VMS Tar/Compression Behavior

[Paul Burkhardt]

I am trying to tarring and compressing a file that will be sent to another location (where it will be untarred and uncompressed). The file was originally created in variable length format with the longest record 356 bytes. The file contains both ascii and signed values (which might be the problem here). In any event, whenever I tar/compress and untar/uncompress it, I don't get the original records. Some are truncated. Any thoughts?

[Ian Miller.]

on what system are you unpacking the tar file?
What version of VMSTAR are you using?

[Paul Burkhardt]

I am using the VMS TAR V3.3-4 (Feb 4 2003) utility on an OpenVMS V7.1 platform. To make my job a little easier, I'm tarring/compressing and then untarring/compressing on the same machine.

[Arch_Muthiah]

Paul,

The latest version of TAR utulities
1. VMSTAR.EXE (ALPHA)and
2. VMSTAR.EXE (for VAX) is available in this HP link. Download it and it will work fine.

http://h71000.www7.hp.com/openvms/freeware/freeware.html

I am not sure what version of Tar are you using. Anyway the link I attached has all kind of compression and decompression utility VAMTAR (for VAX, ALPHA), and UNZIP, ZIP and GZIP for VAX, Alpha, I64.


Archunan

[Steven Schweda]

As a file with a variable-length record format
probably won't make much sense on a non-VMS
system, I'll assume that the destination
system is VMS, too.

I doubt that VMSTAR can preserve the RMS
attributes of a file (like record format).

The Info-ZIP Zip and UnZip programs can. Use
the Zip "-V" option for this.

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

[Arch_Muthiah]

Hi Paul,

I have download and attached VMSTAR.ZIP file, this version is 3.4-1. You can use this VMS TAR after unzip it.

If you want you can download unzipped(vmstar.exe) from the link I mentioned earlier.

[Paul Burkhardt]

I'm noticing an intestesting feature here. I have data before and after a series of null characters. When I tar/compress and then uncompress & tar/extract, all data after the null fields are being dropped.

It've included a screen shot. Notice the difference in that last two lines that are displayed.

[Arch_Muthiah]

Paul,

I am wondering...seeing your file atatched.
Have you downloaded VMSTAR latest version v 3.4-1 from the link I mentioned?.

[Paul Burkhardt]

Archunan,

I apologize for the confusion. I am working in a VMS environment that is shared by multiple users and I don't have the privs. to download/install that code. I was hoping that someone had run into similar problems in the past.

[Steven Schweda]

I can't easily read a Microsoft Word
document, so I can't see about what you're
talking there.

> I was hoping that someone had run into
> similar problems in the past.

In my experience, VMS users use VMSTAR
primarily to unpack tar archives created on
non-VMS systems. Until someone shows me that
VMSTAR can preserve RMS file attributes, I'll
continue to believe that it's not a good tool
for general use on VMS, such as VMS-VMS file
exchange. If no one uses it that way, no one
is likely to have run into similar problems.

> I don't have the privs. to download/install
> that code.

Which privileges do you lack? You seem
to have some Internet access. All you
should need for installation is some disk
quota

As it's probably hopeless, whay are you
still playing with VMSTAR?

> 2. VMSTAR.EXE (for VAX) is available in this
> HP link. Download it and it will work fine.

Is this some new meaning of "work"?