Newsgroups: comp.unix.i386
Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!sharkey!msuinfo!frith!jhl
From: jhl@frith.uucp (John Lawitzke)
Subject: Re: Archive Tapes
Message-ID: <1990May2.113532.26951@msuinfo.cl.msu.edu>
Sender: news@msuinfo.cl.msu.edu
Organization: Michigan State University
References: <29490@cup.portal.com>
Date: Wed, 2 May 90 11:35:32 GMT

From article <29490@cup.portal.com>, by Dante_A_Nicolello@cup.portal.com:
> Problem two:
>         When the tape reaches the end of the cartridge, not the end of the
> current track, unix produces a "write() error" instead of prompting
> me to switch tapes.

tar and cpio have no idea how long or how dense your tape is. They
assume you will not attempt to write more to tape than it can hold. If
you use the backup program you can specifiy density and length so the
program knows when it needs to prompt for a new tape.

One solution is find the source to pdtar and hack it to prompt for a new
tape at the necessary point.

--
j                               |%|John Lawitzke, Dale Computer Corp., R&D
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Inquiring minds just wondering. |%|Internet: jhl@frith.egr.msu.edu