Subject: dump and tape block size
To: None <current-users@NetBSD.ORG>
From: VaX#n8 <vax@linkdead.paranoia.com>
List: current-users
Date: 05/23/1996 09:27:54
I was trying to read an old tar tape, and to do so I took a quirk
entry out for my drive that was added to st.c after the tape was made.

Then, I backed up my /usr/local using dump.

Next, I removed some files, thought better of it, and tested the tape.
Sure enough:

Tape block size(512) is not a multiple of dump block size (1024)

Anyway, I had removed enough files to restore the tar blob.

So, I booted a new kernel, saved that tar blob back to tape (this time
in multiple chunks), and went to restore again:

bash# restore -ivf /dev/nrst0
Verify tape and initialize maps
Tape block size is 32
Dump   date: Thu May 23 00:09:13 1996
Dumped from: the epoch
Extract directories from tape
Mangled directory: reclen not multiple of 4 
Mangled directory: reclen not multiple of 4 
Mangled directory: 
Mangled directory: reclen not multiple of 4 
Mangled directory: reclen not multiple of 4 
Initialize symbol table.

Other than that, it _seems_ okay, but I'm wary.  Anyone know what is
going on?  I'm assuming dump expects to read() 1024-bytes at a time
and isn't smart enough to do multi reads if it doesn't get everything
it wants, but I'm not sure.  Any ideas?

And what is the "32"?