[Coco] trouble with AR

[gene heskett]

On Sunday, January 16, 2011 06:29:07 am Aaron Wolfe did opine:

> I've had lots of trouble unpacking the .ar files found on RTSI.  I
> have ar v1.3 and ar v2.0.
> 
> For instance, the file
> ftp://www.rtsi.com/OS9/OS9_6X09/UTILITIES/uptime.ar
> 
> with ar 1.3:
> 
> {N2|03}/DD/TMP:ar -x uptime.ar
> extracting <uptime>
> ar: file not archive or damaged
> ERROR #001
> 
> with ar 2.0:
> 
> {N2|03}/DD/TMP:ar2 -x uptime.ar
> extracting <uptime>
> ar2: file damaged - no header at $12FE
> ERROR #001
How long is that file?
Here its
 0  1991/03/17 18:09  ----r-wr   80FE4      2000 uptime.ar
With an error at that offset, you may not have it all.
 
> Anybody know exactly what version of 'ar' I should be using?
> Sometimes a .ar file will work for me, but a lot of them don't.
> I have a feeling I figured this out once, but I'm not doing so well
> this time around.
> -Aaron
> 
Its not an ar problem Aaron, I have that file and get a different return:
{t2|07}/DD/MAXTOR/AR.STF:ar -t uptime.ar    
                                                  file    file   stored
  file name                   ver    file date    attr    size    size
----------------------------- --- -------------- ------   -----   -----
uptime                         0  89/04/19 20:56 --rewr    4766    4766
uptime.c                       0  89/04/19 20:55 --r-wr    1996    1113
uptime.hlp                     0  89/04/19 21:10 --r-wr     140     127
uptime.man                     0  89/04/19 21:10 --r-wr    1314     796
ar2: probable XModem padding at $1C12
ERROR #001

Looking at a dump of the file, you might use ded to trim its size to $1c12, 
it is all zeros from there to the end of what might have been a file 
downloaded with xmodem1k.

Like you, it seems to me we used to have a util that did this trimming for 
us, but its name has faded away since I haven't used anything but rzsz in 
yonks.  However, there is what may be the magic twanger to fix that, 
sitting in a directory called CMDSINEVERUSE, called 'fixar'.  If you can't 
find it, I'll put a copy on my web page.

It took a while to find the syntax for it, but:
{t2|07}/DD/MAXTOR/AR.STF:fixar uptime.ar  
Usage: fixar infile outfile.

{t2|07}/DD/MAXTOR/AR.STF:fixar uptime.ar fixed-uptime.ar    
Copying ARed file uptime.
Copying ARed file uptime.c.
Copying ARed file uptime.hlp.
Copying ARed file uptime.man.

{t2|07}/DD/MAXTOR/AR.STF:ar -t fixed-uptime.ar          
                                                  file    file   stored
  file name                   ver    file date    attr    size    size
----------------------------- --- -------------- ------   -----   -----
uptime                         0  89/04/19 20:56 --rewr    4766    4766
uptime.c                       0  89/04/19 20:55 --r-wr    1996    1113
uptime.hlp                     0  89/04/19 21:10 --r-wr     140     127
uptime.man                     0  89/04/19 21:10 --r-wr    1314     796

no errors now, and the fixed version is now only:
0  2011/01/16 06:54  ----r-wr     C58      1C12 fixed-uptime.ar
long.

-- 
Cheers, Gene
"There are four boxes to be used in defense of liberty:
 soap, ballot, jury, and ammo. Please use in that order."
-Ed Howdershelt (Author)
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