Chip 1996 November/Chip 11-96.iso/workshop/howto/ftape

Text File | 1996-05-25 | 20KB | 624 lines

  ftape-HOWTO
  Kai Harrekilde-Petersen, [e-mail]
  Last updated 29th july, 1994 for ftape-1.13b

  This HOWTO discuss the essentials of the do's and dont's for the ftape
  driver under Linux.  The ftape driver interfaces to QIC-80 and QIC-40
  compatible drives only.  These drives connects via the floppy con-
  troller.  It does not cover SCSI or QIC-02 tape drives.  DAT tape
  drives usually (always?) connect to a SCSI controller.  This is but
  one of the Linux HOWTO documents.  You can get the HOWTO's from the
  Linux Documentation home page (http://sunsite.unc.edu/mdw/linux.hmtl)

  1.  Legalese


  This is the `Frequently Asked Questions' (FAQ) / HOWTO document for
  the ftape driver (ftape-HOWTO), Copyright (C) 1993,1994 Kai
  Harrekilde-Petersen.

  Copyright statement:

  You may distribute this document freely as a whole in any form and
  free of charge.  You may distribute parts of this document, provided
  this copyright message is included and you include a message stating
  that it is not the full HOWTO document and a pointer to where the full
  document can be obtained.  Specifically, it may be included in
  commercial distributions, without my prior consent.  However, I would
  like to be informed of such usage.

  You may translate this HOWTO into any language, whatsoever, provided
  that you leave this copyright statement and the disclaimer intact, and
  that you append a notice stating who translated the document.

  DISCLAIMER:

  While I have tried to include the most correct and up-to-date
  information available to me, I cannot guarantee that usage of the
  information in this document does not result in loss of data.  I
  provide NO WARRANTY about the information in the HOWTO and I cannot be
  made liable for any consequences for any damage resulting from using
  information in this HOWTO.


  2.  The preliminaries



  2.1.  What is ftape


  ftape is a driver program that controls various low-cost tape drives
  that connect to the floppy controller.  Specifically, ftape supports
  drives that conform to the QIC-117 and QIC-80/QIC-40 standards.  ftape
  does not support QIC-02 tape drives or drives that connect via a SCSI
  interface, e.g. a DAT drive.  SCSI drives are accessed as /dev/st[0-7]
  and are supported by the kernel directly.  See section ``Supported
  drives'' and ``Un-supported drives'' for a list of supported and
  unsupported drives.




  2.2.  The newest version of ftape - and where to get it



  The newest version of the ftape driver is ftape-1.13b, and can be
  fetched from the following sites:



           tsx-11.mit.edu   [18.172.1.2]: /pub/linux/ALPHA/QIC-80/
           sunsite.unc.edu [152.2.22.81]: /pub/Linux/kernel/tapes/
           ftp.funet.fi  [128.214.248.6]: /pub/OS/Linux/BETA/QIC-80/




  You should get the files: ftape-1.13b.tar.gz, ftape-1.13b.lsm and
  modules.tar.gz.  The .tar.gz file is the ftape driver proper, while
  the .lsm file is a Linux Software Map (LSM) file for the LSM project,
  and the modules file is a set of utilities for manipulating loadable
  drivers (insertion and removal).  Note: if you have an old version of
  the modules utilities, e.g.  modutils-0.99.14.tar.gz or
  modutils-0.99.15.tar.gz, you will probably need to upgrade them).




  2.3.  Following the development of the ftape driver


  If you want to follow the development of the ftape driver, you should
  consider subscribing to the TAPE channel on Linux-activists.  To
  subscribe, you send a mail to <linux-activists-
  [e-mail]>, with the first line (or as a part of the
  header) saying `X-Mn-Admin: join tape'.  If you send an empty mail (or
  the automagical mail-response system chokes on your mail), you are
  sent a HOWTO mail.

  To submit a real mail to the mailing lists, send a mail to <linux-
  [e-mail]>, and remember that the first line (or a
  header line) should read `X-Mn-Key: TAPE'.


