How do I check the md5sum of an ISO?

[MrSndrs]

I've heard rumors that there are a few mirrors with bad Mandrake7.2 install ISOs. The problems resulting from these ("Unable to mount..."-type errors during install), are exactly what I'm getting, but I'm totally new to Linux and I don't know how to test my ISOs to see if they match the available md5sum. I run Win2000, could someone explain how to do this?

Thanks

[bdl]

This link (http://www.support.compaq.com/svctools/md5-instructions.html) may be helpful. Under linux, you basically just run 'md5sum' from the command line on the file you want to check, against a known md5 sum given to you by the file's creator. I've always thought this was a bit funny; I mean, if someone can upload a trojan or otherwise cracked file onto the "official" ftp server, they can always upload the md5 sum of the trojanned file. YMMV.

[klamath]

The idea behind using MD5 sums is that you always trust the main distribution site (i.e. the people who made the software in the first place). They release both the file and the checksum of the file. For speed purposes, you download the file from a local mirror, and then get the MD5 sum from the official distribution site. Then md5sum the file you downloaded.

Using PGP/GPG signatures is probably a better idea -- some people do that (e.g.kernel.org).

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- Klamath
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