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From: eric@egsner.cirr.com (Eric Schnoebelen)
Newsgroups: comp.std.unix
Subject: Re: Standards Update, IEEE 1003.1: System services interface
Summary: ANSI tape, tar, cpio
Message-ID: <773@longway.TIC.COM>
Date: 3 Jul 90 04:44:27 GMT
References: <385@usenix.ORG> <754@longway.TIC.COM> <767@longway.TIC.COM>
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Approved: jsq@longway.tic.com (Moderator, John S. Quarterman)

From:  eric@egsner.cirr.com (Eric Schnoebelen)

In article <767@longway.TIC.COM> Peter da Silva writes:
- In article <754@longway.TIC.COM> From: gwyn@smoke.brl.mil (Doug Gwyn)
- > The ANSI magtape format is simply inappropriate.  UNIX archives were
- > designed to be single files, making it simple to transport them by
- > means other than magnetic tape.  
- 
- I disagree. There are just too many organisations using ANSI format magtapes.
- Tar and CPIO should both be retained, but the ability to read and write
- standard ANSI magtapes... if the hardware is available... should be part
- of a portable operating system standard.

        ANSI tape can be supported via a set of programs over the
standard Unix system (ConvexOS 8.0 and above do so, along with many
other "mainframe" tape subsystem features) but ANSI labeled tapes are
inappropriate for file archival.  With a properly designed ANSI tape
subsystem, it is easy enough to have tar, and cpio (and even
dump/restore) use ANSI labeled tapes, and it can be totally transparent
to the user.

        Thus, we have the POSIX standard archive on the ANSI standard
magnetic tape format..

-- 
Eric Schnoebelen		eric@cirr.com		schnoebe@convex.com
    Churchill's Commentary on Man: Man will occasionally stumble over the
    truth, but most of the time he will pick himself up and continue on.

Volume-Number: Volume 20, Number 88