Backing up and recovering files using the tar command

The most common data backup utility in Linux® is the tar (tape archive) utility. Use the Linux tar command if you have Linux installed on a dedicated disk or if you cannot vary off a Linux logical partition while you are backing up data.

Backups using the Linux tar command are at the file level. They save only the files and directories that the tar command specifies. Therefore, you cannot use the tar command to save Linux data that is not in the file server. For example, you cannot save a kernel in the PowerPC® Reference Platform (PReP) start logical partition by using the tar command.

One advantage of the tar command is that it supports incremental backups and backup of special devices, which is not common for tar implementations. Also, the tar command backs up files without regard to the underlying file system type.