Anonymoususer852: /* FormatInfo template */ Added commercial to specification availability, as the PCTE software is likely commercial-only.

2025-08-15T11:50:57Z

‎FormatInfo template: Added commercial to specification availability, as the PCTE software is likely commercial-only.

Anonymoususer852: Created page with "{{FormatInfo |formattype=electronic |subcat=Archiving |extensions={{ext|etar}} |released=1988? }} '''Emeraude Tar''', commonly uses the extension `.etar`, is likely..."

2025-08-09T08:31:03Z

Created page with "{{FormatInfo |formattype=electronic |subcat=Archiving |extensions={{ext|etar}} |released=1988? }} '''Emeraude Tar''', commonly uses the extension <code>.etar</code>, is likely..."

New page

{{FormatInfo
|formattype=electronic
|subcat=Archiving
|extensions={{ext|etar}}
|released=1988?
}}
'''Emeraude Tar''', commonly uses the extension <code>.etar</code>, is likely an archive format that was used in a proprietary software known as "GIE Emeraude", which was available on a number of Unix platforms, and implements the PCTE 1.5 specification plus additional service.<ref>[https://www.sei.cmu.edu/documents/1072/1993_005_001_16151.pdf Section 6.1 page 41 - PCTE 1.5 - An Overview of PCTE: A Basis for a Portable Common Tool Environment - Carnegie Mellon University - Software Engineering Institute]</ref> Details of the format is scarce, as are samples using it.

== Discussion ==
EMERAUDE is a project undertaken by a French consortium of three companies, to produce an industrial quality implementation of the PCTE interfaces.<ref>[http://etheses.dur.ac.uk/5861/1/5861_3276.PDF?UkUDh:CyT 5.5.1 Introduction pp121-122 - Requirements for a software maintenance support environment - Durham E-Theses - Durham University]</ref><ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20240706081039/http://etheses.dur.ac.uk/5861/1/5861_3276.PDF?UkUDh:CyT 5.5.1 Introduction pp121-122 - Requirements for a software maintenance support environment - Durham E-Theses - Durham University - Internet Archive copy]</ref>

Earlier citings of Emeraude PCTE appeared in May 1987, "EMERAUDE has been ported to the SUN. A first version of a SUN-based PCTE was shown at the Stockholm conference in May 1987."<ref>[https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/1277 PCTE Portability - CORDIS - EU research results]</ref><ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20250422135207/https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/1277 PCTE Portability - CORDIS - EU research results - Internet Archive copy]</ref> This does not appear to specify which version of EMERAUDE, or the PCTE specification.

The format is considered to be belonging to category "[[Archiving]]" based on the few evidence that indicates as such;
* There are ASCII strings "archiving-extern_obj", along with strings that are similar to what one may find familiar in [[Tar]]:- "sys-mdate", "sys-adate", "sys-mode", "sys-owner", "sys-group", with the dates likely using seconds since Epoch, and "sys-owner"/"sys-group" contains numbers that are typical for user/group ID.
* When running [[Sources|<code>binwalk</code>]], several discrete files could be extracted, ranging from graphic files to audio files.
* The extension <code>.etar</code> contains the word <code>.tar</code> which may signify the file is some sort of [[Tar|tape archive]], even though it cannot be accessed through conventional means. That is, it is not a regular GNU or BSD tarball, and [[Tar#Software|<code>star</code>]] which supports a wide range of typical archive formats under various Unices, fails to open the file.

== Identification ==
<code>.etar</code> file begins with bytes {{magic|20 20 20}} followed by a Unix timestamp (seconds since Epoch) in hexadecimal format, then {{magic|20}} as a separator followed by {{magic|45 4d 45 52 41 55 44 45}}, then {{magic|5F}}, the version in hexadecimal format, e.g. {{magic|31 32 2E 32 2E 31 00 34}}, and finally terminating it with {{magic|20}}

In ASCII representation of the above but with Unix timestamp "1993-11-29 12:59:36", "754541976", or {{magic|37 35 34 35 34 31 39 37 36}}, it would be " 754541976 EMERAUDE_12.2.1.4 "

== References ==
<references/>

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Emeraude Tar - Revision history

Anonymoususer852: /* FormatInfo template */ Added commercial to specification availability, as the PCTE software is likely commercial-only.

Anonymoususer852: Created page with "{{FormatInfo |formattype=electronic |subcat=Archiving |extensions={{ext|etar}} |released=1988? }} '''Emeraude Tar''', commonly uses the extension .etar, is likely..."

Anonymoususer852: Created page with "{{FormatInfo |formattype=electronic |subcat=Archiving |extensions={{ext|etar}} |released=1988? }} '''Emeraude Tar''', commonly uses the extension `.etar`, is likely..."