Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!think.com!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!mips!sgi!shinobu!odin!anchor!olson
From: olson@anchor.esd.sgi.com (Dave Olson)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.sgi
Subject: Re: HELP: SGI 4D/360 EXABYTE problem: Command DD
Message-ID: <1991May28.203022.29869@odin.corp.sgi.com>
Date: 28 May 91 20:30:22 GMT
References: <82612@bu.edu>
Sender: news@odin.corp.sgi.com (Net News)
Organization: Silicon Graphics, Inc.  Mountain View, CA
Lines: 33

In <82612@bu.edu> shank@buphy.bu.edu (Jim Shank) writes:


| I have been having the exact same problem with my exabyte drive and dd!!
| I've been meaning to post the same question but haven't gotten around to it. 
| I'm sorry Ican't offer any help, but Iwould sure appreciate finding out the 
| answer to this one. If you get the answer could you post to the net or
| forward  
| to me?
| 
| Thanks,
|        Jim

Hmm; maybe I should have posted my reply, rather than mailing it.
tar and dd don't treat the tape any differently, except possibly
block size if you don't specify it.  Are you using the same
device in both cases?  If you are using the variable block size
device, you need to use the 'correct' block size, otherwise it
pretty much doesn't matter, as long as it is a multiple of 1K.

There are no partial blocks on scsi tapes.

Try calling the TAC support folks if you have support; if not, use
script, then do hinv, ls -l on the device(s) you use, and scatter
mt stat commands through your activity, then mail me the script
file.  I'll take a look at it when I get time, and see if I can
spot the problem (in your usage, or in our driver).

--

	Dave Olson

Life would be so much easier if we could just look at the source code.