How to use the command lrzuntar (with examples)

lrzuntar is a command that serves as a wrapper for lrunzip, simplifying the decompression of directories. It allows users to decompress files from a given path to the current directory, specify the output path, delete the compressed file after decompression, and more. This article will provide several examples illustrating the different use cases of the lrzuntar command.

Use case 1: Decompress from a file to the current directory

Code:

lrzuntar path/to/archive.tar.lrz

Motivation:

This use case is helpful when you want to decompress a file from a specific path and extract its contents to the current directory. It avoids the need to navigate to a different directory before extracting the file.

Explanation:

In this use case, “path/to/archive.tar.lrz” represents the file path of the compressed archive. The lrzuntar command takes this file as input and decompresses it to the current directory.

Example output:

Decompressing archive.tar.lrz to current directory...
Archive decompressed successfully.

Use case 2: Decompress from a file to the current directory using a specific number of processor threads

Code:

lrzuntar -p 8 path/to/archive.tar.lrz

Motivation:

When decompressing large archives, utilizing multiple processor threads can significantly speed up the decompression process. This use case allows you to specify the number of threads to be used during decompression, maximizing performance.

Explanation:

The “-p 8” argument in the lrzuntar command represents the number of processor threads to be used during decompression. In this example, we specify 8 threads for faster decompression.

Example output:

Decompressing archive.tar.lrz to current directory using 8 processor threads...
Archive decompressed successfully.

Use case 3: Decompress from a file to the current directory and silently overwrite items that already exist

Code:

lrzuntar -f archive.tar.lrz

Motivation:

In some cases, you may want to overwrite existing items in the current directory without any prompt or notification. This use case allows you to decompress the file silently and overwrite any conflicting items.

Explanation:

The “-f” argument in the lrzuntar command enables the silent overwrite mode. This means that if there are any conflicting items in the current directory, they will be overwritten without any prompt or notification.

Example output:

Decompressing archive.tar.lrz to current directory and silently overwriting existing items...
Archive decompressed successfully.

Use case 4: Specify the output path

Code:

lrzuntar -O path/to/directory archive.tar.lrz

Motivation:

By default, lrzuntar decompresses files to the current directory. However, there might be cases where you want to specify a different output directory. This use case allows you to define the output path for the decompressed files.

Explanation:

The “-O path/to/directory” argument in the lrzuntar command specifies the output path for the decompressed files. By providing a custom directory path, you can control where the extracted files will be stored.

Example output:

Decompressing archive.tar.lrz to path/to/directory...
Archive decompressed successfully.

Use case 5: Delete the compressed file after decompression

Code:

lrzuntar -D path/to/archive.tar.lrz

Motivation:

After decompressing an archive, the compressed file may no longer be needed and can take up unnecessary storage space. This use case allows you to automatically delete the compressed file after successful decompression.

Explanation:

The “-D” argument in the lrzuntar command enables the deletion of the compressed file after decompression. This ensures that the file is removed from the system once its contents have been extracted.

Example output:

Decompressing archive.tar.lrz to current directory and deleting the compressed file...
Archive decompressed successfully. Compressed file deleted.

Conclusion:

The lrzuntar command provides a convenient way to decompress files and directories. Whether it’s decompressing to the current directory, specifying an output path, using multiple processor threads, or deleting the compressed file after extraction, lrzuntar offers a range of options to simplify and enhance the decompression process.