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From: kcables@RELAY.NSWC.NAVY.MIL
Newsgroups: comp.sys.sgi
Subject: mt status option
Message-ID: <9012111454.aa09992@VGR.BRL.MIL>
Date: 11 Dec 90 19:52:27 GMT
Sender: daemon@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU
Organization: The Internet
Lines: 21

Hi everyone,
	I'm trying to write a shell script in which I need to find
out if the 8mm tape is in the drive.  Whenever I execute the
mt command with the status option, the output always appears at
my terminal, regardless of whether its output is redirected or piped,
or even if it's in a shell script on the right side of an equal sign.
Does anyone know how this output can be redirected so that I can
capture the 'status' information?  I tried

	mt -t /dev/mt/tps0d6 status > dum

	mt -t /dev/mt/tps0d6 status | grep Status

	and in a shell script:

	xxx=`mt -t /dev/mt/tps0d6 status`

All of the above display the output at my terminal.  Thanks
in advance.

kcables@relay.nswc.navy.mil