TAPE(C) XENIX System V TAPE(C)
Name
tape, mcart - Magnetic tape maintenance program.
Syntax
tape [ -csf8i ] [ -a arg ] command [ device ]
mcart command [ device ]
Description
tape sends commands to and receives status from the tape
subsystem. tape can communicate with QIC-02 cartridge tape
drives, SCSI tape drives, and QIC-40, QIC-80 and Irwin
mini-cartridge tape drives. (The mcart program is
automatically invoked by tape when options specific to the
Irwin driver are used.)
tape reads /etc/default/tape to find the default device name
for sending commands and receiving status. For example, the
following line in /etc/default/tape will cause tape to
communicate with the QIC-02 cartridge tape device:
device = /dev/xct0
If a device name is specified on the command line, it
overrides the default device. tape queries the device to
determine its device type. If the device does not respond
to the query, for example if the cartridge tape driver is
from an earlier release, tape will print a warning message
and assume the device is a QIC-02 cartridge tape.
You can explicitly specify the type of the device by using
the device type flags, as follows:
-c QIC-02 cartridge tape
-s SCSI tape
-f QIC-40 mini-cartridge tape
-8 QIC-80 mini-cartridge tape
-i Irwin mini-cartridge tape
The -a flag allows you to pass an argument to commands that
can use them. The only command that currently can take an
argument is the format command, and a format argument is
only valid with QIC-40 and QIC-80 tape drives.
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The following commands can be used with the various tape
drivers supported under The letters following each
description indicate which drivers support each command:
A All drivers
C QIC-02 cartridge tape driver
S SCSI tape driver
F QIC-40 and QIC-80 mini-cartridge tape drivers
I Irwin mini-cartridge tape driver
amount
Report amount of data in current or last transfer.
(C,S,F)
erase
Erase and retension the tape cartridge. (C,S,F)
load Loads the tape cartridge. (S)
reset
Reset tape controller and tape drive. Clears error
conditions and returns tape subsystem to power-up
state. (C,S,F)
reten
Retension tape cartridge. Should be used periodically
to remedy slack tape problems. Tape slack can cause an
unusually large number of tape errors. (A)
rewind
Rewind to beginning of tape. (A)
status
The status output looks like this:
status: status message
soft errors: n
underruns: m
status message is a report of the current status of the
drive; ``no cartridge,'' ``write protected,'' or
``beginning of tape'' are typical status messages.
soft errors is the number of recoverable errors that
occurred during the last tape operation. A recoverable
error is one which is correctable by the drive or
controller. An example of a non-recoverable ``hard''
error is an attempt to write to a write-protected
cartridge. Note that if the number of soft errors
greatly exceeds the manufacturer's specifications, the
drive may require service or replacement, or you may be
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TAPE(C) XENIX System V TAPE(C)
using defective tape.
underruns is the number of times the tape drive had to
stop and restart due to tape buffer underflows.
Underruns are not errors, but an indication that the
data transfer did not occur at the drive's maximum data
transfer rate. The number of underruns can be affected
by system load. (C,S,F)
unload
Unloads the tape cartridge. (S)
format
Format the tape cartridge. Floppy controller-based
tapes must be formatted before they can be used. This
command takes approximately one minute per megabyte of
tape capacity. If an argument is provided with the -a
flag, the number of tracks specified by the argument
will be formatted. Only even numbers less than or
equal to the number of tracks on the tape are allowed.
(See tape(HW) for more information.) If no argument is
given, the entire tape will be formatted. Preformatted
tapes are available and are highly recommended. They
are more reliable than user-formatted tapes. Before
reformatting a used tape, it must be erased with a bulk
eraser. Proper use of a bulk eraser is essential;
refer to the documentation for the bulk eraser before
attempting to use it. (F,I)
getbb
Prints a list of bad tape blocks detected during the
last tape operation. This listing can be saved in a
file for use by the putbb command. (F)
putbb
Reads a list of bad tape blocks from the standard input
and adds them to the bad block table on the tape. The
format expected by putbb is the same as generated by
the getbb command. (F)
rfm Wind tape forward to the next file mark. (C,S)
wfm Write a file mark at the current tape position. (C,S)
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TAPE(C) XENIX System V TAPE(C)
Irwin-specific Commands
The following commands are all specific to Irwin drives.
drive
displays information about the Irwin driver and the
tape drive. An example display is:
Special file: /dev/rctmini
Driver version: 1.0.6a
Drive type: 285XL
Drive firmware: A0
Controller type: SYSFDC
Unit select (0-3): 3
Special file is the name of the special file used to
access the driver.
