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Re: Using tar to run backups onto a tape device using cygwin


On Oct 19 00:39, srikant veeraraghavan wrote:
> Hi Corinna,
> 
> I was looking into the /dev and / folder... It has actually created
> directories in the name of st0 and st1. For checking if anything was written

Directories?  That should have been plain files.

> or not I checked it in the GUI. I am using a Virtual Tape system which
> reflects the data written in the Carts. And I was unable to see it in the
> gUI.
> This is what I did now...
> 
> Inside the dev/ I was not able to get the list of my devices, st0,st1... So
> I used the script create_devices.sh to create the same in the /dev/
> directory.
> 
> After this I checked the status of the tapes using the mt command:
> mt -f /dev/st0 status 3.
> Yes using 3 helped me with moore detailed info...After the cartridges were
> loaded I could see the size available to be written.
> 
> Then I used the 
> tar -cf /dev/st0 /cygdrive/c/StratfordData/
> 
> Now I am able to run the backups and could see it get written in the GUI. So
> the /dev/ devicename not being created was the issue. Instead of writting in
> the tape it created it inside the /dev directory.

Sorry, but this is really weird.  The fact that a file /dev/st0 does not
exist does not mean that Cygwin won't provide them.  The actual device
is kept virtually, internally inside Cygwin.  The *visible* /dev/st0 or
/dev/nst0 entries are just for convenience and good looks, not because
they are necessary.  There should have been no need at all to create the
files under /dev.

Also, since Cygwin 1.7.16 fills the /dev directory automagically, the
fact that there was no /dev/st0 means, you're either running an old
version of the Cygwin DLL, or at the time of writing there was in fact
no "Tape0" device in Windows, and your tape device was using another
tape number.

Assuming you're running Cygwin 1.7.16 (uname -a will tell), you should
be able to remove the /dev/stX and /dev/nstX devices (in Windows
Explorer!) and then, when looking in Cygwin again, an `ls -l /dev/*st*'
should show some tape devices.


Corinna

-- 
Corinna Vinschen                  Please, send mails regarding Cygwin to
Cygwin Project Co-Leader          cygwin AT cygwin DOT com
Red Hat

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