Subject: Re: To compare checksums?
To: Masik Shmasik <manichka@peterlink.ru>
From: George Michaelson <ggm@apnic.net>
List: current-users
Date: 06/02/2004 18:43:10
On Wed, 2 Jun 2004 11:05:03 +0000 Masik Shmasik <manichka@peterlink.ru> wrote:

>I have just downloaded iso image and tried to compare iT
>against MD5 file. I have miserably failed. I'm running
>Gentoo linux. 
>
>md5sum -c i386cd.MD5
>
>Out curiosity, I have opened the file in nano and noticed
>that netbsd has different MD5 format than linux. ???
>
>It says that there is no valid formats found.
>
>Any idea? Thanks.
>
>Mas.

the md5sum on linux doesn't tell you the algorithm used. so its output can't
be 'trusted' when added to other content in a file.

durian $ md5sum /etc/passwd
6db37fdcee69ae45c7ef8cde03cd3104  /etc/passwd
durian $ 

md5 on BSD tells you the alg:


$ md5 /etc/passwd
MD5 (/etc/passwd) = a83e368fc1a0b813681a341fa2322e54
$ 
(the passwd files were different so the md5 instances are different)

but... the string of digits that makes up the checksum is in fact, in the
same format.

you can't use the -c option, you'll have to examine the file md5 sums by hand.

cheers

	-George

-- 
George Michaelson       |  APNIC                 |  See you at APNIC 18
Email: ggm@apnic.net    |  PO Box 2131 Milton    |  Nadi, Fiji
Phone: +61 7 3858 3150  |  QLD 4064 Australia    |  31 Aug -3 Sep 2004
  Fax: +61 7 3858 3199  |  http://www.apnic.net  |  www.apnic.net/meetings/18