Jim Meyering wrote:

François Pinard <pinard@iro.umontreal.ca> writes:

| For the record, GNU `cp' did not always copy a file without modification. | There was a time it was automatically sparsifying files (that is, replacing | long sequences of zeroes by "holes"). According to current documentation, | it does not do that anymore, unless the original file is already sparse, | or `--sparse=always' is used. I would guess that sparsification is never | done when the output is a device. (Jim, if easy, would you confirm?)

Hi, François!

If --sparse=auto is in effect (the default), then holes are introduced IFF the input file is determined to be sparse and the output file (which has been opened, and possibly created by the time this test is performed) is a `regular' file.

If --sparse=always is specified, then GNU cp makes holes in the output file, regardless of its type.

Do you know how a sparse file is represented within the filesystem? Is there a particular indicator for sparse files? And where's a good place to read about sparse files? Thanks. Paul -- To unsubscribe send e-mail to suse-linux-e-unsubscribe@suse.com For additional commands send e-mail to suse-linux-e-help@suse.com Also check the FAQ at http://www.suse.com/Support/Doku/FAQ/