We got the "directory ownership" problem with AIX 4.3.3 and 5.2.
I Gess this comes from AIX (where only root can do a chown).

PAX works also for big files (> 2 Gb), but tar also (8 Gb), tested
for tar under AIX 4.3.3 (differents maintenance levels) and 5.2.

Michael E. Thomadakis wrote:
>
> This is interesting. I've never used pax with files not belonging to me. Is
> this the intented pax mode of operation or some AIX specific aberation? Which
> version of AIX this refers to?
>
> Another claimed pax advantage is long file support (> 2GB). Is this also not
> true under AIX?
>
[Original POST deleted from answer].