GNU tar Reference Manual: GNU tar: an archiver tool - Paperback

by Jay Fenlason (Author), John Gilmore (Author)

GNU tar creates and manipulates archives which are actually collections of many other files; the program provides users with an organized and systematic method for controlling a large amount of data. The name "tar" originally came from the phrase "Tape ARchive", but archives need not (and these days, typically do not) reside on tapes.