that's driver info, not program. i can't use 32K blocks with any program
including dd


> To: Wojciech Puchar <wojtek@tensor.3miasto.net>
> Cc: current-users@NetBSD.org
> Subject: Re: what have changed in st driver?
>
>
> On Sunday, Dec 28, 2003, at 07:11 Australia/Sydney, Wojciech Puchar
> wrote:
>
> > i've been able to use 32K blocks on exactly that tape drive in 1.5.*
> >
> > now:
> >
> > root@serwer# tar -b64 -cvf /dev/rst0 /bin /sbin
> > tar: Write block size of 32768 too large, maximum is: 32256
>
> I think you'll find this is due to the switch to tar-is-pax. From the
> pax(1) manpage:
>
>       -b blocksize
>             When writing an archive, block the output at a positive
> decimal
>             integer number of bytes per write to the archive file.  The
>             blocksize must be a multiple of 512 bytes with a maximum of
> 32256
>             bytes.  A blocksize can end...
>
> However, from the tar(1) manpage:
>
>       -b blocking factor, --block-size blocking factor
>                     Set blocking factor to use for the archive.  tar
> uses 512
>                     byte blocks.  The default is 20, the maximum is 126.
>   Ar-
>                     chives with a blocking factor larger 63 violate the
> POSIX
>                     standard and will not be portable to all systems.
>
> Looks like the later needs updating. BTW, this is current as of around
> 2003-12-08, haven't looked for more recent changes.
>
> If you want larger, non-POSIX blocking factors, you can always install
> another tar variant from pkgsrc.
>
> > the drive is:
> > st0 at scsibus0 target 6 lun 0: <ARCHIVE, IBM4326NP/RP  !D, 04BK> tape
> > removable
> > st0: drive empty
> > st0: sync (200.00ns offset 15), 8-bit (5.000MB/s) transfers
>
> Cheers,
> --
> Paul Ripke
> Unix/OpenVMS/TSM/DBA
> I love deadlines. I like the whooshing sound they make as they fly by.
> -- Douglas Adams
>