flexbackup-help

[flexbackup-help] Problem with tape drive

[Paul M. <cos...@ho...>]

Hi,

I can't get flexbackup working with my Onstream ADR2 tape drive.=20

I've worked through the list of options in the FAQ. The test-tape-drive =
option tries to set block size and default block size, but gets no joy. =
However, I've discovered that issuing a raw command line to mimic =
flexbackup seems to work. What I issue is:

find /dir -print | afio -o -z -v -b 32k - | dd ibs=3D32k obs=3D32k =
of=3D/dev/st0

Any ideas would be very gratefully received!

Cheers

Paul

Re: [flexbackup-help] Problem with tape drive

[Edwin H. <ed...@co...>]

[ Paul Murphy wrote: ]
> I can't get flexbackup working with my Onstream ADR2 tape drive. 
> 
> I've worked through the list of options in the FAQ. The test-tape-drive
> option tries to set block size and default block size, but gets no
> joy. However, I've discovered that issuing a raw command line to mimic
> flexbackup seems to work. What I issue is:
> 
> find /dir -print | afio -o -z -v -b 32k - | dd ibs=32k obs=32k of=/dev/st0

Does 
  mt -f /dev/nst0 setblk 32768

give an error? How about

  mt -f /dev/nst0 setblk 0

(variable block size)?

See the "n" answers regarding the ADR2 drives and block sizes here:
http://www.linuxtapecert.org/drives.php.  This does not inspire confidence,
but I don't have one of those drives.   Keep playing with it..... maybe try
just a simple "1024" for the mt_blksize?


(BTW: you want to use /dev/nst0 not /dev/st0)


-- 
 Edwin Huffstutler 
 ed...@co...   GnuPG Key ID: AE782DC9

Re: [flexbackup-help] Problem with tape drive

[Charlie B. <cha...@e-...>]

On Mon, 6 Oct 2003, Edwin Huffstutler wrote:

> Does 
>   mt -f /dev/nst0 setblk 32768
> 
> give an error? How about
> 
>   mt -f /dev/nst0 setblk 0
> 
> (variable block size)?
> 
> See the "n" answers regarding the ADR2 drives and block sizes here:
> http://www.linuxtapecert.org/drives.php.  This does not inspire confidence,
> but I don't have one of those drives.   Keep playing with it..... maybe try
> just a simple "1024" for the mt_blksize?
> 
> 
> (BTW: you want to use /dev/nst0 not /dev/st0)

Actually, for the Onstream, you may want /dev/nosst0. Onstream appear not
to understand open source, and forked the st driver, rather than add on
option to it to handle their non-standard protocol. Hence osst.o (for 
Onstream st.o).

Beware that prior to RedHat 9, RH RPMs didn't include /dev/nosst0, just
/dev/osst0.

--
Charlie

Re: [flexbackup-help] Problem with tape drive

[Paul M. <cos...@ho...>]

Hi,

Thanks for getting back to me

I tried what you mentioned, and...

/dev/osst0 does exist, but if I try something like

mt -f /dev/osst0 setblk 0

I get

mt: /dev/osst0: no such device

Which seems strange (to me anyway))...

Just to report the detail, here's the ls -l for /dev/*st0

crw-rw---- 1 roor root 9, 128 Oct 26 2002 /dev/nst0
crw-r--r-- 1 roor root 206, 0 Oct 26 2002 /dev/osst0
crw-rw---- 1 roor root 9, 0 Oct 26 2002 /dev/st0

Once again, thanks in advance for any help

Cheers

Paul

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Charlie Brady" <cha...@e-...>
To: "Edwin Huffstutler" <ed...@co...>
Cc: "Paul Murphy" <cos...@ho...>;
<fle...@li...>
Sent: Monday, October 06, 2003 6:19 PM
Subject: Re: [flexbackup-help] Problem with tape drive


>
> On Mon, 6 Oct 2003, Edwin Huffstutler wrote:
>
> > Does
> >   mt -f /dev/nst0 setblk 32768
> >
> > give an error? How about
> >
> >   mt -f /dev/nst0 setblk 0
> >
> > (variable block size)?
> >
> > See the "n" answers regarding the ADR2 drives and block sizes here:
> > http://www.linuxtapecert.org/drives.php.  This does not inspire
confidence,
> > but I don't have one of those drives.   Keep playing with it..... maybe
try
> > just a simple "1024" for the mt_blksize?
> >
> >
> > (BTW: you want to use /dev/nst0 not /dev/st0)
>
> Actually, for the Onstream, you may want /dev/nosst0. Onstream appear not
> to understand open source, and forked the st driver, rather than add on
> option to it to handle their non-standard protocol. Hence osst.o (for
> Onstream st.o).
>
> Beware that prior to RedHat 9, RH RPMs didn't include /dev/nosst0, just
> /dev/osst0.
>
> --
> Charlie
>
>

Re: [flexbackup-help] Problem with tape drive

[Charlie B. <cha...@e-...>]

On Tue, 7 Oct 2003, Paul Murphy wrote:

> I tried what you mentioned, and...
> 
> /dev/osst0 does exist, but if I try something like
> 
> mt -f /dev/osst0 setblk 0
> 
> I get
> 
> mt: /dev/osst0: no such device
> 
> Which seems strange (to me anyway))...

You will need to do:

modprobe ide-scsi
modprobe osst

before the mt command. 

You can get around that by adding (IIRC):

alias char-major-206 osst
add below osst ide-scsi

to /etc/modules.conf.

> Just to report the detail, here's the ls -l for /dev/*st0
> 
> crw-rw---- 1 roor root 9, 128 Oct 26 2002 /dev/nst0
> crw-r--r-- 1 roor root 206, 0 Oct 26 2002 /dev/osst0
> crw-rw---- 1 roor root 9, 0 Oct 26 2002 /dev/st0

Stupid, eh? You'll need to do:

mkdir /dev/nosst0 c 206 128

And:

mkdir /dev/nosst1 c 206 129

if you have a second tape drive (etc). But why anyone would buy a *second* 
Onstream tape drive is beyond me :-)


--
Charlie

Re: [flexbackup-help] Problem with tape drive

[Edwin H. <ed...@co...>]

[ Paul Murphy wrote: ]
>>   mt -f /dev/nst0 setblk 32768
>
> This returns mt: /dev/st0: Input/Output error
>  I get the same messsage if I use /dev/nst0
>
>>   mt -f /dev/nst0 setblk 0
>
> This also returns mt: /dev/st0: Input/Output error
>  Again, I get the same messsage if I use /dev/nst0

Ok, thats a problem.   It just seem like it won't let you
set the block size.  

You can try putting

 $mt{setblk} = "nop";

in the config file.  If you are using a blocksize that is what the drive
expects, it _might_ work out ok.

>> (BTW: you want to use /dev/nst0 not /dev/st0)
>
> Thanks, I'm pretty new to the world of linux... what difference does this
> make?

/dev/st0 = rewind-on-close.  When ever anything gets done writing to the
tape, it will rewind.  If you use this device flexbackup will overwrite its
archives and you get only one per tape.

/dev/nst0 = no rewind-on-close.  When ever anything is done writing to the
tape, it stays at its current position unless you move it around with mt.
This is what you want.



-- 
 Edwin Huffstutler 
 ed...@co...   GnuPG Key ID: AE782DC9