tar process is keep running

[Grant Cullen]

Does the reading ever end?  When doing a tar restore, tar will scan the
entire tape looking for the file you want to restore.  Because multiple
copies of the same file can be on the tape tar keeps looking to make sure it
has the latest one, the on it finds last.

Grant Cullen
JADALL Consulting Ltd.
grant.cullen-rieW9WUcm8FFJ04o6PK0Fg at public.gmane.org

-----Original Message-----
From: owner-tlug-lxSQFCZeNF4 at public.gmane.org [mailto:owner-tlug at ss.org]On Behalf Of
login-Zd07PnzKK1IAvxtiuMwx3w at public.gmane.org
Sent: Friday, October 03, 2003 20:08
To: tlug-lxSQFCZeNF4 at public.gmane.org
Subject: [TLUG]: Re: tar process is keep running



Here is our set-up:

OS:    		Mandrake Linux 8.2 2.96-0.76mdk
Tape Drive:  	VXA AutoPak 1x7 Autoloader
tar:   		GNU tar 1.13.25

We are able to run this command sucessfully:

/bin/gtar -cvf /dev/st0 /dir/of/backup

where /dev/st0 is tape device and will backup "backup" directory

Now we want to restore a file from the tape device using

/bin/gtar -xvf /dev/st0 dir/of/backup/filename

and we do restore the file "filename" within reasonable time
depending on the size of the file but we never come back to
system prompt. It appears (using strace -p process of the above
tar command) that /bin/gtar is keep reading the tape forever.

The file "filename" is seen ok and able to see its contents
and no problem in access / move / rm of this "filename".

On the net, it is suggested to put the "dir/of/backup/filename"
into a file called fooboo and then run the following command:

/bin/gtar -xvf -T fooboo /dev/st0

But same result, file is restored but process keep reading the
tape device forever.

Any one can shed some lights what are we missing? Thanks a lot.

S. Mohammad [login-Zd07PnzKK1IAvxtiuMwx3w at public.gmane.org]
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