[vox-tech] un-tar failing on large job

[Michael Wenk]

On Friday 16 May 2003 03:26 pm, Richard Burkhart wrote:
> (snip)
>
> > -----Original Message-----
> >
> > > setting up mount points, etc. the next step I'm on to un-tar the
> > > install files onto the drive in what eventually will become the root
> > > directory. This has failed 3 out of 3 times, using 2 different copies
> > > of the Stage3 tar.gz (100megs approx) and one version of the Stage2
> > > tar.gz (50-80megs approx).
> > >
> > > The final time I tried this, tar finally gave me a list of what might
> > > be going wrong:
> > >   - bad compressed file (This is doubtful - the last time I
> >
> > pulled it down
> >
> > > from Gentoo, I ran an MD5 check to make sure the file was intact.)
> > >   - bad hardware - either memory or cache hardware.  (I've got
> >
> > new SIMMS on
> >
> > > order--will try this soon.)
> >
> > What is the command you're using to untar the file?
>
> The same as what's in the online gentoo-x86 install instructions.
>
>       tar -xvjpf /mnt/cdrom/gentoo/stage(2 or 3)-*.tar.bz2
>

Is there any chance whatever means you downloaded the stage tarballs would 
have uncompressed it?  maybe file them? 

> It goes through a decent percentage of the expansion -- then fails out. 
> I'd post the error if I was making this email from home ... but I ain't ...
> ahwell.

Anything in dmesg when the error comes by?  I would check that... 

>
> > It would help to know what you're doing.  My guess is its either
> > a bad file,
> > bad hardware, or bad user.  :-)
>
> Bad file -- I tried stage 2 and 3 off of the liveCD, plus a separately
> downloaded copy of stage3*.tgz from the sandia mirror (which I MD5
> checked). All of them failed with the same error.  I'm thinking that it's
> not a file issue - unless gentoo's posted bad install files this week.

fairly unlikely... 
>
> Bad hardware -- we'll see once I put in the new SIMMs.

Could be a bad disk?  You should see crap in dmesg hopefully if it is. 
>
> Bad user -- I'll NEVER disagree with that.  Might even accuse myself of it
> first. ...
>
> The question is ... *how* have I been bad, and can I get money from it if I
> set up a webcam?

heh.  
I can't really see how you've been bad.  Id guess bad hardware.  Try 
uncompressing the tar file on another system. That should rule out file, and 
that leaves hardware..  I wonder what is in dmesg?  


-- 
wenk@praxis.homedns.org
Mike Wenk