tcp-pipe: a light-weight UNIX pipe via TCP socket

The tcp-pipe program allows you to stitch together STDOUT on one machine to STDIN on another machine through a TCP connection.

Why not the venerable netcat, a.k.a., nc? Indeed, nc is a versatile and capable tool. However when using in a distributed environment, some versions of nc failed to terminate once their STDIN was closed, causing the network connection on both ends to hang. If you experience the same problems with your nc pipe, consider giving tcp-pipe a try.

Why not use the amazing rsync program? You should! But really, if you're running on hosts where you cannot easily install dynamically linked binaries, or when you are running without the need for encryption, this can be a handy alternative.

1. First, run this on the destination host:

   tcp-pipe receive :6969 | tar xf -

2. Second, run this on the source host:

   tar -c --format pax -f - someDir | tcp-pipe send host.example.com:6969

Among other benefits, using the pax format allows for better handling of pathnames.