How to Install a Tar File
A tar file, which stands for tape archive file, is an archive file that contains many files and directories, much like a zip file on a Windows PC. Tar files are almost always exclusively used in the Unix environment because the tar file format was written on the Unix platform decades ago. With some Unix programs, all that needs to be done to install the program inside a tar file is to extract it in the directory where you want to run the program. Some Unix command line knowledge is necessary to make full use of this procedure.
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Things You'll Need
- A tar file on the system that will be installed
- Knowledge of the Unix command line
Instructions
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Log into the Unix system with your username and password. If you don't have this information, ask your system administrator to give you access to the Unix system.
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Once you are on the Unix system, open up a command line window if you are in a GUI. In many Unix environments, you can open the command line window by clicking on the "Terminal" icon. The remaining steps will use this command line window.
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In the command line window, change to the directory where the tar file is located. The command to type is "cd /directory" where "/directory" is the path and name of the directory you want to go to.
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If the tar file is going to be installed in a different directory, move the tar file to the directory where you want it to be installed. The command to type is "mv example.tar /directory" where "example.tar" is the name of the tar file while "/directory" is the path to the directory. Once the file has been moved, go to that directory with the command "cd /directory".
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Install the tar file. Type "tar xvf example.tar" which extracts the tar file in the directory you've chosen in the earlier step. Once this step has been completed, all files and directories from the tar file will be installed at the current location.
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