problem with 'tar'

[Barry Shein]

>It is however impossible to read the third (and most important)
>tape due to numerous 'directory checksum error' messages - this
>is despite the '-i' switch which should ignore such errors.
>It is rather a puzzle ... I wonder if anyone has any ideas ?
>Once again, thanks for all your help to date.

I know I am often accused of having "a keen eye for the obvious" but
have you considered the possibility that you have a directory checksum
error? (like, maybe try to get another copy of the tape.) I would also
try to get a newer version of tar (you speak of *upgrading* to SUN/1.4,
sounds old to me), or maybe trying to 'dd' the file to disk and looking
at it, maybe someone scribbled over your tape and put it back on the
shelf? If you have source to tar I would grab a copy and put some choice
traces into it. Also, maybe just try using 'od -c' on the tape (or whatever
flags you find appropriate) perhaps as a backend to a 'dd' to read in by
proper block sizes (and maybe put 'more' at the other end.) In other
words, at this point I would begin to suspect either the tape or the
version of tar you are using (maybe some clown replaced your tar with
an 'echo directory checksum error' script :-)

	-Barry Shein, Boston University

well, it was a thought...