UNIX for Dummies Questions & Answers

We have an older HP Unix 10.20 system that we rarely ever use anymore. Most of our jobs on it are from 1994 to 2002. Anything after that is on Windows XP. The Unix system was backed up religiously every day. Because of space constraints some of the jobs were removed from the system after a complete tape backup.

About a year ago the tape backup failed internally. (A spring and tray mechanism that ejects the tape). We ordered a new one that was identical to the old and hooked it up and tried to backup. Everything worked ok. The problem we have is now two fold. Any old tapes we have, including the archive stuff removed from the system, doesn't seem to work with this tape drive. It keeps giving the “out of phase” error. I was in the process of trying some of the other backups we have that are even older to find this one particular job when we developed another problem. As soon as I enter the command to restore something off of the tape I get the following message:

“End of Volume”
“If you want to go one, type device/file name when ready”

I have restarted the system and still get this message. It is not even hitting the tape drive or trying the tape.

The command to backup the system originally is:

Find filename | cpio -ovxdB > /dev/dds


The command I am using to restore is:

cpio -ivxdB ‘filename' < /dev/dds

Or

cpio -ivxdBR ‘filename' < /dev/dds

System is using HP Unix 10.20 with DAT tape drive

To summarize problem 1 is an out of phase error on older tapes with new backup drive. Problem 2 developed after man attempts to solve problem 1 and gives the “End of Volume” message after immediately starting restore sequence.

Any help would be appreciated as I am no UNIX or Computer Expert.

Thanks

You dont say much about the system..
Which make things difficult to be of any help...
OK the OS is a hpux 10.20 but what kind of boxe? (and so hardware...)
was the original DAT an internal tape (which then would be /dev/rmt/0m... and so you should find your /dev/DDS being a link...)
Now has is it plugged on the box?
Who did the connecting?

The system is a HP B132L with two external hardrives and an external tape drive. The tape Drive is last in the chain. It is a HP C2954D which is identical to the one it repalced. The tape does work. If I type backup at the command prompt it will immediately begin writing files to the tape drive. It just won't operate in restore mode.

Not sure what to advise you (english isnt my language so forgive my mistakes...)
- backup isnt what we can call a standard command, I suppose you will see by typing file <path>backup as a script... and so I dont know what it does exactly...

- I suppose to go through as I would with such issue:
Get a tape head cleaner and have a go at cleaning the device
Prepare a new tape and insert it in the device

I dont know what commands are on a B class (worksation serie 700) I know only 800 (servers) but if you have fbackup/frecover command I would do a man and try to use these commands
Also tapes depending of which device was used DO NOT rewind after... and this may be why you cannot restore

I would do an ioscan -funC tape and it should display something like:
/sm/doc # ioscan -funC tape
Class I H/W Path Driver S/W State H/W Type Description
=====================================================================
tape 0 8/16/5.0.0 stape CLAIMED DEVICE HP C1533A
/dev/rmt/0m /dev/rmt/c1t0d0BEST
/dev/rmt/0mb /dev/rmt/c1t0d0BESTb
/dev/rmt/0mn /dev/rmt/c1t0d0BESTn
/dev/rmt/0mnb /dev/rmt/c1t0d0BESTnb
You should have your device on /dev/rmt/XmY
X=0,1,2,3...
Y= <blank>, b, n, nb
the meaning of Y is b for best n for no rewind
the idea is once we know what device to use, lets say /dev/rmt/1m
we use the no rewind device in order to use the mt command
once ready lets see if the tape is at the beginning:
mt -t /dev/rmt/1mn rew
# What is the result? (is it rewinding? proving you were at the end of writing explaining why it had nothing the restore?)
mt -t /dev/rmt/1mn offl to after, eject the tape.