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From: rh@smds.UUCP (Richard Harter)
Newsgroups: comp.unix.sysv386
Subject: Re: Tar Tape problems
Summary: touchy feely sometimes works
Keywords: tar tape
Message-ID: <262@smds.UUCP>
Date: 30 Nov 90 06:53:53 GMT
References: <1990Nov19.153249.4308@wdl1.wdl.fac.com> <124@chansw.UUCP>
Organization: SMDS Inc., Concord, MA
Lines: 20

In article <124@chansw.UUCP>, chan@chansw.UUCP (Jerry H. Chan) writes:
> In article <1990Nov20.205828.9217@jadpc.cts.com>, jdeitch@jadpc.cts.com (Jim Deitch) writes:
> > In article <1990Nov19.153249.4308@wdl1.wdl.fac.com> rme@spl26.spl.fac.com (Richard M Emberson Jr) writes:
> > >I've got a 386 AT clone, ISC2.2, and an Archive drive. After reading four
> > >or five tape (tar -xfv /dev/rmt0) the next attempt to read a tape hangs.
> > >I can kill the process but the device remains busy. The only way I
> > >have found to clear the busy device is to powerdown to the reboot state.

The problem is probably a zombie process that hangs the device.  We have
ESIX rather ISC so the following may or may not work for you.  Touch the
device file (touch /dev/rmt0).  What this does is wake up the zombie so
that it can die.  No guarantees on this, but you might give it a try.
It may take two or three touches to clear the device.


-- 
Richard Harter, Software Maintenance and Development Systems, Inc.
Net address: jjmhome!smds!rh Phone: 508-369-7398 
US Mail: SMDS Inc., PO Box 555, Concord MA 01742
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