  2.4.  Supported drives


  All drives that are both QIC-117 compatible and either QIC-40 or
  QIC-80 compatible should work.  Currently, the list of drives that are
  known to work with ftape is:


  o  Colorado DJ-10 / DJ-20 (aka: Jumbo 120 / Jumbo 250)

  o  Archive 5580i / XL9250i

  o  Insight 80Mb

  o  Conner C250MQ

  o  Wangtek 3080F

  o  Iomega 250 (only one file per tape, though)

  o  Escom / Archive (Hornet) 31250Q

  o  Summit SE 150 / SE 250

  o  Mountain FS8000


  o  Colorado FC-10 High-Speed Controller (well, it's not a drive, but
     ...)

  Support for the FC-10 controller has been merged into the ftape driver
  in version 1.12. See the RELEASE-NOTES and the Makefile files in the
  ftape distribution.

  Some tape drives (Iomega) falsely set the `new-cartridge-loaded'
  status every time the driver is opened. These drives won't work
  together with file-marks as every file ends up at the beginning of the
  tape.

  NOTE: If you have a drive that works fine, but it is not listed here,
  please send a mail to the HOWTO maintainer ([e-mail]).



  2.5.  Un-supported drives



  o  All drives that connect to the parallel port (eg: Colorado Trakker)

  o  High-Speed controller's. (eg: Colorado TC-15  & FC-20)

  o  Irwin AX250L / Accutrak 250. (not a QIC-80 drive)

  o  IBM Internal Tape Backup Unit (identical to the Irwin AX250L drive)

  o  COREtape light


  Generally, ALL drives that connect to the parallel port are NOT
  supported.  This is because these drives uses (different) proprietary
  interfaces, that are very much different from the QIC-117 standard.

  The Colorado TC-15 controller (and it's like) are not supported
  directly by the ftape driver.  The only `special' controller that can
  be used with ftape is the Colorado FC-10.  Support for the FC-10 was
  integrated in version 1.12.

  The Irwin AX250L (and the IBM Internal Tape Backup Unit) does not work
  the ftape.  This is because they only support QIC-117, but not the
  QIC-80 standard (they use Irwin's proprietary servoe (Rhomat) format).
  I know nothing about the Rhomat format, nor where to get any info on
  it. Sorry.

  The COREtape light does not work (yet).  We have some info on it, but
  we have not got it to accept the initialisation data. As the user who
  had the COREtape drive swapped it for another tape drive in
  frustration, we may never get it  to work with ftape (no test drive).


  2.6.  Compiling and installing the ftape driver


  There is included an installation guide (the file Install-guide) in
  the ftape distribution; please read that.


  2.7.  Where to get the kernel sources


  You can get the kernel sources from the same place as you got the
  ftape sources.  The sources are kept at the following sites (and many
  mirror-sites)
           tsx-11.mit.edu   [18.172.1.2]: /pub/linux/sources/system/
           sunsite.unc.edu [152.2.22.81]: /pub/Linux/kernel/
           ftp.funet.fi  [128.214.248.6]: /pub/OS/Linux/PEOPLE/Linus




  You will find a number of subdirectories, including two named v1.0 and
  v1.1.  These contain (you guessed it!) v1.0 and v1.1 of the kernel.  I
  suggest that you get version 1.1.<something>.


  2.8.  Can I format my tapes under Linux?


  At the moment, no!  We have looked at how to do it under Linux, but
  don't hang around waiting for it.  Until it's finished, you'll have to
  use MessyDOS (arghhh!)  instead or buy preformatted tapes.  However,
  some of the preformatted tapes are not checked for bad sectors!.  If
  the ftape driver enocunters a tape with no bad blocks, it will issue a
  warning.


