Tar Command

[Alkesh Dessai]

After I take a Backup using tar -cv command
In some cases when I try to read it using
tar -tv it gives me a
broken pipe error / Checksum error
and Block Size error

What basically is that?
How to avoid/overcome it.

Rgds,

[James R. Ferguson · Accepted solution]

Hi:

Hi:

This message is usually the last message in a series of messages that, collectively, indicate a command (or commands) in a pipeline did not work (i.e. a command in a pipe broke the pipe).

From document #A1916938:

Why is tar reporting block size = 0 when I try to append to DDS tape?

tar -cvf /dev/rmt/ddsn file2 worked
tar -cvf /dev/rmt/ddsn file3 reported tar: block size = 0; broken pipe

Solution:

What you are attempting is a tar append, not a tape append. With a tar append, tar expects to append to the existing fileset.
Since a no rewind device was last used, it is sitting at the EOF marker and thus block size = 0. Must do a rewind (ie position to the beginning of the fileset) in order to do a tar append. On the other hand, if you want to do a tape append, you need to use the -c option with the no rewind device.

...JRF...

[Andreas Voss]

Hi,

think this is a tape/hardware problem.
Use a cleaning tape and a fresh new data tape and see if the errors still occur. If so you have a hardware problem

Regards

[CHRIS_ANORUO]

Read more from the online manual for tar. You can also try tar -fvr on the same tape after using tar -fvc. Then do the listing again.

[Carlos Fernandez Riera]

Yes, it sounds hardware/ tape problems

If your driver is a DDS try my program for DDS diagnostics form:

http://my1.itrc.hp.com/cm/QuestionAnswer/1,1150,0x6bf76c96588ad4118fef0090279cd0f9,00.html