sum(C)
sum --
calculate a checksum and count the blocks in a file
Syntax
sum [ -lr ] [ file ... ]
Description
sum calculates and prints a checksum for the named
file, and also prints the number of 512-byte blocks
in the file.
If no file is named, standard input is used.
Options are:
-l-
Print a long (32-bit) checksum. (The default is to print a short
(16-bit) checksum.)
-r-
Use an alternate (older) algorithm to compute the checksum. This
alternate algorithm is sensitive to the order of the bytes in the
data; the standard algorithm is not.
sum is typically used to validate data after being
transported across unreliable media. It is also useful when you want
to reduce the contents of a file into a representative value.
Limitations
``Read error'' is indistinguishable from ``End-of-file'' on most
devices, so you need to check the block count.
See also
wc(C)
Standards conformance
sum is conformant with:
AT&T SVID Issue 2;
X/Open CAE Specification, Commands and Utilities, Issue 4, 1992: note that this command is marked as to be
withdrawn.
© 2003 Caldera International, Inc. All rights reserved.
SCO OpenServer Release 5.0.7 -- 11 February 2003