dpkg-deb Can not build packages with OSX Tar

[richard.maynard@…]

When trying to use DPKG to build a package it relies on the 'gnu' format with tar. This format is not available on OSX and needs to be changed to something portable. I do not believe there is a configuration file for this.

here are the resulting errors:

dpkg-deb: building package `common-system-config' in `common-system-config.deb'.
Can't use format gnu: No such format 'gnu': Invalid argument
Usage:
  List:    tar -tf <archive-filename>
  Extract: tar -xf <archive-filename>
  Create:  tar -cf <archive-filename> [filenames...]
  Help:    tar --help
dpkg-deb: subprocess tar -cf returned error exit status 1

[richard.maynard@…]

Cc Me!

[ryandesign (Ryan Carsten Schmidt)]

Don't forget to use WikiFormatting.

GNU tar is available in the port "gnutar" if you want it...

[richard.maynard@…]

Patch to have dpkg-deb use GNU tar instead of TAR from ports. Apply in dpkg-VERSION/dpkg-deb/ directory wth patch -p0 < patchfile.patch

[richard.maynard@…]

I somehow missed seeing gnutar becuause I did search for it to see if it would help. I'm very new to OSX so, sorry about that.

Ideally the port would be updated to require gnutar on the system. Since it comes packaged named gnutar I attached a patch that updates build.c to use gnutar. Seems pretty straight forward and will make building DPKG's possible easily.

[afb@…]

Fixed, r74825.

Patch was backwards and missing directory, however.