genisoimage creates bad iso images if joliet is used - error: "Unexpected joliet directory length" appears

[Mantas Kriaučiūnas]

Since Ubuntu 7.04 (Feisty, genisoimage version 1.1.6) CD burning causes a lots of problems for me and my friends - in lots of cases genisoimage creates bad iso images if joliet is used - error: "Unexpected joliet directory length" appears:

ubuntu@baltix:/mnt/SVARBU-Manto$ sudo genisoimage -r -V "Baltix-Linux-3.1bm 2008-01" -cache-inodes -J -l -b isolinux/isolinux.bin -c isolinux/boot.cat -no-emul-boot -boot-load-size 4 -boot-info-table -o Baltix.iso Baltix-3-CD/CD/
I: -input-charset not specified, using utf-8 (detected in locale settings)
Using MANO_NUMERIS_LOGO000.GIF;1 for Baltix-3-CD/CD/pics/remejai/mano_numeris-logo.gif (mano_numeris_logo.gif)
Using MANO_NUMERIS_LOGO000.GIF;1 for Baltix-3-CD/CD/pics/remejai/thumbs/mano_numeris-logo.gif (mano_numeris_logo.gif)
Using UBUNTU_LT_INSTALLATION_S000.PNG;1 for Baltix-3-CD/CD/doc/Baltix-Ubuntu-Linux-diegimas_failai/Ubuntu_LT_installation_step_6_-_sukurti-naudotoja.png (Ubuntu_LT_installation_step_7_-_santrauka-patvirtinimas.png)
Using UBUNTU_LT_INSTALLATION_S001.PNG;1 for Baltix-3-CD/CD/doc/Baltix-Ubuntu-Linux-diegimas_failai/Ubuntu_LT_installation_step_7_-_santrauka-patvirtinimas.png (Ubuntu_LT_installation_step_1_-_pasirinkti-kalba.png)
Using UBUNTU_LT_INSTALLATION_S002.PNG;1 for Baltix-3-CD/CD/doc/Baltix-Ubuntu-Linux-diegimas_failai/Ubuntu_LT_installation_step_1_-_pasirinkti-kalba.png (Ubuntu_LT_installation_step_3_-_klaviaturos-isdestymas.png)
Using UBUNTU_LT_INSTALLATION_S003.PNG;1 for Baltix-3-CD/CD/doc/Baltix-Ubuntu-Linux-diegimas_failai/Ubuntu_LT_installation_step_3_-_klaviaturos-isdestymas.png (Ubuntu_LT_installation_step_4_-_paruosti-vieta-diske.png)
Using UBUNTU_LT_INSTALLATION_S004.PNG;1 for Baltix-3-CD/CD/doc/Baltix-Ubuntu-Linux-diegimas_failai/Ubuntu_LT_installation_step_4_-_paruosti-vieta-diske.png (Ubuntu_LT_installation_step_5_-_importuoti-esamus-naudotojus.png)
Using LINUX_WINDOWS_NAUDOJIMAS000.PNG;1 for Baltix-3-CD/CD/doc/Linux-Windows-naudojimas-tinkle/Linux_Windows_naudojimas_tinkle-SAMBA_html_m74e24fb4.png (Linux_Windows_naudojimas_tinkle-SAMBA_html_64b2cbe6.png)
Using LINUX_WINDOWS_NAUDOJIMAS001.PNG;1 for Baltix-3-CD/CD/doc/Linux-Windows-naudojimas-tinkle/Linux_Windows_naudojimas_tinkle-SAMBA_html_64b2cbe6.png (Linux_Windows_naudojimas_tinkle-SAMBA_html_m397604df.png)
Size of boot image is 4 sectors -> No emulation
genisoimage: Unexpected joliet directory length 1112 expected: 1116 ''
  1.40% done, estimate finish Thu Jan 31 03:34:32 2008
  2.78% done, estimate finish Thu Jan 31 03:34:32 2008
[..]

This bug is not 100% reproducible, but it appears very often for me and others - it seems Joerg Schilling (original author of cdrecord software) is right - "the debian/ubuntu program (genisoimage) is a bad hack on a 2 year old version of mkisofs":

From: <email address hidden> (Joerg Schilling)
> To: <email address hidden>
> Subject: invalid Joliet table (was: genisoimage creates invalid iso images)
> Date: Sat, 14 Jul 2007 22:13:49 +0200
>
> do not expect to get any useful answer/help for your Debian bugreport. The projct is dead.
>
> BTW: I cannot see any problems with your data using a recent original software:
>
> http://cdrecord.berlios.de/
> ftp://ftp.berlios.de/pub/cdrecord/alpha/
>
> The debian program is a bad hack on a 2 year old version of mkisofs.

