Verifying MD5 Hash Values

You can check the file integrity by comparing the hash value of the file. If you install a program file that is corrupted or infected by malicious software, it can cause unexpected results. In most operating systems, you can use Message Digest Algorithm 5 or MD5 and see the file hash value in 32 hexadecimal numbers.

In this section, assume that you downloaded a file, DPX_r480_linux.iso, from the Catalogic MySupport website. In the product site, you see the original MD5 hash value, be0ee02e5bf8244332f74609091bbd8b, and you want to compare the MD5 hash value of yours.

Getting the MD5 hash values on Linux

In Linux, you can use the md5sum command to get the MD5 hash value of files:

$ md5sum DPX_r480_linux.iso
be0ee02e5bf8244332f74609091bbd8b DPX_r480_linux.iso`

Getting the MD5 hash value on Microsoft Windows

In Microsoft Windows, you can use the Get-FileHash command on Microsoft Windows PowerShell or Microsoft PowerShell. In the command, add the -Algorithm MD5 option to set the algorithm to MD5:

PS> Get-FileHash -Algorithm MD5 DPX_r480_linux.iso

Algorithm Hash                             Path
--------- ----                             ----
MD5       BE0EE02E5BF8244332F74609091BBD8B C:\Users\dee\Desktop\DPX_r480_linu...`