Path: utzoo!attcan!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!usc!gem.mps.ohio-state.edu!ctrsol!emory!stiatl!rsiatl!jgd
From: jgd@rsiatl.UUCP (John G. De Armond)
Newsgroups: comp.unix.i386
Subject: Re: Interactive and tape drives
Message-ID: <397@rsiatl.UUCP>
Date: 29 Oct 89 03:36:20 GMT
References: <387@rsiatl.UUCP> <1989Oct27.184405.3493@rand.org>
Reply-To: jgd@rsiatl.UUCP (John G. De Armond)
Organization: Radiation Systems, Inc. (a thinktank, motorcycle, car and gun works facility)
Lines: 21

In article <1989Oct27.184405.3493@rand.org> edhall@rand.org (Ed Hall) writes:

^This is true for all UNIX systems I know of, including Interactive's:
^the buffered (block) version of a device will not return a reliable
^end-of-media.  You must use the raw (character) device.  It's easy
^to see why--the system can have several buffers already queued when
^the EOM hits.  Even though the user successfully ``wrote'' those
^buffers, they'll never make it onto the tape.
^

100% true.  The problem is that the interactive wantek driver does not
supply a raw interface.  I'm convinced I  have to count bytes to
reliably handle multi-tape volumes.

John


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