Using Info-ZIP encryption in DCL procedure

[Jason Brannon]

This is a novice question. We are using Info-ZIP (previously used PKZIP) and I would like to know how to ZIP files and use the encrypt option in a DCL procedure.

When you execute $ ZIP -e FILES.ZIP *FILES*.*
your are prompted by ZIP to "Enter password:". What would the proper syntax be for passing the password to ZIP from DCL?

PS - We're using ZIP 2.32.

Thanks.

[Steven Schweda · Accepted solution]

> PS - We're using ZIP 2.32.

Well, see? If you'd kept up to date, you'd
know:

alp $ zip3l -v
Copyright (c) 1990-2008 Info-ZIP - Type 'zip "-L"' for software license.
This is Zip 3.0 (July 5th 2008), by Info-ZIP.
[...]

(Actual "zip -v" output is always more
informative.)

alp $ zip3l -h2
[...]
Encryption:
-e use standard (weak) PKZip 2.0 encryption, prompt for password
-P pswd use standard encryption, password is pswd
[...]

Storing an encryption password in a script
(command procedure) was considered such a bad
idea that the way to do it was omitted from
the documentation. However, having to answer
the question time after time got annoying
enough that we decided that full disclosure
was the lesser evil.

UnZip 6.0 is available, now, too.

http://www.info-zip.org/

[Hoff]

Why would you be looking to encrypt data? (serious q.)

What sort of data interchange (if any) is required?

What is the OpenVMS version?

Who are you defending against, and how much is your data worth? (That determines how much effort, and how...)

[Jason Brannon]

We installed the version of ZIP that was on the freeware CD included with the server that we just purchased. I'm not sure why it did not occur to me to check the latest version.

As far as security is concerned, the data we are ZIPing isn't what we would consider private. We are just password protecting at the request of a client. Any sensitive data would be encrypted using PGP. This process has to be run outside of business hours, which creates the need to automate this.

Thanks for your replies.

[Jason Brannon]

-P option works.

[Steven Schweda]

> -P option works.

Note that it worked before Zip 3.0, too. It
just wasn't documented (outside of the source
code).