RHEL Linux - Red Hat System Administration Practice Exam

One of the oldest and most common commands for creating and working with backup archives is the ______ command.

1. bzip2

2. gzip

3. tar

4. ncompress

The correct answer is: tar

The command that is widely recognized for creating and managing backup archives is the tar command. Tar stands for "tape archive," and it has been a fundamental tool in Unix and Linux systems for decades. It enables users to combine multiple files into a single archive file, which facilitates easier distribution, backup, and storage. The tar command supports various options that allow users to create archives, extract files, and list contents. It is particularly valuable because it maintains the file structure and permissions during archiving, making it ideal for backups. Additionally, it can work in conjunction with compression utilities like gzip and bzip2 to create compressed archives, further conserving storage space. While other options like bzip2, gzip, and ncompress are tools for compressing files, they do not serve as standalone archiving solutions. Instead, they are typically used in conjunction with tar to compress the resulting archive files, which enhances their functionality but does not replace the core archiving capabilities provided by the tar command itself.