Creating incremental backup with tar - --listed-incremental -g
backup, bash, tar
Solution
Looks like you're using `bsdtar`, and not the gnu `tar`. `bsdtar` doesn't support incremental backups. They have slightly different flags too.
Problem
I have problem with the tar linux program. I would like to create a incremental backup. I use following tar command for the first full backup: ``` tar --create --gzip --listed-incremental=$SAVEDIR/backup.snar --file=$SAVEDIR/$DATE.tar.gz $EXCLUDE $DIRECTORY ``` `$EXCLUDE` contains for example `"--exclude test/testdir --exclude test/testdir2"` `$DIRECTORY` contains `"-C /Users/user1/Desktop/ test"` If I execute the command I get following error: ``` tar: Option --listed-incremental=/Users/hofmeister/Desktop/test/backup.snar is not supported Usage: List: tar -tf <archive-filename> Extract: tar -xf <archive-filename> Create: tar -cf <archive-filename> [filenames...] Help: tar –help ``` If I change the `--listed-incremental` option to `-g =$SAVEDIR/backup.snar`. I get: ``` Usage: List: tar -tf <archive-filename> Extract: tar -xf <archive-filename> Create: tar -cf <archive-filename> [filenames...] Help: tar --help ``` What went wrong? I use following version of tar: `bsdtar 2.8.3 - libarchive 2.8.3` The problem is the tar version which is bsd. With macports you could install gnutar. Here everything works fine!