  2.9.  Which formatting programs can I use under DOS?


  These are known to work:


  o  Colorado Memory System's software (tape.exe)

  o  Connor Backup Basics v1.1 and all Windows versions

  o  Norton Backup

  o  QICstream version 2

  o  Tallgrass FileSecure v1.52

  These programs are known to be more or less buggy:


  o  Conner Backup Basics 1.0

  o  CP Backup (wastes tape space, but is OK apart from that)

  In fact, most software under DOS should work.  The Conner Backup
  Basics v1.0 has a parameter off-by-one (someone could not read the
  QIC-80 specs right!), which is corrected in version 1.1.  Dennis T.
  Flaherty ([e-mail]) report that Conner C250MQ
  owners can obtain the new v1.1, by calling 1-800-230-5638 (in the US)
  and ask for an upgrade (for a nominal fee for the floppy).  The
  Windows versions works fine.

  Central Point Backup can be used, but it wastes precious tape space
  when it encounters a bad spot on the tape.

  NOTE: If you are running a formatting software under DOS, which is not
  mentioned here, please mail the maintainer ([e-mail]) the
  relevant info, so I can update the HOWTO.


  3.  Backing up and restoring data



  3.1.  Writing an archive to a tape


  You can use `tar', `dd' and `cpio'.  You will need to use `mt' to get
  the full potential of your tapes and the ftape driver.  For a start
  I'd recommend using `tar', as it can archive lots of directories and
  let you pick out seperate files from an archive.  I have been told
  that cpio creates smaller archives and is more flexible than tar, but
  I haven't tried it myself.  To make a backup of your kernel source
  tree using tar, do this (assuming you have the sources in
  /usr/src/linux):



               cd /usr/src
               tar cf /dev/ftape linux




  This will not compress the files, but gives you a smoother tape run.
  If you want the compression (and you've got tar 1.11.2), you just
  include the -z flag(*), eg: `tar czf /dev/ftape linux'

  For further instructions on how to use tar, dd and mt look at the man
  pages and the texinfo files that comes with the respective
  distributions.

  (*) tar assumes that the first argument is options, so the `-' is not
  necessary, i.e. these two commands are the same: `tar xzf /dev/ftape'
  and `tar -xzf /dev/ftape'


  3.2.  Restoring an archive


  OK, let us restore the backup of the kernel source you made in section
  ``'' above.  To do this you simply say



               tar xf /dev/ftape




  If you used compression, you will have to say



               tar xzf /dev/ftape




  When you use compression, gzip will complain about trailing garbage
  after the very end of the archive (and this will lead to a `broken
  pipe' message).  This can be safely ignored.

  For the other utilities, please read the man page.


  3.3.  Testing the archive



  tar has an option (-d) for detecting differences between two archives.
  To test your backup of the kernel source say



               tar df /dev/ftape




  If you do not have the man page for tar, you are not lost (yet); tar
  has a builtin option list: try `tar --help 2>&1 | more'


  3.4.  Putting more than one tar file on a tape


  To put more than one tar file on a tape you must have the mt utility.
  You will probably have it already, if you got one of the mainline
  distributions, e.g. Slackware or Debian.

  tar generates a single Tape ARchive (that's why it is called `tar')
  and knows nothing about multiple files or positioning of a tape, it
  just reads or writes from/to a device. mt knows everyting about moving
  the tape back and forth, but nothing about reading the data off the
  tape.  As you might have guessed, tar and mt in conjunction, does the
  trick.

  By using the nrft[0-3] (nftape) device, you can use `mt' to position
  the tape the correct place (`mt -f /dev/nftape fsf 2' means step over
  two ``file marks'', i.e.  tar files) and then use tar to read or write
  the relevant data.


  3.5.  Appending files to an archive


  "Is there a way to extend an archive -- put a file on the tape, then
  later, add more to the tape?"

  No. The tar documentation will tell you to use `tar -Ar', but it does
  not work.  This is a limitation of the current ftape driver.  (I
  haven't tried it myself, so it might work with ftape-1.13b).