When I downgraded to genisoimage 1.1.2-1 then this problem dissapears, like in other cases, described in debian bugs.

http://bugs.debian.org/cgi-bin/bugreport.cgi?bug=430558 :

Subject: genisoimage: Unexpected joliet directory length - this important bug is a duplicate of bug #429244

I also several times meet with the same problem in Ubuntu 7.04 and 7.10,
which uses the same version of genisoimage package - 1.1.6. The same error
message during genisoimage run:
"Unexpected joliet directory length" and the same problems, like
described in Debian bugs #429244 and #430558 :

From: Julian Andres Klode <email address hidden>
>To: <email address hidden>
>Subject: invalid Joliet table (was: genisoimage creates invalid iso images)
>Date: Sun, 08 Jul 2007 15:03:43 +0200
>
> It seems to me that the Joliet table is invalid.
>
> $ isoinfo -Jf -debug -i image.iso
> Joliet escape sequence 0: '%' 1: '/' 2: 'E' 3: ''
> /..
> /
> isoinfo: Short read on old image
>
> But "$ isoinfo -Rf -debug -i image.iso" works (Rock Ridge)
>
> $ isoinfo -J -d -debug -i image.iso
> CD-ROM is in ISO 9660 format
> System id: LINUX
> Volume id: Debian unstable i386
> [..]
> Application id: GENISOIMAGE ISO 9660/HFS FILESYSTEM CREATOR (C) 1993
> E.YOUNGDALE (C) 1997-2006
> J.PEARSON/J.SCHILLING (C) 2006-2007 CDRKIT TEAM
> [..]
> Volume set size is: 1
> Volume set sequence number is: 1
> Logical block size is: 2048
> Volume size is: 376104
> Root directory extent: 57 size: 2048
> Path table size is: 11702
> L Path table start: 21
> L Path opt table start: 0
> M Path table start: 27
> M Path opt table start: 0
> Creation Date: 2007 07 07 20:51:50.00
> Modification Date: 2007 07 07 20:51:50.00
> Expiration Date: 0000 00 00 00:00:00.00
> Effective Date: 2007 07 07 20:51:50.00
> File structure version: 1
> El Torito VD version 1 found, boot catalog is in sector 1671
> Joliet escape sequence 0: '%' 1: '/' 2: 'E' 3: ''
> Joliet escape sequence 0: '%' 1: '/' 2: 'E' 3: ''
> Joliet with UCS level 3 found
> Rock Ridge signatures version 1 found
> Eltorito validation header:
> Hid 1
> Arch 0 (x86)
> ID ''
> Key 55 AA
> Eltorito defaultboot header:
> Bootid 88 (bootable)
> Boot media 0 (No Emulation Boot)
> Load segment 0
> Sys type 0
> Nsect 4
> Bootoff 688 1672

When I downgraded to version 1.1.2-1 then this problem dissapears, like in other cases, described in debian bugs.

Btw, it seems this important bug is a duplicate of bug #429244 :

From: Richard Kralovic <email address hidden> wrote:
>To: <email address hidden>
>Subject: genisoimage: Unexpected joliet directory length
>Date: Tue, 18 Sep 2007 14:04:09 +0200
>
> I can confirm this bug [..] (I was able to reproduce it only on one
> machine out of several almost identical ones).
>
> I was able to track down the bug to the diff between svn revisions
> 743 and 744 (The svn diff is attached). Indeed, after reverting this
> change, everything works.

I think it would be wise to stop creating bad and unmaintained forks of cdrecord and work together with Joerg Schilling (original author of cdrecord software) - it seems cdrecord is really free and really working, OSI approved software and there are no restrictions for patching and improving it - look here for more info:

http://cdrecord.berlios.de/private/cdr-faq.html

[Mario Đanić (mario-danic)]

There is a patch available at http://bugs.debian.org/cgi-bin/bugreport.cgi?msg=10;filename=cdrpatch;att=1;bug=430558, but it is really annoying to patch unmaintained software.

[Mario Đanić (mario-danic)]

Updated patch available here: http://bugs.debian.org/cgi-bin/bugreport.cgi?msg=40;bug=429244

[Mantas Kriaučiūnas (mantas)]

So, this important CD/DVD creation bug can be fixed with simple, one line patch (by moving "return (0)" outside the if () statement) !
I and some Debian people (see related Debian bugreports) have tested genisoimage-dlength.patch and we all confirm, that this simple (one line really) patch fixes this important bug.
You can download fixed packages for Ubuntu 7.10 from here:
ftp.akl.lt/baltix-linux/Baltix-Ubuntu-packages/gutsy/cdrkit/

Ubuntu developers, please, apply this patch and fix CD/DVD writing regression in Ubuntu 7.10 updates !

[Mario Limonciello (superm1)]

Attached is a debdiff for a core-dev to nicely apply. This has indeed already been fixed in cdrkit svn, so it is really no extra work to add a patch for us.

[Mario Limonciello (superm1)]

As indicated in #ubuntu-devel, the diff.gz already has changes outside the debian directory. No need to introduce dpatch.

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

This bug was fixed in the package cdrkit - 9:1.1.6-1ubuntu6

---------------
cdrkit (9:1.1.6-1ubuntu6) hardy; urgency=low

  * genisoimage/tree.c:
    - Add patch to fix Joliet filesystem creation. This patch has
      been commited to cdrkit svn revno 782 already (LP: #187459)

 -- Mario Limonciello <email address hidden> Fri, 29 Feb 2008 22:47:13 -0600

[Rashkae (rashkae)]

Should this patch not be added to Gutsy and Feisty? I just found out the hard way that most the backups I've burned to DVD since updating to Gutsy have corrupt Joliet filesystems and cannot even be read by a Windows computer. This is not a pleasant turn.

[Mantas Kriaučiūnas (mantas)]

Fixed genisoimage package for Ubuntu 7.10 "Gutsy" are available at official Baltix distro repository - this bug was fixed in Baltix 3.2rc (3.1.1):
deb http://ftp.akl.lt/Linux/Baltix/Baltix-Ubuntu-packages gutsy main
(you can download single package directly from ftp.akl.lt/Linux/Baltix/Baltix-Ubuntu-packages/gutsy/cdrkit/ )