Problems with compressed files from ftp sites

[d.e.wexelblat]

In article <456 at limbic.UUCP> gil at limbic.UUCP (Gil Kloepfer Jr.) writes:
>In article <707 at flatline.UUCP> erict at flatline.UUCP (j eric townsend) writes:
>>I was trying to get tar sources from an ftp site.  They were compressed,
>>no problem.  I ftp'd 'em to a local site (uhnix1), then downloaded them
>>to my 3b1 via kermit.
>[...]
>>then there was nothing but garbage characters.  There were no errors of
>>any sort during either of the file xfers, or the decompression..
>
>I've seen this problem transfering files from a system running VAX/VMS
>and transfering the files *TO* my UNIX-pc.  I don't know whether it was
>the kermit programs I used, or whether it was the typical record-oriented
>file structure that VMS uses.  In any case, my problem was the same as your's.
>Be sure that your kermit programs do true binary-mode transfer at both
>ends, and that one of the hosts isn't a VMS system ;-)

[...]

>-------
>Gil Kloepfer, Jr.          U-Net: {decuac,boulder,talcott,sbcs}!icus!limbic!gil
>ICUS Software Systems      Voice: (516) 968-6860 [H]   (516) 746-2350 x219 [W]
>P.O. Box 1                 Internet:  gil at icus.islp.ny.us
>Islip Terrace, NY  11752   "Life's a ...  well, you know..."


The problem is with the initial FTP, not the download to the 3b1.  The FTP
must be done in BINARY mode for compressed files.  I can't believe that kermit
could mung the files (assuming the transfer was done in image mode).  If
your kermit implementation screws up files, get another one -- it's hosed.
The solution to the problem is to redo the FTP in binary mode, and be sure
to check that the size of the file is EXACTLY (not just close) the same size
as the original.  If a binary file in transfered in non-binary mode, the
file size will be close, but not exact.

To verify this, attempt the uncompress on the VAX.  The file will come out
several megabytes there, too. 

--
David Wexelblat			dwex at mtgzz.att.com
AT&T Bell Laboratories		...!att!mtgzz!dwex
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