Penn State EMS Environment Institute
Environmental Computing Facility

File Formats

How do I decode a BinHex file?

To decode a BinHex file, use the command:

hexbin

"hexbin -H" will give you a brief help message on program usage.

What do I do with a file that has .tar.Z or .tar.gz as an extension?

"I just downloaded a file and it has .tar.gz or .tar.Z on it, what do I do?"

The file you have is compressed (.Z) or "gzipped" (.gz) this means the file is compressed to save space. The .tar means there could be multiple files and directories in the file.

To get to the files you want follow these steps.

  1. "gunzip" the file: odo:yurko[56]% gunzip Resume.ps.tar.gz
  2. "untar" the file: odo:yurko[56]% tar -xvf Resume.ps.tar
  3. your files are now viewable.

You may ask what do the arguments (-xvf) stand for. The "x" is for e(x)tract "v" is for verbose (so you can view it while it is running) and the "f" is to tell tar to use the filename as the device.

Hint: if you use GNU tar (gtar), it can gunzip the file itself using the "z" argument, e.g. gtar -xzvf Resume.ps.tar.gz.



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