How can I validate the file hashes / checksum values for a file I downloaded ?

How can I validate the file hashes / checksum values for a file I downloaded ?

Problem:  How do I validate a file that I have downloaded is the same as what the vendor uploaded to their site ? 

Many sites publish a hash / checksum for files you download.  These can be MD5, SHA-1, SHA256 or SHA512 and each is a string of numbers/letters that make up a unique "fingerprint" of the file downloaded.  The vendor creates the hash / checksum when they upload it and publish it.  When the customer downloads it, they can validate what they downloaded was the exact same file that the publisher uploaded.


Prerequisite(s):
  • Downloaded file
  • MD5 / SHA-1 / SHA256 hash from vendor.
  • Operating system tool that supports generating hash values.

Solutions:  

Each operating system has many different programs for checking/calculating this.  Windows has a utility built in called certutil and it is run from the cmd prompt.

If you downloaded a program from a site and it said the SHA256 hash was 
9626924B54A120182EFD3612554400145B8BA508B4144E95AB3C14FC1F69B7D9

you would type :

certutil -hashfile myfile.exe SHA256 

It may take a few seconds based on your computer speed, but it will show the hash for the file you downloaded.  If it matches what the vendor says then you know you have the exact file the vendor created and it was not modified at all.

Here is an example : 

C:\>certutil -hashfile webNetwork_6.3.0.198-64-Win.exe SHA256
SHA256 hash of file webNetwork_6.3.0.198-64-Win.exe:
96 26 92 4b 54 a1 20 18 2e fd 36 12 55 44 00 14 5b 8b a5 08 b4 14 4e 95 ab 3c 14 fc 1f 69 b7 d9
CertUtil: -hashfile command completed successfully.

Another example : 
C:\>powershell get-filehash -algorithm sha256 webNetwork_6.3.0.198-64-win.exe
Algorithm   Hash         
SHA256          9626924B54A120182EFD3612554400145B8BA508B4144E95AB3C14FC1F69B7D9      


Similar command exist for other operating systems.

On Mac OSX / linux you can type :

md5 filename.ext
shasum -a 1 filename.ext
shasum -a 256 filename.ext




    Can't find the KB

    Unable to find the KB to address your issue ?  

      • Recent Articles

      • Lenovo Unified Workspace End-of-Life Questions and Answers

        Will the shutdown of LUW servers and access to downloads affect my server licensing? No, the shutdown of the customer servers and access to the product and licensing downloads will not affect your server licensing. This license is downloaded and ...

      • How do I determine my Unified Workspace license expiration date?

        The best method for determining the licensing information including the expiration date of your Unified Workspace license: Login to your 8090 management console on each server This may take remoting into each LUW server and relay, opening a browser, ...

      • Lenovo Unified Workspace 7.0.2.13 Released

        Highlights of Unified Workspace 7.0.2.13 Before you install: Please view the installation notes here. 7.0.2.13 requires a 7.0 license file. Below is a list of enhancements and fixes released in Unified Workspace 7.0.2.13 Fixed external storage ...

      • LanSchool Documentation Guides

        LanSchool Classic Teacher Console The LanSchool Teacher Console is the interface teachers will use to manage their classroom and students. It contains all the tools necessary for a teacher to effectively interact with students and create a ...

      • Lenovo Unified Workspace 7.0.1.41 Released

        Highlights of Unified Workspace 7.0.1.41 Before you install: Please view the installation notes here. 7.0.1.41 requires a 7.0 license file. Below is a list of enhancements and fixes for Unified Workspace 7.0.1.41 Updated Log4j Updated Java Updated ...

      • Related Articles

      • lbOrphan utility to remove orphaned lockbox values

        Attached is a little JSP utility that you can use to remove any lockbox values that have been orphaned. In the JSP, just add the index name you want to remove on the line that says: String indexName = "..... enter the index name here ...."; Then log ...

      • Debug CIFS file nodes

        ** Test with the Net use command ** From the main stoneware server go to a cmd prompt and type : ping server      Where server = the server name that holds the share. Make sure the ip number that comes back is the proper ip number then do a : ping -a ...

      • File downloads being blocked as dangerous

        Issue webNetworkSlingshot.exe and/or webPass.exe installers are being blocked by Chrome and/or Firefox. Chrome explicitly states there is an issue with downloading the file in the browser's Status Bar. Firefox is not quite as explicit.  It subtly ...

      • excludeProtocols - includeProtocols - allowCiphers - denyCiphers config file Legacy Configuration

        As of release 6.5.8.28, UW now supports TLS version 1.3.  For customers running UW 6.5.8.28, and higher, we recommend the following configuration. For customers running older releases of UW, the following configurations are still applicable. Starting ...

      • Hide file service node

        How can I give access to a file service node to users but not have it show up in file services? Remove the BROWSE right from the node and it will not show up in file services but the user will still have access.