tape" -- Command" "

Manipulate a tape device 

ttaappee ccoommmmaanndd [[_c_o_u_n_t]] [[_d_e_v_i_c_e]]
The command tape lets you manipulate a tape device. device names the tape device to manipulate. If you name no device on the command line, tape uses the device T_DEFAULT; header file <tape.h> defines this constant to be device /dev/tape. For a list of tape devices, see the overview article for tape.

command names the task that you want tape to execute, as follows:

eerraassee
Erase the tape. SCSI tape only.

rreetteennssiioonn
Retension the tape. This rewinds the tape, then performs a full forward wind, then another rewind. The seek offset is set to zero.

rreewwiinndd
Rewind the tape. This command positions the tape at the beginning of track 0. It resets seek offset (see seek and tell, below) to zero. If tape is already rewound, this command has no effect.

rrffmm
Move the tape forward to the next file mark; in effect, skip the current file. SCSI tape only.

sseeeekk _l_o_c_a_t_i_o_n
This command has the same effect as if the tape had just been used with no-rewind-on-close, leaving the tape at byte location. No tape motion occurs at the time of the command, but the next read or write begins at byte location on the tape. Floppy tape only.

ssttaattuuss
Display various parameters for the tape drive, and for the cartridge being used. Not every tape drive supports every status option. Unsupported features appear as ``unavailable''. The following gives an example of output from this command: 
     Floppy Tape Status:
          Drive Configuration  = 0x90
               500 Kbits/sec
               Non-Extra-Length Tape
               QIC-80 Mode.
          ROM Version  = 0x85
          Vendor ID  = 0x0146, Make=5, Model=6
          Tape Status Unavailable.
          Drive Status  = 0x65
               drive ready or idle
               cartridge present
               cartridge referenced
               at physical BOT
          Drive Error Status - No Error.

Floppy tape only.

tteellll
Display the byte offset that will be in effect the next time the tape is read or written. Floppy tape only.

The related command ftbad lets you read and modify the list of bad blocks on a floppy-tape cartridge.

See Also