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Author Topic: TinyCore and DAT drive  (Read 4185 times)

Offline madmax

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TinyCore and DAT drive
« on: October 04, 2015, 02:25:23 PM »
Hello:

I am in the process of resurrecting my old but practically unused Archive Pyhton DDS-2 tape drive for use with my TinyCore setup.
I have found tar in the repository but cannot find the mt utility to access the tape drive.

I have searched the forum but have not found anything on DAT drives.
How can I access the drive?

Thanks in advance,

TC

Offline nitram

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Re: TinyCore and DAT drive
« Reply #1 on: October 04, 2015, 10:45:37 PM »
The only tape drive experience i have is old Commodore Vic 20.

In TC6 x86 Apps > Provides search didn't seem to find anything applicable.

The author Kai Makisara's software can be downloaded here:
https://github.com/Distrotech/mt-st

Load compiletc, unzip download, run make.
You'll get two executables:
mt-st
stinit

Quote
This directory contains two programs; mt and stinit. Mt is basically
a "standard" mt with additional commands to send the ioctls specific
to the Linux SCSI tape driver. The source supports all SCSI tape
ioctls up to kernel version 2.6.0 but it can also be compiled in
kernels >= 2.0.x (and hopefully with 1.2.x). Although this mt program
is tailored for SCSI tapes, it can also be used with other Linux tape
drivers using the same ioctls (some of the commands may not work with
all drivers).

Stinit is a program to initialize the tape drive characteristics. The
current version should be considered alpha. See README.stinit for more
information.
Place executables into .local/bin or create a mt.tcz extension.

Online Juanito

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Re: TinyCore and DAT drive
« Reply #2 on: October 04, 2015, 11:12:11 PM »
I never tried it, but can you use the rmt command in the tar extension?

Offline madmax

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Re: TinyCore and DAT drive
« Reply #3 on: October 05, 2015, 05:29:24 AM »
Hello:

The only tape drive experience i have is old Commodore Vic 20.
In TC6 x86 Apps > Provides search didn't seem to find anything applicable.
Quite so ...
Nothing.

The author Kai Makisara's software can be downloaded here:
https://github.com/Distrotech/mt-st

Load compiletc, unzip download, run make.
You'll get two executables:
mt-st
stinit
Place executables into .local/bin or create a mt.tcz extension.
It's rather over my head, but I'll try and see what I can do with that.
Have some reading to do.
Thanks.  =-)

I never tried it, but can you use the rmt command in the tar extension?
Have not tried it.
Problem is that lsscsi is not in the repository so I don't know where to direct tar commands.

In addition to that
Code: [Select]
ls /devdoes not show me a tape drive.
ie: tape or st0.

Although the tape drive 'is' there for TC:
Code: [Select]
dmesg
--- snip ---
scsi: 5:0:6:0: Sequential-Access ARCHIVE  Python 03812-XXX 6270 PQ: 0 ANSI: 2
--- snip ---
scsi target5:0:6: FAST-10 SCSI 7.8MB/s ST (128ns, offset 15)
--- snip ---
(by hand ... =-/, can't get cut+paste to work in aterm)

Any ideas?
Thanks in advance,

TC

Online Juanito

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Re: TinyCore and DAT drive
« Reply #4 on: October 05, 2015, 06:11:11 AM »
Is the DAT tape under /dev/rmt/* ?

To copy and paste in aterm, highlight the text to copy and use the middle mouse button (or left and right buttons simultaneously) to paste.

Offline curaga

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Re: TinyCore and DAT drive
« Reply #5 on: October 05, 2015, 01:21:15 PM »
The tape support is not enabled in our kernel, so you won't get a /dev/st0. However, the mtx suite seems to support generic SCSI, ie /dev/sg0, which is enabled.
The only barriers that can stop you are the ones you create yourself.

Offline madmax

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Re: TinyCore and DAT drive
« Reply #6 on: October 05, 2015, 02:19:41 PM »
Hello:
Is the DAT tape under /dev/rmt/* ?
No ...
There's no /rmt under /dev.

To copy and paste in aterm, highlight the text to copy and use the middle mouse button (or left and right buttons simultaneously) to paste.
Yes, I know.
But I cannot get it done.
I have a two button mouse with a scroll wheel (Genius NetScroll 120)
Can't see how to configure it with the CPanel app.

The tape support is not enabled in our kernel, so you won't get a /dev/st0.
I see ...
Any chances for that, eventually?
I see TC as a very usefull tool.
IMO, it would be good to have tape support in the kernel.

However, the mtx suite seems to support generic SCSI, ie /dev/sg0, which is enabled.
I'll have to look into that then.

Edit: no, 'mtx' is not in the repository, at least I cannot find it under 'mtx'.

Thanks.

TC
« Last Edit: October 05, 2015, 02:27:53 PM by tinycore »

Online Juanito

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Re: TinyCore and DAT drive
« Reply #7 on: October 05, 2015, 08:55:24 PM »
You can find the source at http://sourceforge.net/projects/mtx/

Offline curaga

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Re: TinyCore and DAT drive
« Reply #8 on: October 06, 2015, 01:32:02 AM »
To copy and paste in aterm, highlight the text to copy and use the middle mouse button (or left and right buttons simultaneously) to paste.
Yes, I know.
But I cannot get it done.
I have a two button mouse with a scroll wheel (Genius NetScroll 120)
Can't see how to configure it with the CPanel app.

Usually you can press the wheel, it acts as the third button. If your mouse can't, you can select a 2-button mouse in xsetup -> pressing left and right buttons simultaneously is used to paste.

Quote
The tape support is not enabled in our kernel, so you won't get a /dev/st0.
I see ...
Any chances for that, eventually?
I see TC as a very usefull tool.
IMO, it would be good to have tape support in the kernel.

It could be enabled in the scsi extension in 7.x, yeah.
The only barriers that can stop you are the ones you create yourself.

Offline madmax

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Re: TinyCore and DAT drive
« Reply #9 on: October 06, 2015, 10:27:31 AM »
Hello:
Usually you can press the wheel, it acts as the third button. If your mouse can't, you can select a 2-button mouse in xsetup -> pressing left and right buttons simultaneously is used to paste.
OK, thanks.
I'll try that.

It could be enabled in the scsi extension in 7.x, yeah.
That would be nice.
Maybe in 6.5?  =-)

I have Core+ installed on a CF card and boot it through one of the ports of the MoBo's on-board IDE controller. My idea is to make it my 'do anything' tool, a sort of low level access to my rig with which to do maintenance, repairs, backups, imaging, pertitions, resizing, etc.

Further on, with the addition of Grub use it to boot my other OSs from there, these being XPPro SP3 and the lately deceased #! Linux.

To this end, having SCSI tape support would really be a great thing.
Other SCSI tools like lsSCSI would be nice too.

Thanks in advance,

MM