Efficiently creating tar files

Question

Note: I'm using Windows file servers and .NET

If I were to create a TAR file from files on a remote file server (meaning, the TAR file would be created on the remote file server, where the original files are), would the bytes need to come to my machine and then go back to the file server (since my machine is running the code that's generating the TAR), or would they stay on the file server? I'm asking about the best possible (theoretical) implementation.

Thank you!

Answer 1

The bytes would have to be read into your machine. The only way I know that you can just do the TARing on the remote server is to have the remote server generate the TAR. For example, you could connect via SSH and run a shell command on the remote server.

Answer 2

The bytes need to be where they are processed.

• If you process them on your remote system, they must be transferred.
• If you process them on your server, they don't need to be transferred.

If your goal is to minimize bandwidth usage, your best bet would be to have a script on your server that will generate the tar files for you when triggered by your remote system.

The best possible implementation really depends on what your goals and constraints are.