Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Path: utzoo!mnetor!seismo!rutgers!ames!ucbcad!ucbvax!cbatt!cwruecmp!nitrex!rbl
From: rbl@nitrex.UUCP ( Dr. Robin Lake )
Newsgroups: comp.unix.questions
Subject: Re: Tu77 ate tape, then hung device.
Message-ID: <434@nitrex.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 17-Mar-87 12:37:24 EST
Article-I.D.: nitrex.434
Posted: Tue Mar 17 12:37:24 1987
Date-Received: Thu, 19-Mar-87 05:33:02 EST
References: <1105@hoxna.UUCP>
Reply-To: rbl@nitrex.UUCP ( Robin Lake )
Organization: The Standard Oil Co., Cleveland
Lines: 21
Keywords: cpio, tape
Summary: cpio appears to be waiting for an event from the tape drive

In article <1105@hoxna.UUCP> lou@hoxna.UUCP ( L. Marco ) writes:
>
>	...
>Anyone have any idea what happened ? Am I even right in assuming that 
>this 'immortal' cpio was stopping me from writing to the device ?
>

We've seen similar behavior on other machines.  It acts like cpio is waiting
for an "interrupt" from the tape drive.  Sometimes we can fix it by turning
the power to the tape drive off and on, forcing an error.  If your driver and/or
controller are not set up for that  ---  or if the drive is mechanically fouled
up  ---  that event might not get back to the cpio task.

Another rarely used trick is to take a piece of foil and trick the drive into
thinking it has reached physical end-of-tape.

Disclaimer:  This advice comes from the Dark Ages before joining my current
employer, when I designed device controllers.

Rob Lake
decvax!cwruecmp!nitrex!rbl