IIUG Software Repository Files

From: aray@skyserv4.med.osd.mil ("Alicia Ray")
Subject: tbtape -s archives
Date: 23 Apr 1996 18:38:06 -0400
Newsgroups: comp.databases.informix
X-Informix-List-ID: <list.9536>

We are currently running Informix 5.03 on a DG/UX platform. Most
system administration tasks have been automated for deployed sites
so that the operators at each site aren't burdened with certain
administration tasks.  However, they are responsible for labeling
tapes, loading tapes, circulating tapes (so as not to overwrite
previous archives), etc.

Well unfortunately from time to time the operators have problems
performing those tasks as well.  Sometimes the operators have not
labeled the tapes well and lose track of which tape is from what day.

Is there a way to get a timestamp from an archive tape (compressed)
and verify what level archive (0, 1 or 2) was performed?

A colleague of mine wrote:

We are performing our archives to the "compressed" drive which has
worked.  The tapes are 2GB DAT tapes but in using the compressed
tape drive we have been able to get over 6GB on one tape when doing
a level 0 archive.

I've used od -c (device) | more.  This has shown me an Informix
"label" and our tbconfig information and then data.  I could not see
anything that looked like a timestamp or what level archive the
archive is.

Informix's response was that there was no way of getting the
information that they knew of but they were told by a customer that
the customer was able to get a timestamp by performing:

	"dd if=(device) of=(output file) bs=16k count=1"

I used this and was still not getting a timestamp basically it's the
same data that I got from the octal dump, of course.  I played with
different bs's since this command is just reading the first 16k off
the tape but could not see anything.

I tried tail on the device but came up with NULL in the output which
suprised me.  I just used the default for tail and maybe if I used a
value I would get another result.  The tail took quite awhile and
before I play anymore I would like some further direction from anyone
who has ever attempted to find what I am looking for on an archive tape.

Thanks in advance,
Dan Maruschak
Alicia Ray

-- 
**********************************************************************
Alicia Ray                      Internet : Alicia.Ray@med.osd.mil
EDS-D/SIDDOMS                   Phone    : 703-845-3807
5113 Leesburg Pike
Skyline 4 Suite 800
Falls Church, VA 22041-3201
**********************************************************************

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From: ptm@xact.demon.co.uk (Paul Mahoney)
Subject: Re: tbtape -s archives
Date: Wed, 24 Apr 1996 06:23:10 GMT
Newsgroups: comp.databases.informix

The following code should help...