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diff --git a/doc/lziprecover.texi b/doc/lziprecover.texi index ae3be14..a15e710 100644 --- a/doc/lziprecover.texi +++ b/doc/lziprecover.texi @@ -6,8 +6,8 @@ @finalout @c %**end of header -@set UPDATED 10 April 2017 -@set VERSION 1.19 +@set UPDATED 12 February 2018 +@set VERSION 1.20 @dircategory Data Compression @direntry @@ -38,7 +38,7 @@ This manual is for Lziprecover (version @value{VERSION}, @value{UPDATED}). * Introduction:: Purpose and features of lziprecover * Invoking lziprecover:: Command line interface * Data safety:: Protecting data from accidental loss -* Repairing files:: Fixing bit-flip and similar errors +* Repairing files:: Fixing bit flips and similar errors * Merging files:: Fixing several damaged copies * File names:: Names of the files produced by lziprecover * File format:: Detailed format of the compressed file @@ -50,7 +50,7 @@ This manual is for Lziprecover (version @value{VERSION}, @value{UPDATED}). @end menu @sp 1 -Copyright @copyright{} 2009-2017 Antonio Diaz Diaz. +Copyright @copyright{} 2009-2018 Antonio Diaz Diaz. This manual is free documentation: you have unlimited permission to copy, distribute and modify it. @@ -79,7 +79,7 @@ availability: @itemize @bullet @item The lzip format provides very safe integrity checking and some data -recovery means. The lziprecover program can repair bit-flip errors (one +recovery means. The lziprecover program can repair bit flip errors (one of the most common forms of data corruption) in lzip files, and provides data recovery capabilities, including error-checked merging of damaged copies of a file. @xref{Data safety}. @@ -111,8 +111,8 @@ the compressors in the lzip family; lzip, plzip, minilzip/lzlib, clzip and pdlzip. If the cause of file corruption is damaged media, the combination -@w{GNU ddrescue + lziprecover} is the best option for recovering data -from multiple damaged copies. @xref{ddrescue-example}, for an example. +@w{GNU ddrescue + lziprecover} is the best option for recovering data from +multiple damaged copies. @xref{ddrescue-example}, for an example. If a file is too damaged for lziprecover to repair it, all the recoverable data in all members of the file can be extracted with the @@ -139,6 +139,9 @@ undergone the process of decompression. @node Invoking lziprecover @chapter Invoking lziprecover @cindex invoking +@cindex options +@cindex usage +@cindex version The format for running lziprecover is: @@ -151,7 +154,7 @@ When decompressing or testing, @samp{-} used as a @var{file} argument means standard input. It can be mixed with other @var{files} and is read just once, the first time it appears in the command line. -Lziprecover supports the following options: +lziprecover supports the following options: @table @code @item -h @@ -191,25 +194,25 @@ lzma-alone file as follows: @itemx --stdout Write decompressed data to standard output; keep input files unchanged. This option is needed when reading from a named pipe (fifo) or from a -device. Use it also to recover as much of the uncompressed data as +device. Use it also to recover as much of the decompressed data as possible when decompressing a corrupt file. @item -d @itemx --decompress -Decompress the specified file(s). If a file does not exist or can't be -opened, lziprecover continues decompressing the rest of the files. If a -file fails to decompress, lziprecover exits immediately without +Decompress the specified files. If a file does not exist or can't be +opened, lziprecover continues decompressing the rest of the files. If a file +fails to decompress, or is a terminal, lziprecover exits immediately without decompressing the rest of the files. @item -D @var{range} @itemx --range-decompress=@var{range} Decompress only a range of bytes starting at decompressed byte position @samp{@var{begin}} and up to byte position @w{@samp{@var{end} - 1}}. -This option provides random access to the data in multimember files; it -only decompresses the members containing the desired data. In order to -guarantee the correctness of the data produced, all members containing -any part of the desired data are decompressed and their integrity is -verified. +Byte positions start at 0. This option provides random access to the +data in multimember files; it only decompresses the members containing +the desired data. In order