[Lustre-discuss] mdt backup tar --xattrs question

[Ms. Megan Larko]

Greetings Group!

I hope this will be an easy one.   To conserve steps in backing up the
metadata extended attributes of a Lustre mdt, I am looking at using a
newer version of tar combined with its --xattrs option.   (Note:
Previously I have used the mdt two-step back-up from the Lustre Manual
and it has been successful.)   If I can backup the extended attributes
via tar so that I don't have to issue both a getfattr and then a tar
command it would be convenient.

I have GNU tar-1.23.  I was trying a version of the command indicated
in http://lists.lustre.org/pipermail/lustre-discuss/2009-June/010794.html
which supplied the --xattrs argument to the tar command.   It failed
with "Unrecognized option --xattrs".     Is there something I need to
specify to get tar to understand it is to back up extended attributes?

Will this version of tar correctly obtain the extended attributes or
should I be using  lustre-tar  tool instead?

TIA,
megan

SGI Federal