troubleshooting tape

On Sun, 9 Nov 2003, der.hans wrote:

> Am 08. Nov, 2003 schwätzte Bob Holtzman so:
>
> > [root@localhost /]# tar cvf /home /dev/ht0
> > tar: /home: Cannot open: Is a directory
>
> This is still backwards.

I can't believe I did that again.

>
> tar cvf /dev/ht0 /home

When I tried it the right way I got:

[root@localhost /]# tar cvf /dev/ht0 /home
tar: Removing leading `/' from member names
home/
home/lost+found/
home/holtzm/
home/holtzm/.kde/
home/holtzm/.kde/Autostart/
home/holtzm/.kde/Autostart/Autorun.desktop
home/holtzm/.kde/Autostart/.directory
home/holtzm/.kde/share/
home/holtzm/.kde/share/config/
home/holtzm/.kde/share/config/session/
home/holtzm/.kde/share/config/session/konqueror_117f000001000105410299000000011010027
home/holtzm/.kde/share/config/kwinrc
home/holtzm/.kde/share/config/kconf_updaterc
tar: /dev/ht0: Wrote only 0 of 10240 bytes
tar: Error is not recoverable: exiting now

>
> You're first post had the order correct, but /root/home doesn't exist and
> you wanted /home.
>
> > [root@localhost holtzm]# mt -f /dev/ht0 status
> > SCSI 2 tape drive:
> > File number=0, block number=0, partition=0.
> > Tape block size 22790 bytes. Density code 0x0 (default).
> > Soft error count since last status=0
> > General status bits on (0):
>
> Normally you get some stuff on the last line all in CAPS.

What I pasted is all I got.

>
> Look at www.LinuxTapeCert.org for more help on using tapes with Linux.
>
> http://www.linuxtapecert.org/ATAPI.html
>

This link gave me a blank screen whether I accessed it directly or thru
www.LinuxTapeCert.org. I'll try tomorrow and if no luck I'll try to
contact the web master.

> I believe that will allow you to access the tape as a SCSI device at
> /dev/nst0 and /dev/st0. That's a much better way of going right now.
>

The only reason I stuck with ATAPI is that my last 2 drives, hp 5 and 20
Gb, have worked flawlessly.

> BTW, if you just bought this and can still take it back please do. Look at
> the OnStream drives instead. Similar costs ( a little less expensive for
> equivalent drives ), but more reliable. I also suggest sporting the extra $$
> to go SCSI.

I may wind up doing that. Thanks to all that replied.

-- 
Bob Holtzman
"Your email is being read by hundreds of uptight agents
who never saw the humor in Dr. Strangelove."
                                           Mark Russell