Path: utzoo!attcan!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!purdue!gatech!emcard!stiatl!rsiatl!jgd
From: jgd@rsiatl.UUCP (John G. De Armond)
Newsgroups: comp.unix.questions
Subject: Re: saving directories when they don't fit on 1 tape
Keywords: multi-volume tar, archive
Message-ID: <228@rsiatl.UUCP>
Date: 4 Oct 89 09:13:59 GMT
References: <1454@mdbs.UUCP> <895@kcdev.UUCP> <1220@virtech.UUCP>
Reply-To: jgd@rsiatl.UUCP (John G. De Armond)
Organization: Radiation Systems, Inc. (a thinktank, motorcycle, car and gun works facility)
Lines: 30

In article <1220@virtech.UUCP> cpcahil@virtech.UUCP (Conor P. Cahill) writes:
>
>Cpio does not allow this.  You must enter the name of the output device for
>each follow on tape. This is the most agravating feature of any unix utility
>that I use.   Invariably I will absent mindedly hit just a return on the 12th
>diskette and have to remake the entire set.
>
>I would prefer the mechanism that you specify or at least a mechanism that
>requires a confirmation that you wish to abort the archiving.
>

Wrong.  If you will read the fine print while you are RTFM, you will note
that this mode of operation only happens when you redirect the output
of cpio to a tape device.  If  you instead use the -O option to tell
cpio what device to use, it will happily continue using the same device.
A command line like:

cpio -oO /dev/tape ... 

will do exactly what you want.  

Disclaimer:  I know this works on Microport, Interactive, Convergent
and AT&T 3b2xxx systems.  Your results may vary.


John
-- 
John De Armond, WD4OQC                     | Manual? ... What manual ?!? 
Radiation Systems, Inc.     Atlanta, GA    | This is Unix, My son, You 
gatech!stiatl!rsiatl!jgd  **I am the NRA** | just GOTTA Know!!!