norstar@tnl.UUCP (Daniel Ray) (12/18/88)
Hi. I've just installed an Archive 60 Meg internal tape drive in my XENIX
386 2.2.2 system. What I'd like to do is write a tape volume label onto the
header of each tape I use. Then, when I backup the filesystem each day, the
system would read the label and reject writing to the tape if the wrong
volume was inserted. Is there any non-trivial way to do this?
Any advise is much appreciated!
norstar
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{decvax,linus}!dartvax!uvm-gen!tnl!norstar | wnp@dcs.UUCP (Wolf N. Paul) (12/18/88)
In article <188@tnl.UUCP> norstar@tnl.UUCP (Daniel Ray) writes: >Hi. I've just installed an Archive 60 Meg internal tape drive in my XENIX >386 2.2.2 system. What I'd like to do is write a tape volume label onto the >header of each tape I use. Then, when I backup the filesystem each day, the >system would read the label and reject writing to the tape if the wrong >volume was inserted. Is there any non-trivial way to do this? ^^^^^^^^^^^ Actualy, I think you want a trivial way, not a non-trivial (complicated) way :-) Andy Tanenbaum (of MINIX fame) wrote a program called "vol" to make MINIX backups to floppy using tar easier. A day ago or so Nick Andrew posted a revised version of vol which writes a header at the beginning of each volume, to serve just the purpose you cite above, as well as to assure correct sequence in multi-volume backups. The program should still be available in your local comp.os.minix, and should be easy to adapt to almost any version of UNIX/XENIX, and to use with tapes as well as floppies. It really is trivial; all you need to make sure is that all your backups are piped through "vol" to the tape, and reading the tape back, that you let "vol" read the tape and pipe to tar, cpio, or whatever. When writing a backup, "vol" will take care of writing the header before writing your data, and when reading, it will take care to check and discard the header before passing on the backup data. -- Wolf N. Paul * 3387 Sam Rayburn Run * Carrollton TX 75007 * (214) 306-9101 UUCP: killer!dcs!wnp ESL: 62832882 DOMAIN: dcs!wnp@killer.dallas.tx.us TLX: 910-380-0585 EES PLANO UD