Date: Mon, 3 Feb 97 22:03 CST From: uhclem@nemesis.lonestar.org (Frank Durda IV) To: j@uriah.heep.sax.de, freebsd-current@freebsd.org Cc: uhclem@nemesis.lonestar.org Subject: Good name for a dump(8) option? Message-ID: <m0vrc6T-000utcC@nemesis.lonestar.org>
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[0]How to name this kid? Right now, i've picked key `e' (``end of [0]medium'', ``enforce end-of-medium''), lacking a better idea. Are [0]there any better suggestions that don't conflict with other existing [0]keys? Actually, "e" is an excellent choice since the official name for that point on the tape is the "EOT" (End-Of-Tape), whether it be a reflective marker or punch-out in the media. A question though. When you get the error back, what do you consider the state of the block just written or group of blocks just written? Some drives will report the EOT and keep recording the current block then stop (returning errors for any additional blocks), some drives keep recording despite reporting EOT (and you can run the tape off the spindle if you aren't careful), and other drives will stop instantly and refuse to write further when the EOT is encountered. Some even back the tape up and write two EOF marks over the block if it spans the EOT mark. How does the next dump volume pick up from where the first stopped with an unknown number of blocks not really written to tape, or does this "e" mode assume that if backup won't fit on one tape, the backup is incomplete? People who used to rethread 9-track tapes and run the old DC 40Meg cartridge tapes off the end of the supply spindle ask silly questions like these... :-) Frank Durda IV <uhclem@nemesis.lonestar.org>|"That was one good thing about or uhclem%nemesis@rwsystr.nkn.net | paper tape. You could see | where the media was damaged or ...letni!rwsys!nemesis!uhclem | when someone stepped on it."
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