Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!husc6!mailrus!ames!pasteur!ucbvax!DELRIO.CC.UMICH.EDU!rees
From: rees@DELRIO.CC.UMICH.EDU (Jim Rees)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.apollo
Subject: Re: problem with domain/ix tar
Message-ID: <8806121950.AA00111@redemption.cc.umich.edu>
Date: 12 Jun 88 19:49:52 GMT
Sender: daemon@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU
Organization: The Internet
Lines: 21


          1) if the block size on the cartridge is > 512 bytes, throw away
          the cartridge, APollo h/w is unable to read cartridges with
          block size bigger than 512 (<help>media).

No, I wouldn't throw it out.  It's true that a bug in the driver makes
it impossible to read more than 512 bytes at a time.  But cartridge
tape isn't like magtape.  If you read 20 records of 512 each, it's the
same (as far as the bits are concerned) as reading a single record of
10240.  Apparently the tape records are fixed length, and the controller
fixes it up to look like a magtape.  So you can read those tapes just
fine, as long as you use a block size of 512.

          2) Usually helps:
                  /com/rbak -dev ct -reten

Or -rewind instead of -reten, if you're in a hurry.  I only retension
if I'm writing.  I think it even says to do this on the tar man page.

By the way, tar works great.  It's the driver that's broken.
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