Need Command to Load Tape -- 3590 Tape Drive

[johndrake]

Hi All,

I need to know the command to load a tape from a cartridge rack attached to the 3590 tape drive into the
tape drive, itself.

The reason that I need to know this command is because
I am going to insert it into a backup script that I have
written. The script that I have written currently performs
a tar backup from a unix host and also a NT backup using Samba host. In order to differentiate the two backups,
I am currently using the tape command:

tar -cvf/dev/rmt1.1 -L /$DIR/unix_incremental_files

and when the unix backup completes, I use the following
command to backup NT:

smbclient '\\Kslnas1\home2' xxxx -U xxxx -Tcga /dev/rmt1

When I wish to restore the NT files I must first go to the
correct position in the tape for the NT files.

What I would like to do is to eject the tape having the
unix backup and insert a new tape for the NT backups.
I need to insert that command into the script.

Below are the settings on the 3590 tape drive on the unix
host:

Tape Drive rmt1
Tape Drive type 3590
Tape Drive interface scsi
Description IBM 3590 Tape Drive an>
Status Available
Location 20-68-00-3,0
Parent adapter scsi1
Connection address 3,0
Block Size (0=Variable Length) [0] +#
Use DEVICE BUFFERS during writes yes +
Use Hardware Compression on Tape yes +
Use Autoloading Feature at End-of-Tape yes +
Activate volume information logging no +
Maximum size of log file (in # of entries) [500] +#
Backward Space/Forward Space Record Mode SCSI +
Use Immediate Bit in Rewind Commands no +
Trailer Label Processing yes +
Use Random Mode to Emulate Autoloader Tape Drive no +
Limit Read Error Recovery Time to 5 Seconds no +
Fail Tape Operation if Degraded Media is Detected no +


On the 3590 tape drive, its ACF
mode is set to system.

-Joe

 

[Chapter11]

In the case you've just described, just eject the tape after your first backup

tctl -f ${DEVICE} rewoffl

The tape drive *should* load the next tape after it ejects one.

There's another way to do it using ACF mode "Random" and the "tapeutil" command, but that's not a very pleasant way of doing it.

 

[johndrake]

Hi,

I tried it, unfortunately it did not work. It just kicked
out the tape. If I could find the command that tapeutil uses
to load the tape, that might solve my problem.

 

[Chapter11]

tapeutil only works if the drive is in Random ACF Mode. Is changing the ACF mode to "Automatic" an option?