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19:46
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Q: How to merge files in Linux while deleting the source files

Avery AlejandroI have 2 large files (of about 27 GB each), which I need to merge. They were originally one whole ZIP file, but I split it. The problem with the cat command is that it creates a new file which has the source files' content, which I do not want to do (since I don't have that much disk space left)....

linux files cat
Kusalananda
Kusalananda
How did you split it? Would just concatenating the two files yield a valid Zip archive?
Avery Alejandro
Avery Alejandro
@Kusalananda I think so. I used the split command, by following this guide: howtoforge.com/tutorial/…
Kusalananda
Kusalananda
Do you have space under /tmp or elsewhere (/var?) that you could use temporarily?
Avery Alejandro
Avery Alejandro
@Kusalananda Yes I do have a /tmp directory, and I also have an 8 GB flash drive
Kusalananda
Kusalananda
How much free space in /tmp? (df -h /tmp)
Avery Alejandro
Avery Alejandro
19:46
@Kusalananda I don't have a separate /tmp partition, just a /tmp directory. I have 28.3 GB left.
Kusalananda
Kusalananda
And in the current directory where the archive bits live? (df -h .)
Hi
Avery Alejandro
Avery Alejandro
28.3 GB. It's one partition
Kusalananda
Kusalananda
Ah, so /tmp and your current directory lives on the same partition.
Avery Alejandro
Avery Alejandro
Yeah
Kusalananda
Kusalananda
Does any other place on your system have 28+ GB free?
Avery Alejandro
Avery Alejandro
19:48
Nope, only my flash drive has 8 GB free. Do network folders count?
Kusalananda
Kusalananda
Do you have backups of the archive?
(just for safety)
Avery Alejandro
Avery Alejandro
Yeah. My desktop has the original archive (61 GB), and I needed to move it to my laptop. It would take way too long to transfer it over the network, so I decided to split it and use my 8 GB flash drive. It literally took all day. I shouldn't have done that... Too late to say that now, heh
Kusalananda
Kusalananda
I think, and don't do this now, but cat part2 >>part1 would add the second part of the archive to the end of the first part.
Assuming the files are called part1 and part2.
You have enough space to do that.
Avery Alejandro
Avery Alejandro
Oh, I didn't think of that
Well I did think of that, but I guess I was overthinking
Kusalananda
Kusalananda
But I can't really guarantee that it would work and that you would not loose data.
Avery Alejandro
Avery Alejandro
19:51
It's fine, I can just transfer the file over the network. Last resort
Kusalananda
Kusalananda
This relies on the fact that you have 28 GB free.
Avery Alejandro
Avery Alejandro
27.8 GB free
part2 is 27.3 GB
I think I'll be fine
Kusalananda
Kusalananda
you have to have enough space to hold both the complete archive and part2
yes
Only issue....
A filesystem usually tries to hold a certain percentage of space free.
So you may run out of space anyway.
Unless you do it as root.
Avery Alejandro
Avery Alejandro
Aghh I'll just delete some anime
Should save a few gigabytes
Kusalananda
Kusalananda
:-)
I'll summarise this in an answer. Write a comment on it when you know how it went.
Avery Alejandro
Avery Alejandro
19:55
Okay

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