Format of VGZ files?

[eimaj2nz]

I'm a developer on a content inspecting web gateway product. One of the features of our product is that it will recursively unpack downloaded files, in order to perform in-depth content analysis such as malware scanning and binary file type detection.

Our product is currently having problems with the ESXi 4.0.0 ISO image. More specifically, the files "cim.vgz" and "sys.vgz" are causing errors when we try to unpack them. In most cases, this prevents users of our software from being able to download the file. This is a situation that we'd prefer to avoid, especially as how the download is a legitimate VMWare ISO image (checked via MD5).

As far as our code can tell, both of the problem files are standard GZip archives. We use 7-Zip to extract the contents of these files, and there are no problems in doing so. The extracted files then look like TAR archives, which we again run 7-Zip on in order to extract the contents. It is at this point that 7-Zip returns an error, which our code picks up and marks the file as "bad".

We have used a number of tools in order to attempt to extract these files. 7-Zip simply says it can't open the TAR file. WinRAR reports corruption errors, but is sometimes able to report a few files. GNU TAR does best and is able to extract several files, but still reports errors.

Is there something special about these files that prevents them from being unpacked by normal tools? If so, is there any way to extract the contents of these files, in order for our software to inspect them? If not (for legal, technical or any other reason), is there something we can look for that differentiates these files from normal TAR+GZ archives?

Thanks in advance.

[DSTAVERT]

How do you expect to use file when you download it?

[dominic7]

May be relevant, here is a blog post I wrote about injecting .vib packages into the installer and installed ESX image.

http://www.stumptownvirtualization.com/2011/02/adding-drivers-to-esxi-installer-and.html

[akreitman]

The objective is to try to run in on my linux system to edit the standard ESXi install to add the PCI id for an unsupported NIC to point to a driver that I know runs a NIC that is register and functionally identical to a supported NIC.   I've discovered that many of the unsupported NICs differ from supported NIC only by their PCI id.   It shouldn't be this hard, it a linux kernel, I should be able to mount a usb thumb drive just like on any other linux kernel, its already smart enough to support USB keyboards.

On a different question, on the ESXi "Welcome" webpage, there's a section with links to "vSphere Remote Command Line".  All those links point to the VMware Developer http://communities.vmware.com/community/vmtn/developer Webpage that has dozens of downloads.  Do you have the specific link to what the unWelcome page incorrectly calls "Download the Windows Installer"

[DSTAVERT]

ESXi is not Linux and it is not possible to mount a USB disk drive. You mention a linux system yet you earlier asked about Windows sources so I wanted to understand your need to use the vmtar app. I wouldn't try editing anything in Windows and especially text files. The post immediately before your last one should be a good help to doing what you want to try. I would suggest that there may be more differences than just the PCIID even though the NICs might seem to be the same otherwise.

The links to various components were just reorganized this week and unfortunately the vCLI links don't function as they should. I will forward that information to the website maintenance crew. Many thanks for bringing that to our attention.

The link should have gone to http://communities.vmware.com/community/vmtn/server/vsphere/automationtools/vsphere_cli

[akreitman]

   Actually, I've implemented NIC device drivers.   Its a common practice for vendors to make different devices register compatible.  If you look at the details of the supported Intel NICs, you will find they are not only register compatible with other Intel NICs, but other vendors make NICs register compatible with Intel NICs.    Intel produces dozens and dozens of NICs with different model numbers, the number of different register sets is just a handful.

[DSTAVERT]

I understand. I have been doing this for a very long time. You sounded a little unsure and asking for a Windows version of vmtar isn't a good sign for what may be a bit of non standard work. If you understand what you are doing and have the command line skills you should have no problems. I certainly wish you well and do let us know how it goes.

[akreitman]

I asked for a windows version because windows is much better desktop environment than linux.  This is my first adventure in VMware and my initial impressions are that there lots of things that are very hard that should be very easy.     Oh, editing in Windows, don't worry, you may be a great sysadmin, but I'm an experienced os kernel developer (Windows and Linux and Unix), the difference between windows and unix text files is a pretty trivial issue/

[akreitman]

What are the precise steps to get \sbin\vmtar into a spot where I can place in on my linux system?  Any media will do.

[DSTAVERT]

you can use scp from the linux commandline.

[akreitman]

I tried that, it appears scp either isn't supported or enabled in ESXi

[DSTAVERT]

Read the post. From the Linux command line not ESXi.

[akreitman]

I read the post, ESXi doesn't enable ssh by default, I discovered its hidden under the term "tech support mode".      Sort of like that old tv series Dragnet "names have been changed to confuse the informed"