IBM Support

OS error message 'Archive contains obsolescent base-64 headers' is raised when deflating downloaded Informix Client Software Development Kit (CSDK) products

Troubleshooting


Problem

When trying to deflate downloaded compressed files (.tar, .gz, .Z, .zip) for the Informix Client Software Development Kit (CSDK) products, the OS error 'Archive contains obsolescent base-64 headers' is raised.

Symptom

The following messages occur when attempting to deflate Informix CSDK products:


[root@prompt]# ls -la
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root 187798348 Nov  6 22:01 clientsdk.3.70.FC1DE.LINUX.tar
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root  33599059 Nov  6 22:01 clientsdk.3.50.FC9.LINUX.tar

[root@prompt]# tar -xvf csdk.jar
csdk.jar
tar: Skipping to next header
tar: Archive contains obsolescent base-64 headers
tar: Read 7880 bytes from clientsdk.3.50.FC9.LINUX.tar
tar: Error exit delayed from previous errors

[root@prompt]# tar -xvf clientsdk.3.70.FC1DE.LINUX.tar
installclientsdk
tar: Skipping to next header
tar: Archive contains obsolescent base-64 headers
tar: Error exit delayed from previous errors

Cause

One of the following can cause such behavior:

  • products were not downloaded properly
  • after download, the products were not transferred to the target host using BIN format
  • products got corrupted somehow while transferring the files to the target host

Diagnosing The Problem


1. Download the product again.

2. Transfer the file to the target host using BIN format.

3. Use sum to checksum and count the blocks in the new file and compare the results with the first file:
[root@prompt]sum -r clientsdk.3.70.FC1DE.LINUX.tar
47929 183410 clientsdk.3.70.FC1DE.LINUX.tar

4. Deflate the file properly (using tar, gunzip, unzip, uncompress) and check for the following output messages:
[root@prompt]tar -xvf clientsdk.3.70.FC1DE.LINUX.tar
x installclientsdk, 119574932 bytes, 233545 tape blocks
x doc
x doc/client_relnotes_3.70.html, 34704 bytes, 68 tape blocks
x doc/client_relnotes_3.70.txt, 34704 bytes, 68 tape blocks
x doc/cmsm_relnotes_3.70.html, 14843 bytes, 29 tape blocks
x doc/cmsm_relnotes_3.70.txt, 11478 bytes, 23 tape blocks
x doc/esqlc_relnotes_3.70.html, 14696 bytes, 29 tape blocks
x doc/esqlc_relnotes_3.70.txt, 11637 bytes, 23 tape blocks
x doc/odbc_relnotes_3.70.html, 16402 bytes, 33 tape blocks
x doc/odbc_relnotes_3.70.txt, 13045 bytes, 26 tape blocks
x doc/oledb_relnotes_3.70.htm, 15818 bytes, 31 tape blocks
x doc/oledb_relnotes_3.70.txt, 12688 bytes, 25 tape blocks
x doc/Gls_relnotes_3.70.html, 13958 bytes, 28 tape blocks
x doc/Gls_relnotes_3.70.txt, 10699 bytes, 21 tape blocks
x doc/Glsapi_machine_notes_3.70.txt, 1394 bytes, 3 tape blocks
x doc/Libcpp_machine_notes_3.70.txt, 2900 bytes, 6 tape blocks
x doc/ESQLC_machine_notes_3.70.txt, 4823 bytes, 10 tape blocks
x doc/Odbc_machine_notes_3.70.txt, 3800 bytes, 8 tape blocks
x doc/client_defects_3.70.html, 8407 bytes, 17 tape blocks
x doc/client_defects_3.70.txt, 7850 bytes, 16 tape blocks
x doc/Client_install_guide.pdf, 905417 bytes, 1769 tape blocks
x doc/cpp_relnotes_3.70.html, 17406 bytes, 34 tape blocks
x doc/cpp_relnotes_3.70.txt, 14395 bytes, 29 tape blocks
x csdk.properties, 306 bytes, 1 tape blocks
x IBM_Data_Server_Driver_Package
x IBM_Data_Server_Driver_Package/v9.7fp2_linuxx64_dsdriver.tar, 67041280 bytes, 1

Resolving The Problem

Ensure that the download from IBM Passport Advantage and/or IBM Fix Central websites were properly done and BIN format was used when transferring the file to the target host.

[{"Product":{"code":"SSVT2J","label":"Informix Tools"},"Business Unit":{"code":"BU059","label":"IBM Software w\/o TPS"},"Component":"Informix Client Software Development Kit (CSDK)","Platform":[{"code":"PF016","label":"Linux"}],"Version":"3.5;3.7","Edition":"","Line of Business":{"code":"LOB10","label":"Data and AI"}}]

Document Information

Modified date:
20 January 2022

UID

swg21572534