Table of Contents

File Checksums

A checksum (or hash) is a datum computed from digital data to verify the integrity of that data. Typically you use a program to calculate the checksum of a file. Then after this file has been transmitted to another location, the same checksum algorithm is used to compute the checksum there. If the two checksums are the same, it is unlikely that the data has been changed during transmission or in other ways.

You should use SHA2 checksums, specifically sha512 (to keep things simple), in case of submission problems, etc., as described in the Submission Guide. Alternatively, you can also use SHA3 or an OpenPGP file signature with your key published to the OpenPGP key servers. For other checksums, please first check with the project coordinator.

PATS at some places still uses MD5 or SHA1 checksums due to legacy reasons. These can be used to verify that there were no accidental transmission errors but are otherwise deprecated. They cannot be used to verify that offline archives have been transmitted before the deadline as they are cryptographically broken. Note that PATS modifies some files after submission (files in the document section are specially processed and changed, and some archive files are converted to zip for compatibility).

Creating SHA2 Checksums

Creating SHA1 Checksums (deprecated)

Creating MD5 Checksums (deprecated)