rtape(1) CLIX rtape(1)
NAME
rtape - Runs a remote tape drive
SYNOPSIS
rtape host tape-device command [count]
DESCRIPTION
The rtape command performs a variety of functions on a remote tape. The
only requirements of the remote system are that the tape is physically
mounted on the tape drive and the tape drive is online.
The host argument is the name or address of the machine where the tape
drive resides. The tape-device argument is the name of the tape drive on
the host machine. If tape-device is a CLIX nonrewindable device, the tape
will not rewind after the command is completed.
The count argument is the size (in 512-byte blocks) of write operations
and the number of files or records in skip operations. By default, the
block size is set to 20, and the number of files or records to be skipped
is one.
The rtape command uses stdin and stdout, so common tape commands such as
tar and cpio can be used.
The following commands may be used:
read Read the tape until an end-of-file mark is found and then
rewind the tape unless a no-rewind device is specified. (The
count argument is ignored).
write Write the tape. If count is specified, count blocks are
written. Two end-of-file marks are written to the tape when
the write terminates and the tape rewinds unless a no-rewind
device is specified.
read_nrw Read the tape until an end-of-file mark is found, but do not
rewind the tape. (The count argument is ignored).
write_nrw Write the tape. If count is specified, count blocks are
written. Two end-of-file marks are written to the tape when
the write terminates, and the tape will be positioned between
these two marks.
rew Rewind the tape. (The count argument is ignored).
fsf Forward skip count files on the tape.
fsr Forward skip count records on the tape.
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rtape(1) CLIX rtape(1)
bsf Backward skip count files on the tape.
bsr Backward skip count records on the tape.
eof Write one end-of-file mark on the tape.
erase Erase the tape from the current position onward. (This
feature is not supported on most tape controllers.)
examine Examine the tape, reporting the size of records and tape marks
encountered. If count is zero, the tape is read until it is
interrupted or the physical end-of-tape is encountered. If
count is one, the tape is read until a single end-of-file mark
is encountered and then rewound. If count is two or omitted,
the tape is read until a double end-of-file (end-of-tape) is
encountered.
The read_nrw and write_nrw commands are not supported on CLIX host
machines. The read and write commands should be used instead with a no-
rewind tape-device specified.
EXAMPLES
All examples assume a machine named ipro3 with a tape drive attached to
/dev/rmt/mt5.
1. To make a tar tape:
tar cvf - . | rtape ipro3 /dev/rmt/mt5 write
2. To read a tar tape:
rtape ipro3 /dev/rmt/mt5 read | tar xvf -
3. To make a cpio tape:
find . -print | cpio -ovB | rtape ipro3 /dev/rmt/mt5 write 10
4. To read a cpio tape:
rtape ipro3 /dev/rmt/mt5 read | cpio -ivdumB
If /dev/rmt/mt5n is used, the tape will not rewind. This will allow for
multiple archives on the same tape.
NOTES
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rtape(1) CLIX rtape(1)
Since this command uses a network, the remote system controls the tape.
If the command is interrupted, the remote system attempts to recover.
However, sometimes the recovery may be slow.
CAUTIONS
Some commands are not supported by all tape drives.
Some newer tape drives are not supported.
RELATED INFORMATION
Commands: cpio(1), rtc(1), tar(1)
Files: rtc(7), tc(7)
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