tarfile module fails to correctly parse some .tar.gz archives?!

[gerhardxXx]

BPO	4218
Nosy	@gustaebel, @vstinner
Files	dir.tar.gz: example file that is not correctly processed by tarfile module

^{Note: these values reflect the state of the issue at the time it was migrated and might not reflect the current state.}

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GitHub fields:

assignee = None
closed_at = <Date 2008-10-28.18:19:00.381>
created_at = <Date 2008-10-28.15:12:11.948>
labels = ['extension-modules', 'type-bug']
title = 'tarfile module fails to correctly parse some .tar.gz archives?!'
updated_at = <Date 2008-10-28.18:19:00.372>
user = 'https://bugs.python.org/gerhardxXx'

bugs.python.org fields:

activity = <Date 2008-10-28.18:19:00.372>
actor = 'lars.gustaebel'
assignee = 'none'
closed = True
closed_date = <Date 2008-10-28.18:19:00.381>
closer = 'lars.gustaebel'
components = ['Extension Modules']
creation = <Date 2008-10-28.15:12:11.948>
creator = 'gerhard_xXx'
dependencies = []
files = ['11899']
hgrepos = []
issue_num = 4218
keywords = []
message_count = 3.0
messages = ['75284', '75285', '75300']
nosy_count = 3.0
nosy_names = ['lars.gustaebel', 'vstinner', 'gerhard_xXx']
pr_nums = []
priority = 'normal'
resolution = 'duplicate'
stage = None
status = 'closed'
superseder = None
type = 'behavior'
url = 'https://bugs.python.org/issue4218'
versions = ['Python 2.4']

[gerhardxXx]

hi,

seems like tarfile module for python 2.4 is broken.
If I open the attached dir.tar.gz (tried it on different machines) then
tarfile module only displays a part of the contents.

what I did:
>>> import tarfile
>>> f = tarfile.open('dir.tar.gz','r:gz')
>>> f.getnames()

getnames() only returns the files/directories in the dir.tar.gz that
start with letter "a-j" and skips the rest???!!

cheers gerhard

More info (I have debian etch installation):
Python 2.4.4 (#2, Apr 16 2008, 17:58:59)
[GCC 4.1.2 20061115 (prerelease) (Debian 4.1.1-21)] on linux2

$ tar --version
tar (GNU tar) 1.16
Copyright (C) 2006 Free Software Foundation, Inc.

[vstinner]

The bug is fixed in Python 2.5. Since Python 2.6 was released the 1st
October, why not upgrading to 2.6 or at least 2.5?

[gustaebel]

This is a known bug in Python 2.4's tarfile version (cp. bpo-1509889
and bpo-1719898). It was fixed in Python 2.5. Thank you anyway for your
report.