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-rw-r--r--doc/guix.texi59
1 files changed, 58 insertions, 1 deletions
diff --git a/doc/guix.texi b/doc/guix.texi
index fcffa5a22b..c78e0d0d05 100644
--- a/doc/guix.texi
+++ b/doc/guix.texi
@@ -407,9 +407,10 @@ management tools it provides.
@menu
* Features:: How Guix will make your life brighter.
* Invoking guix package:: Package installation, removal, etc.
-* Packages with Multiple Outputs:: Single source package, multiple outputs.
+* Packages with Multiple Outputs:: Single source package, multiple outputs.
* Invoking guix gc:: Running the garbage collector.
* Invoking guix pull:: Fetching the latest Guix and distribution.
+* Invoking guix archive:: Exporting and importing store files.
@end menu
@node Features
@@ -914,6 +915,62 @@ Use the bootstrap Guile to build the latest Guix. This option is only
useful to Guix developers.
@end table
+
+@node Invoking guix archive
+@section Invoking @command{guix archive}
+
+The @command{guix archive} command allows users to @dfn{export} files
+from the store into a single archive, and to later @dfn{import} them.
+In particular, it allows store files to be transferred from one machine
+to another machine's store. For example, to transfer the @code{emacs}
+package to a machine connected over SSH, one would run:
+
+@example
+guix archive --export emacs | ssh the-machine guix archive --import
+@end example
+
+Archives are stored in the ``Nix archive'' or ``Nar'' format, which is
+comparable in spirit to `tar'. When exporting, the daemon digitally
+signs the contents of the archive, and that digital signature is
+appended. When importing, the daemon verifies the signature and rejects
+the import in case of an invalid signature.
+@c FIXME: Add xref to daemon doc about signatures.
+
+The main options are:
+
+@table @code
+@item --export
+Export the specified store files or packages (see below.) Write the
+resulting archive to the standard output.
+
+@item --import
+Read an archive from the standard input, and import the files listed
+therein into the store. Abort if the archive has an invalid digital
+signature.
+@end table
+
+To export store files as an archive to the standard output, run:
+
+@example
+guix archive --export @var{options} @var{specifications}...
+@end example
+
+@var{specifications} may be either store file names or package
+specifications, as for @command{guix package} (@pxref{Invoking guix
+package}). For instance, the following command creates an archive
+containing the @code{gui} output of the @code{git} package and the main
+output of @code{emacs}:
+
+@example
+guix archive --export git:gui /nix/store/...-emacs-24.3 > great.nar
+@end example
+
+If the specified packages are not built yet, @command{guix archive}
+automatically builds them. The build process may be controlled with the
+same options that can be passed to the @command{guix build} command
+(@pxref{Invoking guix build}).
+
+
@c *********************************************************************
@node Programming Interface
@chapter Programming Interface