Ok, still having a problem. Let me do some more explaining. This was a TAR file from another machine, I needed to make a copy of the tar file in order to distribute the data. THe file was tar'ed with a user and group ID that doesn't exsist on my system. So I am getting these errors:
# tar -cvf /dev/rmt/0m /usr/web/1801/tape/stddb981016.tar tar: couldn't get uname for uid 100 tar: couldn't get gname for gid 204 a /usr/web/1801/tape/stddb981016.tar 440280 blocks and it isn't writing anything to tape. Got any ideas? Anthony >*- Nikolai Andreyevich Luzan wrote about "Re: tar and the braindead man" >| On Sun, 25 Oct 1998 [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: >| >| > You can't mount a tape. You need to write directly to the tape. >| > Otherwise how could you do a full backup of your largest partition if >| > it was over 50% full? >| > >| > Do this instead: >| > >| > tar -cvf /dev/st0 /usr/thedirectory >| > >| > where /dev/st0 is the device file for your tape. Assuming your tape is >| > a scsi one(since it is a dat this is most likely true), you have scsi >| > tape support for the kernel and it is your only or first one found by >| > the kernel then the above device is correct. >| >| To the best of my knowledge the f option is not needed unless you >| want to create, test or extract from a file. the actual command would >| be >| tar -cv /path/to/tar/up >| >| tar automagically looks for the first tape device and writes it's >| archive there. if you doubt me then read the tar man page or the >| appropriate HOWTO. >| >| >| Nikolai >| >| > >I am doubting you. > >From tar's info page Node:Device > >======================================== > Starting with version 1.11.5, GNU `tar' uses standard input and >standard output as the default device, and I will not try anymore >supporting automatic device detection at installation time. This was >failing really in too many cases, it was hopeless. This is now >completely left to the installer to override standard input and standard >output for default device, if this seems preferrable to him/her. >Further, I think *most* actual usages of `tar' are done with pipes or >disks, not really tapes, cartridges or diskettes. > > Some users think that using standard input and output is running >after trouble. This could lead to a nasty surprise on your screen if >you forget to specify an output file name--especially if you are going >through a network or terminal server capable of buffering large amounts >of output. We had so many bug reports in that area of configuring >default tapes automatically, and so many contradicting requests, that >we finally consider the problem to be portably intractable. We could >of course use something like `/dev/tape' as a default, but this is >*also* running after various kind of trouble, going from hung processes >to accidental destruction of real tapes. After having seen all this >mess, using standard input and output as a default really sounds like >the only clean choice left, and a very useful one too. > >======================================== > >And a simple test confirms this: > >[EMAIL PROTECTED]/tmp}[300]>touch test.txt >[EMAIL PROTECTED]/tmp}[301]>echo hello >> test.txt >[EMAIL PROTECTED]/tmp}[302]>tar cv test.txt >test.txt >test.txt100644 0 0 6 6614732352 10601 0ustar rootroothello >[EMAIL PROTECTED]/tmp}[303]> > >So you DO need the -f or --file option. > >Brian >--------------------------------------------------------------------- >"Never criticize anybody until you have walked a mile in their shoes, > because by that time you will be a mile away and have their shoes." > - unknown > >Mechanical Engineering [EMAIL PROTECTED] >Purdue University http://www.ecn.purdue.edu/~servis >--------------------------------------------------------------------- > > >-- >Unsubscribe? mail -s unsubscribe [EMAIL PROTECTED] < /dev/null > >
