Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!clyde.concordia.ca!uunet!aplcen!samsung!shadooby!sharkey!cfctech!teemc!ka3ovk!ki4pv!cdin-1!dsinc!vu-vlsi!cgh!amanue!oglvee!jr From: jr@oglvee.UUCP (Jim Rosenberg) Newsgroups: comp.unix.i386 Subject: Re: write error on 2nd tape - using Archive VP60e Message-ID: <522@oglvee.UUCP> Date: 26 Dec 89 18:19:16 GMT References: <8912230518.AA05930@decwrl.dec.com> Reply-To: jr@oglvee.UUCP (Jim Rosenberg) Organization: Oglevee Computer Systems, Connellsville, Pa Lines: 29 In article <8912230518.AA05930@decwrl.dec.com> paine@fungus.dec.com (Willy Paine) writes: > >I have Interactive 386/ix v2.0.2 and Archive VP 60e tape drive using >D600 cartridge (60meg). I have no problem installing and running tape >only in first time. After at the end of tape, the message displays to >insert another volume of tape and press y to continue. It is always >stopped with write errors. This is same for tar, cpio, afio and even >commercial ctar. I believe that there is something I have to modify >default setting under /etc. This sounds similar to what happened to us when we upgraded an Altos 2000 to a 150M tape. Does your tar have an option to let you specify how long the tape is? If so, try giving a length that is just short of the true length of the tape, so that tar will ask to change reels before getting an I/O error from the end of the tape. With our tape -- which is supposedly the same as the Archive Viper -- I have learned to be happy with it by slavishly performing a ritual on each tape before use: I run a script which retensions the tape, writes a tiny cpio archive to it, then does a cpio -itv back to test it. When I do this I have no problem. When I didn't I went nuts. I shouldn't *have* to do all this all the time, but at least I've got backups down to a routine. Before the retension/cpio ritual and specific volume size I would get an I/O error on just about every reel change. -- Jim Rosenberg pitt Oglevee Computer Systems >--!amanue!oglvee!jr 151 Oglevee Lane cgh Connellsville, PA 15425 #include