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

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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