How to Merge and Extract Split tar.xz Files

Follow these steps to combine and extract your split alibaba_dataset files.

Step 1: Download All Parts

First, ensure all split parts are downloaded to the same directory:

alibaba_dataset_part_aa
alibaba_dataset_part_ab
alibaba_dataset_part_ac
alibaba_dataset_part_ad
alibaba_dataset_part_ae
alibaba_dataset_part_af
alibaba_dataset_part_ag

Step 2: Merge the Split Files

Use the cat command to concatenate all parts in the correct order:

cat alibaba_dataset_part_* > alibaba_dataset.tar.xz

This command combines all parts into a single file named alibaba_dataset.tar.xz.

Step 3: Verify the Merged File

Check that the merged file was created successfully:

ls -lh alibaba_dataset.tar.xz

The file size should be approximately 500GB (the sum of all parts).

Step 4: Extract the tar.xz Archive

Use the tar command with appropriate flags:

tar -xf alibaba_dataset.tar.xz

For progress visibility, add the verbose flag:

tar -xvf alibaba_dataset.tar.xz

Step 5: Verify Extraction

Once extraction is complete, check the extracted contents:

ls -la

Memory-Efficient Options

If disk space is limited, extract directly without saving the merged file:

cat alibaba_dataset_part_* | tar -xJ

For large archives that cause memory issues:

tar --use-compress-program="xz -d" -xf alibaba_dataset.tar.xz

This approach may handle very large archives more efficiently.