Compression, back-up, and software installation

Unit objectives
 Use compression utilities to compress
Course ILT

and decompress files

 Perform system back-ups and view
and extract archives
 Compile and install software packages
from source code and use the Red
Hat Package Manager
 Compress binary files and image files
 Topic A
 Topic A: Compression
 Topic B: System back-up
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 Topic C: Software installation

 Topic D: Compressing binary and
image files
 Compression
 Process in which files are reduced in
size by a compression algorithm
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 Compression algorithm
– Instructions used to reduce the contents
of a file
 Common compression utilities
 compress
 gzip
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 bzip2
 The compress utility
 Uses an algorithm to make file smaller
 Average ratio: 40-50%
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 zcat
– Used to view the contents of archive
created with compress or gzip
 zmore
– Used to view page-by-page
 uncompress
– Decompresses files that were processed
with compress
 Common options with the compress utility
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 GNU zip (gzip)

 Algorithm varies slightly from that

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used by compress
 Yields better compression
 Typical ratio: 60-70%
Course ILT Common options with gzip

continued
Course ILT Common options with gzip, continued
 The bzip2 utility
 Uses a different algorithm than
compress or gzip
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 zcat and zmore cannot be used

 Average ratio: 50-75%
 bzcat
– Used to view the contents of archive
created with bzip2
 bunzip2
– Used to decompress files
Course ILT Common options with bzip2
Course ILT Activity A-1

Compressing and uncompressing

files
 Topic B
 Topic A: Compression
 Topic B: System back-up
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 Topic C: Software installation

 Topic D: Compressing binary and
image files
 System back-up
 Process of copying files to an archive
 Archive
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– Location (file or device) that contains a

copy of files
– Typically created by a back-up utility
Course ILT Device files for different tape devices
 magnetic tape (mt) command
 Used to control tape devices
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Course ILT Activity B-1

Discussing back-up media

 Back-up utilities

 tar
 cpio
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 dump/restore
 Tape archive (tar)
 One of the oldest and most common
back-up utilities
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 Accepts options to determine the

location of the archive and the action
to perform on the archive
Course ILT Common options with tar

continued
Course ILT Common options with tar, continued
 Tarballs

 A gzip-compressed tar archive

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 Used for software distribution as well

and back-up
Course ILT Activity B-2

Using the tar utility

 The copy in/out (cpio) utility

 Common back-up utility

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 Options similar to tar with added

features
– Can back up device files and long
filenames
 Uses absolute pathnames by default
Course ILT Common options with cpio
 The dump/restore utility
 Full back-up
– Archives an entire filesystem
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 Incremental back-up
– Archives only files modified since the last
full back-up
 Works only with files on ext2 and ext3
filesystems
Course ILT A sample back-up strategy
Course ILT Options with dump/restore
 restore command
 Extracts archives created with the
dump command
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Course ILT Activity B-3

Using cpio and dump utilities

 Topic C
 Topic A: Compression
 Topic B: System back-up
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 Topic C: Software installation

 Topic D: Compressing binary and
image files
 Forms of software distribution
 Binary program files
– Pre-compiled to run on specific hardware
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 Source code
– Must be compiled on the local
architecture
 RPM package
– Use Red Hat Package Management
system
 Package manager

 Defines a standard package format

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 Can be used to install, query, and

remove packages
 Red Hat Package Manager (RPM)
– The most commonly used
 Compiling source code into programs

 The procedure for compiling source

code into binary programs is
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standardized today among most open

source software developers
 GNU C Compiler (gcc)
– Command used to compile source code
into binary programs
Course ILT Activity C-1

Discussing forms of software

distribution
 Installing from source code
1. Uncompress and extract files
2. Run configure
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3. Run make
4. Run make install
Course ILT The LTRIS program
Course ILT Activity C-2

Compiling and installing a program

from source code
 RPMs
 Filenames indicate hardware
architecture the software was
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compiled for
 rpm command
– Command used to install, query, and
remove RPM packages
Course ILT Common options with RPM
 Red Hat Package Manager
 Graphical tool that may be used to
install RPM packages available with
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the GNOME/KDE desktop

environment
Course ILT The RPM interface
Course ILT Activity C-3

Using RPM to install and remove

software
 Topic D
 Topic A: Compression
 Topic B: System back-up
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 Topic C: Software installation

 Topic D: Compressing binary and
image files
 gzexe
 Compresses binary programs
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Course ILT Activity D-1

Using the gzexe utility

 Compressing images
 Use the cjpeg program to compress
.tga image files and convert them to
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JPEG format
 The cjpeg program converts a .jpeg
image file to grayscale
Course ILT Activity C-2

Using the cjpeg utility

 Unit summary
 Compressed and decompressed files
using compression utilities
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 Performed system back-ups and

viewed and extracted archives
 Compiled and installed software from
source code, and use the Red Hat
Package Manager
 Compressed binary and image files