Mailbag::Thread

tar doesn`t like colon in the filename

jorge xxxxx [kaeosdonk at gmail.com]
Wed, 8 Nov 2006 13:18:32 +0100

I've removed the original message in this head, as it is entirely reproduced in Jorge's correction below. - Kat

2006/11/8, jorge xxxxx <kaeosdonk@gmail.com>:

> I'm having a problem with the downloadable pack of linuxgazette.net
> issue this month(132).  It`s probably in my side as long as someone
> managed to compress it but when I do
>
> tar -xvzf  lg-132.tar.gz
>
> it spit some errors about being unable of creating filenames like
>
> Talkback:100_lg_tips_html_tips_14.html
>
> As long as not having internet at home (so that's the downloadable
> package for) and not being able of getting  linux machine in the
> university I haven't the original error mesagges.
>
> the tar version is the one with debian sarge r1 I've been thinking
> about it being some filesystem name limitation but again you have done
> it in your end.  I can manage to get why it happens or how to extract

^^

> them (without cheating)

> Sorry for the strange enclish
> Jorge

I mean to say I can't

-- 
Jorge

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Thomas Adam [thomas.adam22 at gmail.com]
Wed, 8 Nov 2006 13:01:08 +0000

On Wed, 8 Nov 2006 13:14:33 +0100 "jorge xxxxx" <kaeosdonk@gmail.com> wrote:

> I'm having a problem with the downloadable pack of linuxgazette.net
> issue this month(132).
> It`s probably in my side as long as someone managed to compress it
> but when I do
> 
> tar -xvzf lg-132.tar.gz
> 
> it spit some errors about being unable of creating filenames like

This isn't helpful. You need to tell us what the exact errors are:

tar xzvf lg-132.tar.gz > ./errors.txt 2>&1

Will suffice. I suspect though, given what you've told us, that the tarball you downloaded is pooched. Believe tar, if it can't actually open an archive, and download it again.

Or, it might be that you don't have sufficient permissions to unpack the tarball -- it's not clear either way from what you've described. Note that the tarball works just fine, so it's definitely worth redownloading it.

-- Thomas Adam

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Suramya Tomar [security at suramya.com]
Wed, 08 Nov 2006 09:24:14 -0500

Hi,

> I'm having a problem with the downloadable pack of linuxgazette.net 
> <http://linuxgazette.net> issue this month(132).
> It`s probably in my side as long as someone managed to compress it but

I think that the problem might be on your side. I was able to extract the file without any issues.

> when I do
> 
> tar -xvzf lg-132.tar.gz
> 
> it spit some errors about being unable of creating filenames like
> 
> Talkback:100_lg_tips_html_tips_14.html

What file system are you extracting the file to? Is it a FAT32 or NTFS file system? Because I remember Windows has issues when a file name contains :'s in it. I tried it on a FAT32 system and it truncated the file names to 'Talkback'. Didn't get a chance to try it on a NTFS file system.

Can you try extracting it on another partition, (/tmp maybe) and see if you still get the errors? Also if you get any errors save them to a file and email a copy to the list, it will help diagnose the issue.

> the tar version is the one with debian sarge r1
> I've been thinking about it being some filesystem name limitation but 
> again you have done it in your end.

Please find out what the exact version is using the following command 'tar --version' (Without the quotes) and let us know.

Hope this helps.

Thanks, Suramya

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jorge xxxxx [kaeosdonk at gmail.com]
Fri, 10 Nov 2006 18:54:52 +0100

2006/11/8, Suramya Tomar <security@suramya.com>:

> Hi,
>
> > I'm having a problem with the downloadable pack of linuxgazette.net
> > <http://linuxgazette.net> issue this month(132).
> > It`s probably in my side as long as someone managed to compress it but
>
> I think that the problem might be on your side. I was able to extract
> the file without any issues.
>
> > when I do
> >
> > tar -xvzf lg-132.tar.gz
> >
> > it spit some errors about being unable of creating filenames like
> >
> > Talkback:100_lg_tips_html_tips_14.html
>
> What file system are you extracting the file to? Is it a FAT32 or NTFS
> file system? Because I remember Windows has issues when a file name
> contains :'s in it. I tried it on a FAT32 system and it truncated the
> file names to 'Talkback'. Didn't get a chance to try it on a NTFS file
> system.
>

well I have to apologize. I thought that I had tried in every partition as I also tought about the filesystem limitation and it seems I didn't. Uncompressing in home did the job Having adual system at home there are more than one FAT32 partitions for interchange

