[comp.sys.att] 3B1 tape drive problems

rkw@mthvax.cs.miami.edu (Dr. R.K. Wright) (08/15/90)

I am trying to use the tape drive and only have the window type
manual.

Recently Lenny Tropiano wrote that 
tar cvf - . | dbuf -oT25600 /dev/rft3
would work.  It does not for me

dbuf -i /dev/rft3 on a tape prepared from windows gives me what
is on the tape.  Any attempt to do dbuf -o or dbuf -oT25600 give me a
cannot read write error and the light never comes on.

I think perhaps a preliminary step is missing.  Does anyone know the
trick?

It is 3B1 3.51m for those to whom this may make a difference.

Thanks.


uunet!medex2!rkw
rkw@ftl.fl.us

lenny@icus.ICUS.COM (Lenny Tropiano) (08/16/90)

In article <1990Aug15.095735.24252@mthvax.cs.miami.edu> rkw@mthvax.cs.miami.edu 
(Dr. R.K. Wright) writes:
|>I am trying to use the tape drive and only have the window type
|>manual.
|>
|>Recently Lenny Tropiano wrote that 
|>tar cvf - . | dbuf -oT25600 /dev/rft3
|>would work.  It does not for me
|>
|>dbuf -i /dev/rft3 on a tape prepared from windows gives me what
|>is on the tape.  Any attempt to do dbuf -o or dbuf -oT25600 give me a
|>cannot read write error and the light never comes on.
[...]

Well can't say much other than to check the "write protect status" of
the tape.  If the tape is turned to "SAFE" then that's the problem.
I tried the "tar" command and it worked just fine ...

-Lenny

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