20000629: McIDAS 7.6 update...isn't updating!

>From: Gilbert Sebenste <address@hidden>
>Organization: NIU
>Keywords: 200006292025.e5TKPxT08346 McIDAS-X 7.6 update RedHat 6.2 Linux tar

Gilbert

>Got another problem. I am finally installing the May 18th update to 7.6,
>by getting the mcupdate.tar.Z file and placing it in my mcidas7.6/update
>directory. But when I type, as user mcidas:
>
>./mcunpack
>
>It don't like it one doggone bit! Gives me a bunch of errors about how it
>doesn't like ".." in the file and exits. If you want to try it, you know
>the machine, and I hope, the password.

This is a new "feature" of tar in RedHat 6.2 Linux.  I just learned
about this from James D. Marco of Cornell a couple of days ago.  It
seems that the FSF and/or RedHat Linux folks decided that relative file
locations in tar files is a bad thing, so they removed the capability.

So what can you do now (now meaning before I completely change my
update procedure (ugh))?  Well, none of the options are pretty.

If you have a RedHat 5.x, 6.[01], or some other system, then you could:

o FTP mcupdate.tar.Z to one of those machines

o unpack it: zcat mcupdate.tar.Z | tar xvf -

o repackage it without relative locations:

  rm mcupdate.tar.Z
  tar cvf mcupdate.tar src/*
  compress mcupdate.tar

o bring the repackaged mcupdate.tar.Z back to your 6.2 machine and put it
  in the ~mcidas/mcidas7.6/update directory

o make a link from mcidas7.6/update/src to mcidas7.6/src

  cd ~mcidas/mcidas7.6/update
  ln -s ../src src

o unpack the repackaged mcupdate.tar.Z file

Repackaging the update file really is the only option right now; sorry.

Tom

>From address@hidden Thu Jun 29 15:02:02 2000
>Subject: Re: 20000629: McIDAS 7.6 update...isn't updating! 

re: If you have a RedHat 5.x, 6.[01], or some other system, then you could:
>No I don't. Just 6.2.
 
re: Repackaging the update file really is the only option right now; sorry.
>Sigh. I will have to wait then until you update the change
>procedure. :-(