# Malformed ExternalProject grep command in AIX nightly build

**URL:** https://discourse.cmake.org/t/malformed-externalproject-grep-command-in-aix-nightly-build/1262
**Category:** Development
**Created:** [May 23, 2020, 2:07pm UTC](https://discourse.cmake.org/t/malformed-externalproject-grep-command-in-aix-nightly-build/1262 "2020-05-23T14:07:24Z")
**Posts on this page:** 1
**Showing post:** 1

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### Author: ![craig.scott](https://discourse.cmake.org/user_avatar/discourse.cmake.org/craig.scott/32/20_2.png) [@craig.scott](https://discourse.cmake.org/u/craig.scott)
#### Post date: [May 23, 2020, 2:07pm UTC](https://discourse.cmake.org/t/malformed-externalproject-grep-command-in-aix-nightly-build/1262/1 "2020-05-23T14:07:24Z")

</div>

I noticed the output below in the [test log](https://open.cdash.org/testDetails.php?test=885704030&build=6547048) for the `ExternalProject` test case on one of the nightly build AIX machines. I can’t see where the malformed `grep` command could be coming from. @chuckatkins @ben.boeckel would either of you be able to take a look at the files involved on that machine?

```nohighlight
[20%] Creating directories for 'TS1-GIT-RECURSIVE_SUBMODULES-off'
[20%] Performing download step (git clone) for 'TS1-GIT-RECURSIVE_SUBMODULES-off'
-- Avoiding repeated git clone, stamp file is up to date: '/home/atkins3/Dashboards/CMake/Builds/GCC_7.2.0/CMake-build/Tests/ExternalProject/CMakeExternals/Stamp/TS1-GIT-RECURSIVE_SUBMODULES-off/TS1-GIT-RECURSIVE_SUBMODULES-off-gitclone-lastrun.txt'
[20%] Performing update step for 'TS1-GIT-RECURSIVE_SUBMODULES-off'
grep: illegal option -- a
usage: grep [-r] [-R] [-H] [-L] [-E|-F] [-c|-l|-q] [-insvxbhwyu] [-p[parasep]] -e pattern_list...
	[-f pattern_file...] [file...]
usage: grep [-E|-F] [-c|-l|-q] [-insvxbhwyu] [-p[parasep]] [-e pattern_list...]
	-f pattern_file... [file...]
usage: grep [-E|-F] [-c|-l|-q] [-insvxbhwyu] [-p[parasep]] pattern_list [file...]
Current branch master is up to date.
[20%] No patch step for 'TS1-GIT-RECURSIVE_SUBMODULES-off'
[20%] Performing configure step for 'TS1-GIT-RECURSIVE_SUBMODULES-off'
-- Configuring done
-- Generating done
-- Build files have been written to: /home/atkins3/Dashboards/CMake/Builds/GCC_7.2.0/CMake-build/Tests/ExternalProject/CMakeExternals/Build/TS1-GIT-RECURSIVE_SUBMODULES-off
[22%] No build step for 'TS1-GIT-RECURSIVE_SUBMODULES-off'
[25%] No install step for 'TS1-GIT-RECURSIVE_SUBMODULES-off'
[25%] Completed 'TS1-GIT-RECURSIVE_SUBMODULES-off'
[25%] Built target TS1-GIT-RECURSIVE_SUBMODULES-off

```

Strangely, it doesn’t seem to be causing the update command to fail, which seems like a bug too. That’s a separate issue, but if you happen to work out why that is while looking for the malformed grep command, that would also be helpful.

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_[View the full topic](https://discourse.cmake.org/t/malformed-externalproject-grep-command-in-aix-nightly-build/1262)._