  3.6.  Mount/unmounting tapes


  Since a tape does not have a ``filesystem'' on it, you do not mount /
  unmount the tape.  To backup, you just insert the tape and run your
  `tar' command (or whatever you use to access the tape with).

  "Is there an explicit (un)mount command for the tape?"

  Nope.  The ftape device is a `character device', and they can not be
  [u]mount'ed.  It is only block devices that gets mounted.


  4.  Frequently Asked Questions



  4.1.  Can I exchange tapes with someone using DOS?



  You cannot do this yet.  This is being worked on, however.  The DOS
  software conforms to the QIC-80 specs about the layout of the DOS
  filesystem, and it should(?)  be a small problem to write a program
  that can read/write the DOS format.  In fact, I'd bet that creating a
  nice user interface would be a bigger problem.


  4.2.  How do I `....' with tar?


  These are really tar questions: Please read the man page and the info
  page.  If you have not got it either, try `tar --help 2>&1 | more'.

  If your version of tar is v1.11.1 or earlier, consider upgrading to
  v1.11.2 - This version can call GNU zip directly (i.e.: it supports
  the -z option) and has an elaborate help included.  Also, it compiles
  right out of the box on Linux.


  4.3.  ftape DMA transfers gives ECC errors


  Sadly to say there are some SVGA cards and ethernet cards that do not
  decode their addresses correct.  This typically happens when the ftape
  buffers are in the range 0x1a0000 to 0x1c0000.  Somehow, the DMA write
  cycles get clobbered and every other byte written gets a bad value
  (0xff).  These problems are reported to happen with both SVGA and
  ethernet cards.  We know of at least one (bad?) ATI 16bit VGA card
  that caused this.

  The easiest solution is to put the card in an 8bit slot (it is often
  not enough to reconfigure the card to 8bit transfers).  Moving the
  ftape buffer away from the VGA range is only a partial solution; All
  DMA buffers used in Linux can have this problem!  Let us make this one
  clear: This has nothing to do with the ftape software.


  4.4.  insmod says the kernel version is wrong


  The insmod program checks the kernel version against the version
  recorded in the ftape driver.  This is a string in kernel-version.h,
  (e.g.: char kernel_version[] = "1.0.4";) which is extracted from the
  kernel you are running when you run `make dep'.  If you got the error
  when you tried to insert the ftape driver, remove the file `kernel-
  version.h', type `make dep ; make' again and the kernel-version.h file
  should be updated.  Remember that you will have to do this every time
  you change to another kernel version.


  4.5.  is added The v1.1.0 kernel wont compile when ftape support


  (Although I haven't heard a lot of complains, I include it here, just
  to be sure)

  This was due to a typo (and a hacker who didn't use ftape himself, so
  he never got around to actually test the code he wrote).  This is
  corrected by patch1.gz, which can be found from the usual ftp sites.


  4.6.  binaries/sources/manpages?  Where can I find the tar/mt/cpio/dd


  All of these tools have been developed by the GNU project, and the
  source (and man page) can be fetched from just-about any ftp site in
  the world (including ftp.funet.fi, tsx-11.mit.edu, and
  sunsite.unc.edu).  In any case they can be fetched from the official
  GNU home site: prep.ai.mit.edu [18.71.0.38]:/pub/gnu.  The latest
  versions (by 26. march 94) are:



               cpio:   2.3 (cpio-2.3.tar.gz)
               dd:     3.9 (fileutils-3.9.tar.gz)
               mt:     2.3 (cpio-2.3.tar.gz)
               tar:    1.11.2 (tar-1.11.2.tar.gz)
               gzip:   1.2.4 (gzip-1.2.4.tar.gz)




  They all compile out of the box on Linux v1.0.4 / libc v4.5.19 / gcc
  v2.5.8 (The rmt program does not compile out of the box, but it is not
  needed as it is only used for accessing the tape drive remotely).


