def tarfile_extract(fileobj, dest_path):
        """Extract a tarfile described by a file object to a specified path.

        Args:
            fileobj (file): File object wrapping the target tarfile.
            dest_path (str): Path to extract the contents of the tarfile to.
        """
        # Though this method doesn't fit cleanly into the TarPartition object,
        # tarballs are only ever extracted for partitions so the logic jives
        # for the most part.
        tar = tarfile.open(mode='r|', fileobj=fileobj,
                           bufsize=pipebuf.PIPE_BUF_BYTES)

        # canonicalize dest_path so the prefix check below works
        dest_path = os.path.realpath(dest_path)

        # list of files that need fsyncing
        extracted_files = []

        # Iterate through each member of the tarfile individually. We must
        # approach it this way because we are dealing with a pipe and the
        # getmembers() method will consume it before we extract any data.
        for member in tar:
            assert not member.name.startswith('/')
            relpath = os.path.join(dest_path, member.name)

            # Workaround issue with tar handling of symlink, see:
            # https://bugs.python.org/issue12800
            if member.issym():
                target_path = os.path.join(dest_path, member.name)
                try:
                    os.symlink(member.linkname, target_path)
                except OSError as e:
                    if e.errno == errno.EEXIST:
                        os.remove(target_path)
                        os.symlink(member.linkname, target_path)
                    else:
                        raise
                continue

            if member.isreg() and member.size >= pipebuf.PIPE_BUF_BYTES:
                cat_extract(tar, member, relpath)
            else:
                tar.extract(member, path=dest_path)

            filename = os.path.realpath(relpath)
            extracted_files.append(filename)

            # avoid accumulating an unbounded list of strings which
            # could be quite large for a large database
            if len(extracted_files) > 1000:
                _fsync_files(extracted_files)
                del extracted_files[:]
        tar.close()
        _fsync_files(extracted_files)
Extract a tarfile described by a file object to a specified path.

        Args:
            fileobj (file): File object wrapping the target tarfile.
            dest_path (str): Path to extract the contents of the tarfile to.