Only for the record this are the error

lg/132/
[...]
lg/132/misc/lg/SSH_configuration_stuff.html
lg/132/misc/lg/Process_monitor.html
lg/132/misc/lg/Talkback:127_howell_html.html
tar: lg/132/misc/lg/Talkback\:127_howell_html.html: No se puede open:
Argumento inválido
lg/132/misc/lg/Talkback:124_smith_html.html
tar: lg/132/misc/lg/Talkback\:124_smith_html.html: No se puede open:
Argumento inválido
lg/132/misc/lg/Suspend_Hibernate_etc_Was_2_cent_Tip:_Unicode_conversion.html
tar: lg/132/misc/lg/Suspend_Hibernate_etc_Was_2_cent_Tip\:_Unicode_conversion.html:
No se puede open: Argumento inválido
lg/132/misc/lg/Talkback:100_lg_tips_html_tips_14.html
tar: lg/132/misc/lg/Talkback\:100_lg_tips_html_tips_14.html: No se
puede open: Argumento inválido
lg/132/misc/lg/Talkback:116_okopnik1_html.html
tar: lg/132/misc/lg/Talkback\:116_okopnik1_html.html: No se puede
open: Argumento inválido
lg/132/misc/lg/Talkback:130_lg_talkback_html.html
tar: lg/132/misc/lg/Talkback\:130_lg_talkback_html.html: No se puede
open: Argumento inválido
lg/132/misc/lg/Talkback:128_adam1_html.html
tar: lg/132/misc/lg/Talkback\:128_adam1_html.html: No se puede open:
Argumento inválido
lg/132/misc/lg/Talkback:_100_lg_tips_html_tips_14.html
tar: lg/132/misc/lg/Talkback\:_100_lg_tips_html_tips_14.html: No se
puede open: Argumento inválido
lg/132/misc/lg/Talkback:130_okopnik_html.html
tar: lg/132/misc/lg/Talkback\:130_okopnik_html.html: No se puede open:
Argumento inválido
lg/132/misc/lg/Talkback:130_tag_html.html
tar: lg/132/misc/lg/Talkback\:130_tag_html.html: No se puede open:
Argumento inválido
lg/132/misc/lg/Talkback:131_howell_html.html
tar: lg/132/misc/lg/Talkback\:131_howell_html.html: No se puede open:
Argumento inválido
lg/132/misc/lg/Talkback:131_lg_tips_html.html
tar: lg/132/misc/lg/Talkback\:131_lg_tips_html.html: No se puede open:
Argumento inválido
lg/132/misc/lg/Talkback:131_lg_mail_html_mailbag_19.html
tar: lg/132/misc/lg/Talkback\:131_lg_mail_html_mailbag_19.html: No se
puede open: Argumento inválido
lg/132/misc/lg/Talkback:131_moen_html.html
tar: lg/132/misc/lg/Talkback\:131_moen_html.html: No se puede open:
Argumento inválido
lg/132/misc/lg/gaz:_Experimental_projects_page.html
tar: lg/132/misc/lg/gaz\:_Experimental_projects_page.html: No se puede
open: Argumento inválido
lg/132/misc/lg/create_design_edit_listing.html
[...]
lg/132/weatherwax.html
tar: Salida con error demorada desde errores anteriores
 
tar (GNU tar) 1.14
Copyright (C) 2004 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
Este programa viene sin NINGUNA GARANTÍA, hasta donde permite la ley.
Puede redistribuirse bajo los términos de la Licencia Pública General de GNU;
vea el fichero llamado COPYING para más información.
Escrito por John Gilmore y Jay Fenlason.
 
Only the first one
tar: lg/132/misc/lg/Talkback\:127_howell_html.html: No se puede open:
Argumento inválido
tar: lg/132/misc/lg/Talkback\:127_howell_html.html: it can be open:
Invalid argument

Seeing at it I still have a question. When the errors have this format (command:balh blah blah ) Who is sending the error? the command? the shell? the kernel through some driver?

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Samuel Bisbee-vonKaufmann [sbisbee at bu.edu]
Sat, 11 Nov 2006 02:06:01 -0500 (EST)

On Fri, 10 Nov 2006, jorge xxxxx wrote:

> Seeing at it I still have a question. When the errors have this format
> (command:balh blah blah ) Who is sending the error? the command? the
> shell? the kernel through some driver?
>

Greetings,

It is hard to tell what the error messages are when they are not in English. I suspect that they are coming from tar, but cannot be sure without seeing the actual error messages in a language that I can understand.

To make this easier, after you run the command that is giving you those errors run `echo $?` as the next command. The variable $? stores the return code of the last command that was run. With that error code we, or better yet you, could go onto Google or tar's documentation and find an answer to what happened.

For more information on $? try reading this: http://tldp.org/LDP/abs/html/ (it is commonly considered one of the better Bash scripting guides).

Enjoy,

-- 
Samuel Kotel Bisbee-vonKaufmann | "A computer once beat me at chess, but
   Boston University, Undergrad. | it was no match for me at kick boxing."
   OFTC.net, Network Operator    | -Emo Philips

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