error extracting archive from Ignite tape

[Nivesh Patnaik]

The third file on my Ignite tape is a tar file. I have final script which tries to extract the tar file...
echo "Repositioning tape to loadtar file."
mt -t /dev/rmt/0mn rew
mt -t /dev/rmt/0mn fsf 2
#
# extract the tar file
#
tar tvf /dev/rmt/0mn

When Ignite runs the script, it echoes the message and rewinds the tape and then forwards it. Then I get...

Tar: tape read error

...
I have tried getting a file listing and also extracting the files using the exact commands above, and I have no problem accessing the third file on the Ignite tape. But it doesn't work within the Ignite script.

Has anyone else experienced this? Any ideas?

[Robert Gamble]

Try

# mt -t /dev/rmt/0mn fsf 1
# tar -xvf /dev/rmt/0m filename

The 'mt' pushes you past the boot image, then try extract ...


Good Luck!

[Uday_S_Ankolekar]

Hello
Try this..
mt -f rewind
mt -f /dev/rmt/0mn fsf 1
tar xvf /dev/rmt/0mn file name

Goodluck.
-USA..

[Helen French]

Hi Nivesh:

Just a thought: Put 'sleep' command between the script commands. This way, it will wait for some time and then execute the next one.

HTH,
Shiju

[Jeffrey Davis_1 · Accepted solution]

Hi. Depending on the model/age of tape drive you are using there may be a sync issue. Was this tape created by the drive you are trying to do the read on?
If not, can you use the drive that created the tape to do your work/test?

[Patrick Wallek]

Did you do some custom stuff on the ignite tape?

The normal structure of the Ignite tape is:

File 1 - Boot stuff
File 2 - Ignite pax archive.
File 3 - ???? There normally isn't a 3rd file.

If you are trying to restore something from the Ignite pax archive then you just have to fsf 1 file not 2.

If you did something customized at the end of the Ignite pax archive on the tape, as a 3rd file, then you do have problems.

I would not necessarily recommend putting anything at the end of the ignite tape. While it shouldn't cause problems, you just never know.....

[Nivesh Patnaik]

I created the tape using a DDS3 HP SureStore 24 tape drive, but I did make sure to use the DDS1 drivers when writing the files.

The system I was Igniting uses a DCLZ tape drive. The file I was trying to extract is something in addition to the core archive, hence the fsf 2.

I tried to get a tar listing off the third file on the problem system and got a tape read error.

I just tried to read the third file from the same tape, off another system with a DCLZ tape drive, and I was able to read the third file just fine.

Leads me to believe that there is something wrong with the tape drive on the system I am trying to Ignite.

Thanks for your help!

-Nivesh

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