tape usage

[Martin Napoli_1]

I get errors while trying to tar a file on tape that was used before.

I ran the following commands...
tar tv
Tar: tape read error

dd if=/dev/rmt/0m | tar tvf -
rwxr-xr-x 21516/3697 0 Oct 23 11:08 2000 install/
directory checksum error

Tape drive works fine with other tapes.
HPUX10.20 tape HPC1533A

Is it possible to use the same tape for fbackup and then for tar (not the same time)?
What are the restrictions and precautions?
Can I clear a tape?


Thanks in advance,

Martin

[Pete Randall]

Martin,

It's probably a bad tape: old, overused, dirty. If others work fine, I'd trash the tape and forget about it.

Pete

[Robert-Jan Goossens]

Hi Martin,

Yes you use the same tapes for all kind of commands tar fbackup cpio etc.

Just trow the tape in a large bitbucket.

Robert-jan.

[Marco Santerre]

I don't see a problem with you using your taps to do fbackups, and then use a tar on top of it. Tape will just overwrite whatever is on it. So that shouldn't be your problem.

Chances you have a bad tape that's been overly used or that is simply bad at this point. I would change it. The only other thing I can see you try before putting the tape but I really don't think it'll change anything is to clean the drive with one of those cleaning cartridges, but like I said, I doubt that it would change a thing.

[Jose Mosquera]

Hi,

Your sintax looks fine. May be the tape is damage. Try with a new tape or try initializing and show possible media errors in the tape by mediainit command:
#mediainit -v -r /dev/rmt/0m

But don't waist your time by low cost tape, just try with a new tape.

If you make a "tar" on a previous "fbackup" format, the tape will be initialized by the new format without problems.

Rgds.

[Stanimir]

Hi!
Some tapes also dont work with certain types old tapes. All remain is ok.
Rgrds