archive

1. file format A single file containing one or (usually)

more separate files plus information to allow them to be

extracted (separated) by a suitable program.

Archives are usually created for software distribution or

backup. tar is a common format for Unix archives, and

arc or PKZIP for MS-DOS and Microsoft Windows.

2. operating system To transfer files to slower, cheaper

media (usually magnetic tape) to free the hard disk space

they occupied. This is now normally done for long-term

storage but in the 1960s, when disk was much more expensive,

files were often shuffled regularly between disk and tape.

3. networking archive site.

(1996-12-08)