[NTLUG:Discuss] iso md5sum question

[Fred James]

Robert Pearson wrote:
> (omissions for brevity)
> There is something wrong with your MD5SUM text file.
> There should be an ISO file for each image at that URL. There will be
> a text file containing the MD5SUM's for all the images.
> Some times I just cut and paste the MD5SUM file contents to a local
> text file. Other times I download the text file.
> The format of MD5SUM files seems to vary. Sometimes I have to adjust
> the contents of cut and paste or downloaded.
> Not the MD5SUM number.
> Sometimes the file name in the MD5SUM file extension is different than
> the one downloaded.
> Sometimes the position in the line is wrong.
> Sometimes there is extra information in the file that my version of
> MD5SUM will not process.
> It does not seem to be a perfect world but it does work if you read
> the "man" pages or Google md5sum usage.
>
> The process is to trust the MD5SUM number generated by the download
> site and normally in their MD5SUM text file.
> Re-computing it locally and manually comparing the two is one way to
> do it but more error prone than having the MD5SUM program do it.
> I use K3b to burn with and it computes an MD5SUM and allows you to
> enter a comparison number. Usually I check after download and again at
> burn time. I also run "media check" at install time. These checks have
> saved me a lot of time.
>
> If the MD5SUM's do not match it saves your time making a disc coaster
> and trying to install it.
>   
Robert Pearson
Thank you for your reply and the clarification - I did read the man 
pages - the take away message seems to be that if the sums match the 
file is at least the same as the original (regardless of the output from 
the -c option),  That is good to have confirmed.

As far as matching the two long numbers - I just put each one into a 
different file and run diff against them - shouldn't be any error there 
- either they match or they don't.
Regards
Fred James