Question

When extracting the tar archive for installation, do not use AIX's native tar. Instead use GNU tar.

AIX's tar seems to corrupt the extraction. Notice the @LongLink file. That does not belong there.

$ gunzip -c ~/TWiki-4.2.3.tgz | sudo tar -xvf - >/tmp/bad_tar.log
$ sudo ls -l | head -5
total 1432
----------   1 root     system          101 Dec 31 1969  @LongLink
-r--r--r--   1 1000     1000           7697 Sep 11 23:41 AUTHORS
-r--r--r--   1 1000     1000            328 Sep 11 23:41 COPYING
-r--r--r--   1 1000     1000            355 Sep 11 23:41 COPYRIGHT

In fact, there are several references to it in tar's output.

$ sudo grep LongLink /tmp/bad_tar.log
x ././@LongLink, 107 bytes, 1 media blocks.
x ././@LongLink, 107 bytes, 1 media blocks.
x ././@LongLink, 108 bytes, 1 media blocks.
x ././@LongLink, 106 bytes, 1 media blocks.
x ././@LongLink, 101 bytes, 1 media blocks.
x ././@LongLink, 106 bytes, 1 media blocks.
x ././@LongLink, 101 bytes, 1 media blocks.
x ././@LongLink, 103 bytes, 1 media blocks.
x ././@LongLink, 107 bytes, 1 media blocks.
x ././@LongLink, 101 bytes, 1 media blocks.
x ././@LongLink, 101 bytes, 1 media blocks.

The GNU tar does not have this problem.

Here is where you get the AIX rpm for GNU tar. http://www-03.ibm.com/systems/p/os/aix/linux/toolbox/alpha.html

Environment

-- JefferyMartin - 04 Dec 2008

Answer

If you answer a question - or someone answered one of your questions - please remember to edit the page and set the status to answered. The status selector is below the edit box.

The GNU tar does not have this problem.

Here is where you get the AIX rpm for GNU tar. http://www-03.ibm.com/systems/p/os/aix/linux/toolbox/alpha.html

See sure to specify the path to the GNU tar binary when you extract. For example:

$ gunzip -c ~/TWiki-4.2.3.tgz | sudo /opt/freeware/bin/tar -xvf -

-- JefferyMartin - 04 Dec 2008

Thank you Jeffrey for sharing this with the TWiki community!

-- PeterThoeny - 04 Dec 2008