Just to follow up on this, I was forced to downgrade to tar version
1.15.1 before things worked correctly and without the "Unexpected field
value" messages.  Things were just not working as expected with 1.15.91.

Paul

->>In response to your message<<-
  --received from Paul Yeatman--
>
> I have run into the exact same problem on a client that is running
> Debian (Etch) linux using tar version 1.15.91 (and amanda 2.5.0p2-1).
> I have now noticed, given your message, that things worked fine with
> the first Debian tar 1.15.91 package but, when a revised tar 1.15.91
> package was released end of July, 2 of the 3 partitions on the client
> began failing during the size estimation stage with the same tar
> error message, "Unexpected field value".
> 
> I'm going to force a full level backup of all partitions using the new
> tar release yet, if this or the following level 1 fails (given what
> Olivier said), I will try downgrading to the previous package
> similarly.
> 
> Paul
> 
> ->>In response to your message<<-
>   --received from McGraw, Robert P.--
> >
> > It seems that tar 1.15.91 does not work with my version of amanda. I have
> > dropped back to an older version of tar until I can upgrade my amanda.
> > 
> > Thanks
> > 
> > Robert
> > 
> > 
> > _____________________________________________________________________
> > Robert P. McGraw, Jr.
> > Manager, Computer System                 EMAIL: rmcgraw AT purdue DOT edu
> > Purdue University                         ROOM: MATH-807
> > Department of Mathematics                PHONE: (765) 494-6055
> > 150 N. University Street                   FAX: (419) 821-0540
> > West Lafayette, IN 47907-2067            
> > 
> > 
> > > -----Original Message-----
> > > From: Olivier Nicole [mailto:on AT cs.ait.ac DOT th]
> > > Sent: Friday, September 08, 2006 10:37 AM
> > > To: McGraw, Robert P.
> > > Cc: amanda-users AT amanda DOT org
> > > Subject: Re: Amanda error "Unexpected field value..."
> > > 
> > > 
> > > > The difference is that the good run was a level 0 and the run with the
> > > error
> > > > was a level 1.
> > > > What is the "Unexpected field value"?
> > > 
> > > Well that's the problem with cygwin... We have little reference.
> > > 
> > > Apparently running level 0 gtar creates a sort of index file, to use
> > > in level 1 and compare files that have changed.
> > > 
> > > And it seems that in between the run 0 and 1 gtar cannot read the file
> > > it created.
> > > 
> > > If you look at the sendzie debug you should see a command very close
> > > to this one
> > > 
> > > gtar --create --file - --directory /local
> > > --one-file-system --listed-incremental /local/Amanda/amanda-2.4
> > > .5p1/var/amanda/gnutar-lists/coriolis_local_1.new --sparse
> > > --ignore-failed-read --totals .
> > > 
> > > but that will say "gtar --create --file /dev/null ..."
> > > 
> > > Did that one completed without error?
> > > 
> > > Try to run the long gtar command by hand, with --file - and --file
> > > /dev/null
> > > 
> > > Tryto extract the comamnd for level 0 and run it...
> > > 
> > > Check your version of gtar.
> > > 
> > > Bests,
> > > 
> > > Olivier
> 
> 
> 
> -- 
> Paul Yeatman       (858) 534-9896        pyeatman AT ucsd DOT edu
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-- 
Paul Yeatman       (858) 534-9896        pyeatman AT ucsd DOT edu
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