FAQs

Please read through the following Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) for answers to common questions. FAQs are updated on a regular basis so you can return often, if needed.
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1.  I forgot the password for my .zip file(s). What do I do?

PKWARE solutions utilize strong encryption so there is nothing that can be done if you lose or forget your password. It is important to remember your password as PKWARE has no special means for “getting around” the encryption and may not be able to assist in the recovery of an encrypted file.

2.  Can I install PKZIP® anywhere, for example on a mounted file system over the network?

Yes. However, the use of a PKZIP license is strictly limited to a single user and a separate license is required for multi-user, concurrent, or server usage.
 
3.  Does PKZIP run on my favorite UNIX®?

PKZIP runs only on Solaris 8.x, HP-UX 11.0 and later, AIX 5.1 or later, and Linux® kernel 2.4. The Solaris version will only run on UltraSPARC processors. The Linux version will only run on x86 processors. No other operating systems or hardware platforms are supported. Specifically, PKZIP will not run on SCO UNIX, UNIXWare, or NCR UNIX.
 
4.  Does PKZIP run on my favorite Linux?

PKZIP will run on Linux systems that use a 2.4 or later kernel with glibc-2.2.4 on x86 processors. PKZIP has been tested with and is supported on RedHat Enterprise Linux 4, SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 9, and SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 10.
 
5.  What file formats can PKZIP extract?

ZIP, TAR, Gzip, Bzip2, JAR (Java Archive), UUencode, XXencode, BinHex, ARJ, and LHA/LZH. PKZIP provides the same interface for extracting from all of these archive types.
 
6.  What file formats can PKZIP create?

ZIP, TAR, Gzip, Bzip, UUencode, and XXencode.
 
7.  When I try to run PKZIP Command Line from a script or in the background, it hangs and never finishes. Why?

PKZIP Command Line tries to change the settings of your terminal. When it runs in the background, PKZIP is not able to change the settings, and waits until it can. Using the -silent option will change that behavior, as well as suppress all output. Please read Appendix F of the Command Line User’s Manual, for more hints and tips on running PKZIP in the background or from a script.
 
8.  If I'm using the -silent option, how do I know if there were any problems creating the .ZIP file?

PKZIP returns a value to the shell to indicate error status. One normally checks this by checking the value of $? right after running PKZIP. If $? is 0, then everything was all right. Please read Appendix B of the Command Line User’s Manual for more information.
 
9.  I tried to install PKZIP for Linux, I ran the command:

rpm –e <path to SecureZIP_Server.rpm>

and received the error:

can't create transaction lock on /var/lib/rpm/__db.000 error

This can be corrected with the following steps:

  1. Remove any file locks rm –rf /var/lib/rpm/_db*
  2. Remove any left over temp files in /var/lib/rmp/ with underscores, either single or double. For example, __db.000 - __db.004. This needs to be completed as root.
  3. Make a copy of the RPM directories (cd /var/lib mkdir rpm-backup rsync -av ./rpm/. ./rpm-backup/.)
  4. Rebuild the database (rpm –rebuilddb). Again, you need to be root.
  5. Rerun the rpm removal option.