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5.67. file

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Updated file packages that fix multiple bugs are now available for Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6.
The "file" command is used to identify a particular file according to the type of data contained in the file. The command can identify various file types, including ELF binaries, system libraries, RPM packages, and different graphics formats.

Bug Fixes

BZ#795425
The file utility did not contain a "magic" pattern for detecting QED images and was therefore not able to detect such images. A new "magic" pattern for detecting QED images has been added, and the file utility now detects these images as expected.
BZ#795761
The file utility did not contain a "magic" pattern for detecting VDI images and was therefore not able to detect such images. A new "magic" pattern for detecting VDI images has been added, and the file utility now detects these images as expected.
BZ#797784
Previously, the file utility did not attempt to load "magic" patterns from the ~/.magic.mgc file, which caused "magic" patterns stored in this file to be unusable. This update modifies the file utility so it now attempts to load the ~/.magic.mgc file. The file is loaded if it exists and "magic" patterns defined in this file work as expected.
BZ#801711
Previously, the file utility used read timeout when decompressing files using the "-z" option. As a consequence, the utility was not able to detect files compressed by the bzip2 tool. The underlying source code has been modified so that file no longer uses read timeout when decompressing compressed files. Compressed files are now detected as expected when using the "-z" option.
BZ#859834
Previously, the file utility contained multiple "magic" patterns to detect output of the "dump" backup tool. On big-endian architectures, the less detailed "magic" pattern was used and output of the file utility was inconsistent. The less detailed "magic" pattern has been removed, and only one, more detailed, "magic" pattern to detect "dump" output is used now.
All users of file are advised to upgrade to these updated packages, which fix these bugs.
Updated file packages that fix multiple bugs are now available for Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6.
The file command is used to identify a particular file according to the type of data contained in the file. The command can identify various file types, including ELF binaries, system libraries, RPM packages, and different graphics formats.

Bug Fixes

BZ#688136
Previously, the file utility contained "magic" patterns that incorrectly detected files according to one byte only. Unicode text files starting with that particular byte could be therefore incorrectly recognized as DOS executable files. This update removes the problematic patterns. Patterns that match less than 16 bits are no longer accepted, and the utility no longer detects Unicode files as DOS executables.
BZ#709846
Previously, the "magic" pattern for detection of Dell BIOS headers was outdated. As a consequence, the file utility did not detect newer BIOS formats. The "magic" pattern has been updated, and the file utility now detects new formats of Dell BIOS properly.
BZ#719583
Previously, users were allowed to add new "magic" files only into the home directory. As a consequence, users were not able to configure "magic" patterns for certain special file formats system-wide. With this update, a backported patch provides a way to read "magic" patterns from the /etc/magic file.
BZ#733229
Previously, "magic" patterns for Python were insufficient. The file utility was therefore unable to detect a Python script according to the Python function definition. With this update, detection of Python is improved, and Python scripts are properly recognized.
BZ#747999
Previously, the file utility did not contain a "magic" pattern for detection of files compressed using the LZMA algorithm. As a consequence, the file utility was unable to detect these files. This update adds the missing "magic" pattern, and LZMA compressed files are now detected as expected.
BZ#758109
Previously, the file utility did not contain a "magic" pattern to detect the swap signature on Itanium microprocessors. As a consequence, the file utility was unable to detect the signature. This update adds the missing "magic" pattern, and the swap signature on Itanium microprocessors is detected as expected.
BZ#760083
Previously, the file utility did not parse the name of an RPM package from the RPM file. As a consequence, the utility did not print the name of the RPM package. This update adds a "magic" pattern for RPM package name parsing, and the name is now printed as expected.
All users of file are advised to upgrade to these updated packages, which fix these bugs.
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