[SunRescue] tape as block device?

[Greg A. Woods]

[ On Friday, March 3, 2000 at 00:25:18 (-0800), Kurt Huhn wrote: ]
> Subject: [SunRescue] tape as block device?
>
> Is it possible to use a tape drive as a mounted volume with Solaris 2.6?  I
> recently came into possesion of a 8mm drive, and I'm wondering if I can use
> it to do this.

I don't know if you can or not, but I'd *STRONGLY* recommend against
even trying!

This was possible with the QIC-02 drive originally available for AT&T
3B2's (and perhaps the 3b1 too).  The tape had to be "formatted"
(i.e. had to have a logical block structure laid down onto it) first.  I
think in order to save time they the formatter also laid down a
filesystem (i.e. was equivalent to format & mkfs).

However even with that drive, which was reasonably quick about shuffling
back and forth, the amount of shuffling back and forth necessary just to
do a simple 'ls' was extraordinary!

Even with the most recent generation of Exabyte drives I suspect you'd
be on the verge of damaging the drive, and certainly the tape, if you
used it for more than the most basic one-time operations.

-- 
							Greg A. Woods

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