When the user has a UID or GID that is larger than the ustar format supports, pax does not error out gracefully in some cases (FC13). In this case cpio does. See for more details: http://debbugs.gnu.org/cgi/bugreport.cgi?bug=8343 Additionally drop tar.m4 out of that part of the Makefile or we end up in a fatal attempt to regen loop: CDPATH="${ZSH_VERSION+.}:" && cd . && perllibdir="automake-1.11.1/lib:./lib" "automake-1.11.1/aclocal" --acdir=m4 -I m4 /bin/sh: automake-1.11.1/aclocal: No such file or directory make: *** [aclocal.m4] Error 127 Upstream-Status: Pending Signed-off-by: Tom Rini Updated for version 1.11.3: Signed-off-by: Nitin A Kamble Date: 2011/03/14 Updated for version 1.13.2: Signed-off-by: Marko Lindqvist diff -Nurd automake-1.13.2/Makefile.in automake-1.13.2/Makefile.in --- automake-1.13.2/Makefile.in 2013-05-15 23:12:58.000000000 +0300 +++ automake-1.13.2/Makefile.in 2013-05-23 02:13:41.364026301 +0300 @@ -141,7 +141,7 @@ $(top_srcdir)/m4/options.m4 $(top_srcdir)/m4/runlog.m4 \ $(top_srcdir)/m4/sanity.m4 $(top_srcdir)/m4/silent.m4 \ $(top_srcdir)/m4/strip.m4 $(top_srcdir)/m4/substnot.m4 \ - $(top_srcdir)/m4/tar.m4 $(top_srcdir)/configure.ac + $(top_srcdir)/configure.ac am__configure_deps = $(am__aclocal_m4_deps) $(CONFIGURE_DEPENDENCIES) \ $(ACLOCAL_M4) am__CONFIG_DISTCLEAN_FILES = config.status config.cache config.log \ diff -Nurd automake-1.13.2/m4/tar.m4 automake-1.13.2/m4/tar.m4 --- automake-1.13.2/m4/tar.m4 2013-05-13 23:12:48.000000000 +0300 +++ automake-1.13.2/m4/tar.m4 2013-05-23 02:13:26.600025805 +0300 @@ -26,7 +26,7 @@ AC_SUBST([AMTAR], ['$${TAR-tar}']) # We'll loop over all known methods to create a tar archive until one works. -_am_tools='gnutar m4_if([$1], [ustar], [plaintar]) pax cpio none' +_am_tools='gnutar m4_if([$1], [ustar], [plaintar]) cpio pax none' m4_if([$1], [v7], [am__tar='$${TAR-tar} chof - "$$tardir"' am__untar='$${TAR-tar} xf -'],