Distribute System from non-Symbolics?

["Eric S. Crawley" <ESC@STONY-BROOK.SCRC.SYMBOLICS.COM>]

    Date: Thu, 22 Jun 89 17:29:36 EDT
    From: sterling@cs.nyu.edu (John Sterling)


    Hi.  We are unsuccessful at writing a distribution tape that includes
    files stored on our Suns.  The Distribute System framework has no
    difficulty generating the plan, but when it goes to write the files,
    any file on the Sun results in an error as follows:

     Error: Can't find a length property for PROTEUS:BASICS;FOOBAR.LISP.NEWEST.  
     The file is probably an opaque link.

    Have we overlooked something in the Host entry for the Sun?  Are
    unix42 based files unacceptable for writing Distribution tapes?

If the only path to the Sun over TCP-FTP, you will not be able to use it
for system distribution.  TCP-FTP does not provide a reliable way to
obtain file properties such as length.  If you have NFS running on the
Sun and the Lispm, then you can distribute systems stored on the Sun.