taped(1M)
NAME
taped − allocate magnetic tape drives
SYNOPSIS
/usr/lib/taped [-a acctfile] [-c configfile] [-d check_time] [-r remind_time] [-t device]
DESCRIPTION
tape(1) arbitrates requests for tape drives among several competing users. For a request to complete, the tape drive must be put online with the proper write-ring status. When a request is satisfied, all special device files for the allocated device will be owned by the requesting user to prevent use by others.
taped is the daemon process for tape drive allocation, and must be invoked by the super-user. It is suggested that taped be included in the /etc/rc file for automatic execution at each boot. taped will automatically place itself into the background and disassociate itself from the process group, in a manner similar to /usr/lib/lpsched.
As users request tapes, taped will print operational messages to a device. The default is /dev/syscon, but another device may be specified with the -t device option. It is assumed that this device is near the tape drive, and that system operators will be monitoring this device for tape requests. When a tape is requested of the operator, taped will wait until the tape drive goes offline, then back online with the proper write-ring installation before allowing the user program to continue processing.
Messages displayed upon the message terminal that require operator action will be repeated every remind_time seconds. The default value for remind_time is 300. When a tape mount is pending, the drive will be tested periodically to see if the tape has been mounted. At present, this test causes a message to be displayed upon the system console if the drive is offline. The -d option allows the system administrator to set the time (in seconds) between drive tests, and consequently between console messages. The default value is 15 seconds.
LOGGING AND ACCOUNTING
taped will log all tape mounts/unmounts to the system log file (see syslog(3). The log facility “LOG_DAEMON” will be used, with a priority of “LOG_INFO”.
Tape requests, mounts, and unmounts are also written to an accounting file (default /usr/adm/acct/nite/magtape, which may be specified with the -a option). The date/time, “sequence number”, requesting user, write ring requirement, tapename, and device allocated are recorded. The sequence number may be used to associate the tape mount records with the corresponding tape unmount records.
AUTHORIZED USERS
If /etc/tape.d/tape.allow exists, only the users listed within tape.allow are allowed to request tapes. If tape.allow does not exist, all users not listed in the file /etc/tape.d/tape.deny may request tapes. If neither file exists, only root may request tapes. Note that creation of an empty tape.deny file will allow any user on the system to use tape.
CONFIGURATION
Unless a different filename is specified with the -c filename option, taped reads the disk area /etc/tape.d/tape.config to determine the configuration of tape drives taped is responsible for allocating.
The configuration file contains zero or more records of the format:
type=modellist bpi=bpilist [manual] [attributes=site_attributes]
These lines define “classes” of attributes that characterize a specified type of tape drive. The keyword type must be the first parameter on the line, and all other parameters are separated by white space. The modellist value may be any comma-delimited list of alphanumeric strings, although is it recommended that this field be used to list valid Harris tape drive model numbers. The bpilist is a comma-delimited list of densities supported by the tape drive. Each density specified should be either 800, 1600, 3200, or 6250. The parameter manual indicates that the density on the tape drive must be set manually on the device. Other site-specific attributes may be specified for the type simply by specifying a comma-delimited list of alphanumeric strings with the attributes parameter.
Following the type specifications, one or more records defining the actual devices may be specified. These records have the format:
drive=nn [type=modelno] [bpi=bpilist] [manual] [attributes=site_attributes]
The decimal number specified with the drive parameter is the “unit number” of the tape drive, and is a mandatory value. The supported densities, manual density flag, and site specific attributes are specified in the same fashion as for the type definitions, and are all optional parameters. If a model number is specified by the type parameter, the list of model numbers is searched, and all characteristics of appropriate type are applied to the device. Specification of the supported densities for a tape drive is required, although this may be fufilled by a bpi parameter on either the drive definition or the type definition.
Within the configuration file, blank lines and lines beginning with a “#” are treated as a comments.
EXAMPLE CONFIGURATION FILE
The following is a sample configuration file:
#
# Tape drives for the HCX.
#
type=6330,6331 bpi=1600
type=6350,6351 bpi=1600
type=6740,6741 bpi=1600,6250
type=telexshamrock bpi=800,1600,6250 manual
drive=0 type=telexshamrock
drive=1 type=6331
SECURITY FEATURES
The following security features are in effect on systems running CX/SX configured to B1 security.
All user accessible tapes are listed in a system tape library (/mls/tapelib). The tape library is a list of unique tapename and label pairs that are associated with (optional) operator defined unique library identification strings, and unique system generated tape identification strings (tapeids). The tapeids consist of random alphanumeric characters prepended with the first five characters of the system hostname.
A user request to mount a tape will fail without a corresponding entry existing in the tape library; unless the user is a member of the secadm (security administrator) group and is operating at system high. This exception is provided to give security administrators the ability to mount and inspect tapes foreign to the host system.
The format of the tape library file is "tapename:label:tapeid string:optional library id string". The following is a sample tape library file:
alpha:L1.2:sx1abcd4
beta:L5.3:sx1r3dk3:location_X
gamma:L1.2:sx132kdl:location_Y
beta:L1.2:sx154345
BUGS
When taped is started, it retypes all drives to be owned by root. Processes using tape drives at that time may experience failures. Furthermore, the tape drive may then be allocated to other processes while the original processes are still running.
FILES
/usr/bin/tape User utility to request tapes.
/usr/lib/taped Daemon for request arbitration.
/etc/tape.d/tape.allow Optional list of user’s allowed access.
/etc/tape.d/tape.deny Optional list of user’s denied access.
/etc/tape.d/tape.config Default tape drive configuration file
/usr/adm/acct/nite/magtape
Default accounting file.
SEE ALSO
CX/UX Administrator’s Reference Manual