to guarantee the correctness of the data +produced, all members containing any part of the desired data are +decompressed and their integrity is verified. Four formats of @var{range} are recognized, @samp{@var{begin}}, @samp{@var{begin}-@var{end}}, @samp{@var{begin},@var{size}}, and @@ -237,7 +240,7 @@ Keep (don't delete) input files during decompression. @item -l @itemx --list Print the uncompressed size, compressed size and percentage saved of the -specified file(s). Trailing data are ignored. The values produced are +specified files. Trailing data are ignored. The values produced are correct even for multimember files. If more than one file is given, a final line containing the cumulative sizes is printed. With @samp{-v}, the dictionary size, the number of members in the file, and the amount @@ -297,11 +300,13 @@ on the number of members in @samp{@var{file}}. @item -t @itemx --test -Check integrity of the specified file(s), but don't decompress them. -This really performs a trial decompression and throws away the result. -Use it together with @samp{-v} to see information about the file(s). If -a file fails the test, does not exist, can't be opened, or is a -terminal, lziprecover continues checking the rest of the files. +Check integrity of the specified files, but don't decompress them. This +really performs a trial decompression and throws away the result. Use it +together with @samp{-v} to see information about the files. If a file +fails the test, does not exist, can't be opened, or is a terminal, lziprecover +continues checking the rest of the files. A final diagnostic is shown at +verbosity level 1 or higher if any file fails the test when testing +multiple files. @item -v @itemx --verbose @@ -311,9 +316,43 @@ verbosity level, showing status, compression ratio, dictionary size, trailer contents (CRC, data size, member size), and up to 6 bytes of trailing data (if any) both in hexadecimal and as a string of printable ASCII characters.@* +Two or more @samp{-v} options show the progress of decompression.@* In other modes, increasing verbosity levels show final status, progress of operations, and extra information (for example, the failed areas). +@item --loose-trailing +When decompressing, testing or listing, allow trailing data whose first +bytes are so similar to the magic bytes of a lzip header that they can +be confused with a corrupt header. Use this option if a file triggers a +"corrupt header" error and the cause is not indeed a corrupt header. + +@item --dump-tdata +Dump the trailing data (if any) of one or more regular files to standard +output, or to a file if the @samp{--output} option is used. If more than +one file is given, the trailing data of all files are concatenated. If a +file does not exist, can't be opened, or is not regular, lziprecover +continues processing the rest of the files. If the dump fails in one +file, lziprecover exits immediately without processing the rest of the +files. + +@item --remove-tdata +Remove the trailing data from regular files in place. The date of each +file is preserved if possible. If the removal fails in one file, +lziprecover continues processing the rest of the files. This option may +be dangerous if the file is corrupt or if the trailing data contain a +forbidden combination of characters. @xref{Trailing data}. Verify that +@w{@samp{lzip -cd file.lz | wc -c}} and the uncompressed size shown by +@w{@samp{lzip -l file.lz}} match before attempting the removal. + +@item --strip-tdata +Copy one or more regular files to standard output (or to a file if the +@samp{--output} option is used), stripping the trailing data (if any) +from each file. If more than one file is given, the files are +concatenated. If a file does not exist, can't be opened, or is not +regular, lziprecover continues processing the rest of the files. If a +file fails to copy, lziprecover exits immediately without processing the +rest of the files. + @end table Numbers given as arguments to options may be followed by a multiplier @@ -365,12 +404,12 @@ compressed it, and stored two copies on separate media. Years later you notice that both copies are corrupt. If you compressed with gzip and both copies suffer any damage in the -data stream, even if it is just one altered bit, the original data can't -be recovered. +data stream, even if it is just one altered bit, the