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From: palkovic@fnalad.bitnet
Newsgroups: comp.sys.sun
Subject: tar & mt problems
Keywords: Software
Message-ID: <2771@brazos.Rice.edu>
Date: 30 Oct 89 22:33:20 GMT
Sender: root@rice.edu
Organization: Sun-Spots
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Approved: Sun-Spots@rice.edu
X-Sun-Spots-Digest: Volume 8, Issue 184, message 18 of 19

Environment: Sun 4/110 & 4/260 running SunOS 4.0.1.

I am tearing my hair out trying to read a tar format 1/4" cartridge
tape that was handed to me.  It contains some software that was purchased
last year.  I am trying to finish the installation.  According to the
label on the tape there are three files.  I need to do a "tar xvpf" on the
3rd file.  So I use

example% mt -f /dev/nrst8 rew

and then 

example% mt -f /dev/nrst8 fsf 2

which should position the tape at the beginning of the third file,
according to theory ( mt man page).  Unfortunately when I enter

example% tar xvpf /dev/nrst8

tar begins extracting the files from the first tarfile on the tape.

Is this a bug in mt or tar?

John Palkovic
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Dept. of Physics
and
Fermilab, Batavia, IL
phonenet:       (312) 840-2374
Email addresses
bitnet:         palkovic@fnalad , palkovic@fnal
decnet:		ALMOND::PALKOVIC , FNAL::PALKOVIC
internet:	palkovic@linac.fnal.gov (not guaranteed)