory=../ .

That pattern excludes any name that begins with a dot that is not immediately followed by a slash (so that "./" itself is not excluded).

Thank you, I'll try it and get back to you - hopefully with better detail.

Regards,