UNIX for Dummies Questions & Answers

I have AIX 5.1
This may sound like a really dumb question but I have never done this before.

I would like to pull a file off a backup tape and put back on the AIX

is this as simple as as doing a

mount /dev/rmt1

then the file name that is on the tape /dump/rpt/xxxxxx
Do I just copy it back on?
cp /dump/rpt/xxxxxx /dump/rpt/xxxxxx
I think I have something wrong here though

After doing some more research I see that in Linux you can use a [restore] command like this [restore if /dev/rmt1]
then at the [restore] prompt cd to the directory and [add] the file I want. Then use the [extract] command to pull the file
Would this work??
Thanks
Dave

Have you considered trying the tar command? Its purpose is reading and writing from tape drives, after all...

tar -x -f /dev/rmt1 /dump/rpt/xxxxxx

This will work for AIX 5.1 ?
Doe sthe [tar] command work in this?
I was thiinking that was only a Linux command.
I am have not used it much do I run the command above from the directory I want it put in?
Say I want it in /dump/rpt on the on my AIX I would cd over to /dump/rpt then run

tar -x -f /dev/rmt1 /dump/rpt/xxxxxx

Is that what you mean?
Thanks
Dave

tar will only work if tar was used to create the tape. How was the tape created?

If cpio crerated the tape, then you need to use cpio to read it.

If dump created the tape, then you use restore to read. This the the command you found.

tar and cpio are very standard commands. dump and restore are less standard.

We use veritas netbackup to write our tapes so we need to netbackup to read them.

Actually, tar appends the full path of the extracted file to your current directory, so what you would do is cd / and run that command. If you did cd /dump/rpt first, you would get files named /dump/rpt/dump/rpt/xxxxxx.

perderabo..

It uses this line to backup.
find ./
does this tell me what its using?
I find the line that starts with this several times in the script.
Thanks
dave

find just produces a list of filenames. Take another look at the script. I'll bet it more like...

find <some stuff> | cpio <more stuff>

If so, then cpio is being used to create the tape. You will need to know the parameters to cpio in order to read the tape. For example, I'll bet that you're using -B in the cpio.

A good first step is to just read the tape and produce a list of filenames without trying to restore anything. In the simplest form, the command would be:

cpio -itv < /dev/tapedrive

but that probably won't work well because you are not matching the way it was written. It might really need:

cpio -itvB < /dev/tapedrive

Bear in mind that I don't know AIX so I don't know if your cpio is special. And all of this assumes that you are using cpio which may not be the case. We need more info from that script.