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Re: md5sum

"IJ" == Ian Jackson <ian@chiark.chu.cam.ac.uk> writes:

  IJ> Bill Hogan writes ("md5sum"):

  >> What is the correct way to invoke md5sum to apply the checksums
  >> that are printed in Packages.gz?

  IJ> Did you try

	md5sum <filename>

  IJ> ?

    Yes indeed.

    For example, I just downloaded the Debian-0.93 binutils package.
    
	# md5sum binutils-2.5.2-3.deb
	089acd78637918ecec283fc42b55dfd9  binutils-2.5.2-3.deb

    I am interpreting this output to mean "the checksum computed by
the program `md5sum' on the file `binutils-2.5.2-3.deb' was
`089acd78637918ecec283fc42b55dfd9'."
  
    But compared to what?

    What is the md5sum checksum for that file supposed to be?

    The only thing I have to compare it to is the md5sum checksum for
that package which I find printed in my Packages.gz file.

     Assuming equivalent `md5sum' programs were used to compute both
of these checksums, it seems to me that if the two checksums don't
match -- whether because the files on which they were calculated differ
or because the checksum printed in Packages.gz file is outdated or
incorrect or for some other reason -- then I am well-advised to assume
the file is screwed up.

     Hence my question: What is the correct -- i.e., best, proper,
least error-prone -- way to invoke md5sum to *APPLY* the checksums
that are printed in Packages.gz?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

     Am I mistaken in thinking that a difference between the two
checksums means that either the files on which they were calculated
differ or the checksum printed in Packages.gz file is outdated or
incorrect?

-- 
<bhogan@rahul.net> 
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