[net.wanted.sources] tar hack -- multiple tapes

mark@elsie.UUCP (Mark J. Miller) (02/14/85)

Has anybody written a hack (enhancement?) to tar that will allow for
multiple tapes. That is, if tar runs out of tape while writting,
rather than just exiting, it rewinds and asks for a new volume to be
mounted, continuing where it left off (or rather rewritting the file it was
coping when it ran out of tape). This would seem to be a very useful
feature, especially when using tar as a backup for specific directories.

-- 
Mark J. Miller
NIH/NCI/DCE/LEC
UUCP:	decvax!harpo!seismo!elsie!mark
Phone:	(301) 496-5688

chuqui@nsc.UUCP (Chuq Von Rospach) (02/17/85)

In article <5054@elsie.UUCP> mark@elsie.UUCP (Mark J. Miller) writes:
>Has anybody written a hack (enhancement?) to tar that will allow for
>multiple tapes. That is, if tar runs out of tape while writting,
>rather than just exiting, it rewinds and asks for a new volume to be
>mounted, continuing where it left off (or rather rewritting the file it was
>coping when it ran out of tape). This would seem to be a very useful
>feature, especially when using tar as a backup for specific directories.

Not exactly, but I do have a program that sits in front of tar and feeds it
filenames, interacting with an operator to swap tapes when it thinks the
tape is almost full. Its main purpose is to keep tar from ever reaching
EOT. A side benefit is that it can do incremental backups as well. Let me
know if you're interested, or I'll post the thing again if I get enough
requests.

chuq

-- 
From left field, near the warning track:          Chuq Von Rospach
{cbosgd,fortune,hplabs,ihnp4,seismo}!nsc!chuqui   nsc!chuqui@decwrl.ARPA

Even though a poem be a thousand words, but made up of senseless words, one word
of a poem is better, which if a man hears, he becomes quiet. --The Dhammapada

percy@amdcad.UUCP (Percy Irani) (02/20/85)

> In article <5054@elsie.UUCP> mark@elsie.UUCP (Mark J. Miller) writes:
> >Has anybody written a hack (enhancement?) to tar that will allow for
> know if you're interested, or I'll post the thing again if I get enough
> requests.
> 
> chuq
> 
Yes I'd like a copy too!!
Thanks in advance.

	{ihnp4,gatech,amd}!amdcad!percy