tar (child): Cannot connect to xxx: resolve failed

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I was unpacking a file named something:somethinelse.tar.gz when I got the following error:

tar (child): Cannot connect to xxx: resolve failed

The reason can be found in the GNU tar documentation

If the archive file name includes a colon (`:’), then it is assumed to be a file on another machine. If the archive file is `[email protected]:file’, then file is used on the host host.

This is why the command return a Cannot connect: it was trying to connect to…NOTHING!!! 😀

So, if you download a package which has a colon inside the name, you must rename it removing the colon before processing it.

GWH!

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About Francesco Serafin

I am a PhD student at the Department of Civil, Environmental and Mechanical Engineering at the University of Trento. My two greatest loves: Computer Science and Water (take three with my Lenovo!:D). As a result, the aim of my life is to make both passions coexist. My gpg public key available at https://pgp.mit.edu

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