problem with 'tar'

[Doug Gwyn]

I've seen some versions of "tar" report "directory checksum error"
when they were instructed to read from a block magtape device
rather than a raw device, or when they otherwise got confused
about the blocksize.  The former usually occurs when the "f" option
is not used.  The latter situation can normally be fixed by using
the "b" flag (WARNING: the order of "b" and "f" is critical in
some versions of "tar") or by piping from a "dd" whose "if" is
set to the tape blocksize.  Most "tar" tapes I have encountered
were either: 10240-byte blocks, 512-byte blocks, 5120-byte
blocks, or 1024-byte blocks (in descending order of frequency).

Try experimenting with "f" and "b" options as suggested herein.

P.S.  I think I finally have a properly-working UNIX System V
(Release 2.0) "tar"; if you got one from me before 05-Aug-1985,
drop me a note and I'll be glad to mail you the new version.