original data can +only be recovered by an expert, if at all. If you used bzip2, and if the file is large enough to contain more than -one compressed data block (usually larger than 900 kB uncompressed), and -if no block is damaged in both files, then the data can be manually +one compressed data block (usually larger than @w{900 kB} uncompressed), +and if no block is damaged in both files, then the data can be manually recovered by splitting the files with bzip2recover, verifying every block and then copying the right blocks in the right order into another file. @@ -391,7 +430,7 @@ Lziprecover can repair perfectly most files with small errors (up to one single-byte error per member), without the need of any extra redundance at all. If the reparation is successful, the repaired file will be identical bit for bit to the original. This makes lzip files resistant -to bit-flip, one of the most common forms of data corruption. +to bit flip, one of the most common forms of data corruption. The error may be located anywhere in the file except in the first 5 bytes of each member header or in the @samp{Member size} field of the @@ -400,9 +439,9 @@ can be easily repaired with a text editor like GNU Moe (@pxref{File format}). If the error is in the member size, it is enough to ignore the message about @samp{bad member size} when decompressing. -Bit-flip happens when one bit in the file is changed from 0 to 1 or vice +Bit flip happens when one bit in the file is changed from 0 to 1 or vice versa. It may be caused by bad RAM or even by natural radiation. I have -seen a case of bit-flip in a file stored on an USB flash drive. +seen a case of bit flip in a file stored on an USB flash drive. One byte may seem small, but most file corruptions not produced by transmission errors or I/O errors just affect one byte, or even one bit, @@ -463,7 +502,7 @@ into clusters and then merging the files as if each cluster were a single error. Here is a real case of successful merging. Two copies of the file -@samp{icecat-3.5.3-x86.tar.lz} (compressed size 9 MB) became corrupt +@samp{icecat-3.5.3-x86.tar.lz} (compressed size @w{9 MB}) became corrupt while stored on the same NAND flash device. One of the copies had 76 single-bit errors scattered in an area of 1020 bytes, and the other had 3028 such errors in an area of 31729 bytes. Lziprecover produced a @@ -592,9 +631,10 @@ padding zero bytes to a lzip file. @item Useful data added by the user; a cryptographically secure hash, a description of file contents, etc. It is safe to append any amount of -text to a lzip file as long as the text does not begin with the string -"LZIP", and does not contain any zero bytes (null characters). Nonzero -bytes and zero bytes can't be safely mixed in trailing data. +text to a lzip file as long as none of the first four bytes of the text +match the corresponding byte in the string "LZIP", and the text does not +contain any zero bytes (null characters). Nonzero bytes and zero bytes +can't be safely mixed in trailing data. @item Garbage added by some not totally successful copy operation. @@ -604,12 +644,16 @@ Malicious data added to the file in order to make its total size and hash value (for a chosen hash) coincide with those of another file. @item -In very rare cases, trailing data could be the corrupt header of another +In rare cases, trailing data could be the corrupt header of another member. In multimember or concatenated files the probability of corruption happening in the magic bytes is 5 times smaller than the probability of getting a false positive caused by the corruption of the integrity information itself. Therefore it can be considered to be below -the noise level. +the noise level. Additionally, the test used by lziprecover to discriminate +trailing data from a corrupt header has a Hamming distance (HD) of 3, +and the 3 bit flips must happen in different magic bytes for the test to +fail. In any case, the option @samp{--trailing-error} guarantees that +any corrupt header will be detected. @end itemize Trailing data are in no way part of the lzip file format, but tools @@ -621,6 +665,35 @@ that of user-added data, they are expected to be ignored. In those cases where a file containing trailing data must be rejected, the option @samp{--trailing-error} can be used. @xref{--trailing-error}. +Lziprecover facilitates the