  5.  Debugging the ftape driver



  5.1.  bug?  The kernel/ftape crashes on me when I do `...' - is that a


  No, that is a feature ;-)

  Seriously, reliable software do not crash.  Especially kernels do not
  or rather should not crash.  If the kernel crashes upon you when you
  are running ftape, and you can show that it is ftape that is messing
  things up, regard it as a Bug that Should Be Fixed.  Mail the details
  to the developers (see section ``'' below).


  5.2.  ftape keep saying `... new tape', what do I do?


  [You cannot do this anymore; I do not know a way of fixing it yet]

  To get rid of this, do this (blindfold): login as root and say `rmmod
  ftape'.  ftape should choke a few times, give three segmentation
  violations (or so), and give up life.

  Check the activity LED on your floppy drive (you do have one, don't
  you?).  If it is constantly lit, you have turned the floppy cable
  upside down somewhere.  Check your cable between controller, tape
  drive and floppy drive.  Usually, one (or more) of the connectors have
  been turned upside down, such that pin 1 in one end connects to pin 34
  in the other end.  (All the even-numbered pins are grounded, so you
  wont be able to use your floppy either).  Don't worry; this cannot
  damage your hardware.


  5.3.  OK, it's a bug ...ehhh... feature - How do I submit a report?


  First, make sure you can reproduce the problem.  Spurious errors are a
  pain in the ass, since they are just about impossible to hunt down :-/
  This is a quick check list:


  o  Kernel version, and patches applied (even ftape patches)

  o  ftape version

  o  tape drive model / manufacturer

  o  What you did to expose the problem

  o  A log of the run with tracing level set to 7

  o  What went wrong on your system.

  o  Do not delete the kernel and the ftape.o file. We may want you run
     try some patches out or run a different test on your system.

  Increase the tracing level to 7 (just below maximum tracing) and run
  the offending command again.  Get the tracing data from the kernel log
  or /proc/kmsg, depending on where you harvest your error messages.  Do
  not try to `trim' the kernel log.  You might consider something
  irrelevant, which is essential to the investigator of the bug.  State
  exactly what you did, and what happened on your system.  We might not
  see the error because we use a different tape drive or another version
  of the kernel!

  Send your bug report to <:[e-mail]> (and
  remember to add a `X-Mn-Key: TAPE' line in the header).  You might
  also want to mail the bug to <[e-mail]>.


  5.4.  How do I change the trace-level?


  You can do this two ways: either change the default trace-level (the
  var `tracing' in file `ftape-rw.c') and recompile or say



               mt -f /dev/ftape fsr <tracing-level>




  The use of the fsr command in mt is a hack, and will disappear with
  time.


  5.5.  When I use /dev/nftape, I get garbage ... why?


  This was a problem in `the old days', before version 0.9.10.
  Nowadays, the non-rewinding devices are working.  If you have anything
  earlier, I strongly recommend you to update to the 1.13b version.


  6.  Supporting the development of ftape



  6.1.  the developers?  I just LOVE this ftape driver, how can I sup-
  port


  You can support us by answering other users questions on the
  newsgroups.  There are many new users (newbies), that just need a
  simple answer to their question, e.g. `where can I get the ftape-
  HOWTO'.  Please post your answer directly on the newsgroup, such that
  other users many learn from your answer.

  This is about the best support you can give us besides testing the
  driver and writing good error-reports.


  6.2.  I contact?  I wanna help developing a `....' Who should


  Below is a list of the developers.  If there is already someone
  working on a similar / identical project, contact that person
  directly.  If you have an program / feature that no-one is working on,
  contact me <[e-mail]> (not Bas, he is already over-burdened
  by work and has little time to reply to questions).


     Formatting program: (not started yet)
        Kai Harrekilde-Petersen, [e-mail]

        Cesare Mastroianni, [e-mail]


     ftape driver proper:
        Bas Laarhoven, [e-mail]



     QIC-80 logical format (r/w of DOS compatible backups):
        Guido Muench, [e-mail]

        Kai Harrekilde-Petersen, [e-mail]