[izpack-users] Pack File Size

[Bartz, Klaus]

Hi Hal,
you know, I do not use the web install feature, but I assume that
I am the last who has made something at packaging.
I have created a "normal" (non splited) installation three times.
File size of jar files are allways the same. MD5 are not identically.
A look with a hexeditor shows the diffs. There is an dir like
entry for each contained file in the jar file where one byte differs
also the time stamp shown by winzip will be identically.
Additional there is a difference in the time stamp of meta-inf/Manifest.mf
which will be generated by ant on the fly.
Result will be that it is not possible to use a MD5 of jar files to
detect that they contains the same.
Generell this is a point of maintenance. You can do a little bit of
maintenance with IzPack, but real maintenance is more.
I am thinking about it since a long time because in fact we need it.
But it is a complicated theme which needs a discussion and a design
infront of implementation. May be we should begin a thread on the
iszpack-devel mailing list.

Cheers

Klaus


>-----Original Message-----
>From: izpack-users-admin at berlios.de
>[mailto:izpack-users-admin at berlios.de]On Behalf Of Hal Vaughan
>Sent: Tuesday, May 09, 2006 7:52 PM
>To: izpack-users at berlios.de
>Subject: [izpack-users] Pack File Size
>
>
>I've been doing some test compiles and working with pack files and the 
>install.jar that IzPack creates.  I will have to make my web install 
>available on my web site (obviously), and that means I will have to 
>upload it to the site.  There are two packs in each install that are 
>big (they are OpenOffice for Linux and Windows).  It takes about 30 
>minutes to upload one of these files using scp.
>
>To avoid unnecessary uploads, I figured I could check the MD5 
>sum of the 
>file on my website with the MD5 sum of the file I've created.  If they 
>match, I'm re-creating what I had and there's no reason to upload.  
>That way I can change around packs and only have to upload the ones I 
>don't alter (the uploading is an automatic script).
>
>While experimenting with creating the install.jar file, I've 
>found that 
>even when I do NOT change a thing on the files that are included, the 
>length of the file changes.  I don't see why this should happen.
>
>What is included in the Install.jar file or the individual packs that 
>would change the length?  Why is it I can create the same install 3 
>different times and get 3 different file lengths?  (Once I saw the 
>different file lengths, I didn't even bother to check the MD5 sums.)
>
>I'd like to know what causes this because I may want to alter it in my 
>copy of IzPack.
>
>Thanks for any info on what might make the same install compile 
>differently each time I do it.
>
>Hal
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