Which option is NOT a function of the TAR command?

The TAR command is primarily designed for archiving files, allowing users to create collections of files and directories packaged into a single file. This functionality includes creating an archive and extracting files from existing archives, which are fundamental operations of TAR.

When it comes to compressing files, TAR itself does not perform compression inherently. Instead, it creates uncompressed archives. However, it is often used in conjunction with compression tools like gzip or bzip2 to combine the archiving and compression processes, but compression is not a direct function of TAR.

The function that is not associated with the TAR command is replicating files recursively. While TAR can archive entire directory trees (which might seem like replication), its primary intent is not to create duplicates of files in different locations. Instead, it emphasizes packaging files together, rather than duplicating them across directories. Consequently, TAR is not used specifically for replicating files; it is focused on the creation and management of archives.