Driver version is the version of the driver linked with
the kernel.
Drive type is an ``equivalent'' tape drive model number
as determined by the MC driver. Since the exact model
number of the tape drive depends on the drive's form
factor and whether the drive is mounted in its own
cabinet, the equivalent model number may not be the
exact model of the installed tape drive. The following
is a list of equivalent drives:
110: 110, 310, 410
120[XL]: 120, 220, 320, 420, 720, 2020
125: 125, 225, 325, 425, 725
145[XL]: 145, 245, 345, 445, 745, 2040
165: 165, 265, 465, 765
285XL: 285, 485, 785, 2080
287XL: 287, 487, 787, 2120
The brackets in the 120[XL] and 145[XL] mean the
letters ``XL'' may or may not be present. When the
letters ``XL'' appear, the drive is capable of servo
writing extra long (i.e., 307.5 foot DC2120) tapes.
Note: When this field displays ``125/145,'' either a
125 drive or an early model 145 drive with a DC1000 is
present, the driver can't distinguish between the two.
A 125 drive will only accept a DC1000 cartridge (a
DC2000 or DC2120 will not fit). A 145 drive will
accommodate DC1000, DC2000, or DC2120 cartridges.
Drive firmware is the firmware part number and revision
level. This line is present only for drives which
report this information.
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Controller type: is a mnemonic for the floppy
controller to which the tape drive is attached:
Mnemonic Description
_________________________________________________
SYSFDC System floppy controller
ALTFDC Alternate floppy controller
4100MC Irwin 4100MC Micro Channel controller
4100MCB Second 4100MC Micro Channel controller
4100 Irwin 4100 PC Bus controller
4100B Second 4100 PC Bus controller
Unit select (0-3) gives the controller's unit select,
in the range 0 through 3. The unit select selects the
drive.
info displays Irwin cartridge information. For example:
Cartridge state: Formatted
Cartridge format: 145
Write protect slider position: RECORD
Cartridge state is the current state of the cartridge's
format.
Cartridge format indicates the format on the
cartridge's tape. The format is given in a code which
is the same as the drive model on which the cartridge
was originally formatted (see drive and tape(HW) for
details). When the cartridge is blank, the code has the
format which would be applied by the format command.
Write protect slider position is RECORD or PROTECT.
capacity
cartridge capacity in 512-byte blocks.
kapacity
cartridge capacity in 1024-byte blocks.
These two commands give the total usable data storage
capacity of a formatted tape cartridge. Variations in
cartridge capacity are due to differing numbers of bad
blocks.
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Files
/dev/rStp0 /dev/rct0 /dev/erct0 /dev/rmc1
/dev/nrStp0 /dev/nrct0 /dev/xct0 /dev/mcdaemon
/dev/xStp0 /dev/rct2 /dev/rctmini
/dev/rft0 /dev/nrct2 /dev/xctmini
/dev/xft0 /dev/xct0 /dev/rmc0
/etc/default/tape
Include files:
/usr/include/sys/tape.h
/usr/include/sys/ct.h
/usr/include/sys/ft.h
/usr/include/sys/ir.h
See Also
backup(ADM), cpio(C), dd(C), restore(ADM), tape(HW), tar(C),
mcdaemon(F)
Notes
See tape(HW) and your Release Notes for a list of supported
tape drives.
The amount and reset commands can be used while the tape is
busy with other operations. All other commands wait until
the currently executing command has been completed before
proceeding.
When you are using the non-rewinding tape device or the tape
commands rfm and wfm, the tape drive light remains on after
the command has been completed, indicating that more
operations may be performed on the tape. The tape rewind
command may be used to clear this condition.
For more information on devicefiles, (listed above), see the
tape(HW) manual page.
The amount command doesn't work with QIC-40 mini-cartridge
tape devices.
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