management of metadata stored as trailing +data in lzip files. See the following examples: + +@noindent +Example 1: Add a comment or description to a compressed file. + +@example +# First append the comment as trailing data to a lzip file +echo 'This file contains this and that' >> file.lz +# This command prints the comment to standard output +lziprecover --dump-tdata file.lz +# This command outputs file.lz without the comment +lziprecover --strip-tdata file.lz +# This command removes the comment from file.lz +lziprecover --remove-tdata file.lz +@end example + +@sp 1 +@noindent +Example 2: Add and verify a cryptographically secure hash. (This may be +convenient, but a separate copy of the hash must be kept in a safe place +to guarantee that both file and hash have not been maliciously replaced). + +@example +sha256sum < file.lz >> file.lz +lziprecover --strip-tdata file.lz | sha256sum -c \ + <(lziprecover --dump-tdata file.lz) +@end example + @node Examples @chapter A small tutorial with examples @@ -658,7 +731,7 @@ Do this instead @sp 1 @noindent -Example 4: Decompress @samp{file.lz} partially until 10 KiB of +Example 4: Decompress @samp{file.lz} partially until @w{10 KiB} of decompressed data are produced. @example @@ -756,7 +829,9 @@ lziprecover source directory to build it. By default, unzcrash reads the specified file and then repeatedly decompresses it, increasing 256 times each byte of the compressed data, -so as to test all possible one-byte errors. +so as to test all possible one-byte errors. Note that it may take years +or even centuries to test all possible one-byte errors in a large file +(tens of MB). If the @code{--block} option is given, unzcrash reads the specified file and then repeatedly decompresses it, setting all bytes in each @@ -801,10 +876,10 @@ See The format for running unzcrash is: @example -unzcrash [@var{options}] "lzip -tv" @var{filename}.lz +unzcrash [@var{options}] 'lzip -t' @var{file}.lz @end example -Unzcrash supports the following options: +unzcrash supports the following options: @table @code @item -h @@ -835,24 +910,34 @@ The number of N-bit errors per byte (N = 1 to 8) is: @item -B[@var{size}][,@var{value}] @itemx --block[=@var{size}][,@var{value}] -Test block errors of given @var{size} aligned to a @var{size}-byte -boundary, simulating a whole sector I/O error. Block @var{size} defaults -to 512 bytes. @var{value} defaults to 0. +Test block errors of given @var{size}, simulating a whole sector I/O +error. Block @var{size} defaults to 512 bytes. @var{value} defaults to +0. By default, only blocks aligned to a @var{size}-byte boundary are +tested, but this may be changed with the @code{--delta} option. @item -d @var{n} @itemx --delta=@var{n} -Test only one of every @var{n} bytes, blocks or truncation sizes, -instead of all of them. +Test only one byte, block, or truncation size every @var{n} bytes, +instead of all of them. If the @code{--block} option is given, @var{n} +defaults to the block size. Else @var{n} defaults to 1. Values of +@var{n} smaller than the block size will result in overlappinng blocks. +(Which is convenient for testing because there are usually too few +non-overlappinng blocks in a file). @item -e @var{position},@var{value} @itemx --set-byte=@var{position},@var{value} Set byte at @var{position} to @var{value} in the internal buffer after -reading and testing @var{filename}.lz but before the first test call to -the decompressor. If @var{value} is preceded by @samp{+}, it is added to -the original value of the byte at @var{position}. If @var{value} is -preceded by @samp{f} (flip), it is XORed with the original value of the -byte at @var{position}. This option can be used to run tests with a -changed dictionary size, for example. +reading and testing @var{file}.lz but before the first test call to the +decompressor. If @var{value} is preceded by @samp{+}, it is added to the +original value of the byte at @var{position}. If @var{value} is preceded +by @samp{f} (flip), it is XORed with the original value of the byte at +@var{position}. This option can be used to run tests with a changed +dictionary size, for example. + +@item -n +@itemx --no-verify +Skip initial verification of @var{file}.lz and @samp{zcmp}. May speed up +things a lot when testing many (or large) known good files. @item -p @var{bytes} @itemx --position=@var{bytes} |