ANSITAPE(1)ANSITAPE(1)NAME
ansitape - ANSI standard tape handler
SYNOPSIS
ansitape [key] [keyargs] [files]
DESCRIPTION
Ansitape reads and writes magnetic tapes written in ANSI standard for‐
mat (called ``Files-11'' by DEC). Tapes written by ansitape are
labeled with the first 6 characters of the machine name by default.
Actions are controlled by the key argument. The key is a string of
characters containing at most one function letter. Other arguments to
the command are a tape label and file names specifying which files are
to be written onto or extracted from the tape.
The function portion of the key is specified by one of the following
letters:
r The named files are written at the end of the tape. The c
function implies this.
x The named files are extracted from the tape. If no file argu‐
ment is given, the entire contents of the tape is extracted.
Note that if the tape has duplicated file names, only the last
file of a given name can be extracted.
t The names of the specified files are listed each time they
occur on the tape. If no file argument is given, all files on
the tape are listed.
c Create a new tape; writing begins at the beginning of the tape
instead of after the last file. This command implies r.
The following characters may be used in addition to the letter which
selects the function desired.
f This argument allows the selection of a different tape device.
The next word in the keyargs list is taken to be the full name
of a device to write the tape on. The default is /dev/rmt12.
n The n option allows the user to specify as the next argument in
the keyargs list, a control file containing the names of files
to put on the tape. If the file name is '-', the control file
will, instead, be read from standard input. The control file
contains one line for each file to be placed on the tape. Each
line has two names, the name of the file on the local machine,
and the name it is to have when placed on the tape. This
allows for more convenient flattening of hierarchies when plac‐
ing them on tape. If the second name is omitted, the UNIX file
name will be used on the tape also. This argument can only be
used with the r and c functions.
l The l option allows the user to specify the label to be placed
on the tape. The next argument in the keyargs list is taken as
the tape label, which will be space padded or truncated to six
characters. This option is meaningless unless c is also speci‐
fied.
v Normally ansitape works relatively silently. The v (verbose)
option causes it to type information about each file as it pro‐
cesses it.
b The b option allows the user to select the blocksize to be used
for the tape. By default, ansitape uses the maximum block size
permitted by the ANSI standard, 2048. Some systems will permit
a much larger block size, and if large files are being put on
the tape it may be advantageous to do so. Ansitape will take
the next argument of the keyargs list as the blocksize for the
tape. Values below 18 or above 32k will be limited to that
range. The standard scale factors b=512 and k=1024 are
accepted.
F The F flag allows ansitape to write ansi 'D' format fixed
record length tapes. The next two keyargs must be the record‐
size and blocksize to be used, with the same scale factors and
range limits as for the b option. The files to be written by
the F flag must be in fixed format on the unix end - all lines
should be EXACTLY recordsize bytes long plus a terminating new‐
line (which will be discarded). Note that this is exactly the
same format produced by ansitape when reading an ansi 'D' for‐
mat tape.
Ansitape will not copy directories, character or block special files,
symbolic links, sockets, or binary executables. Attempts to put these
on tape will result in warnings, and they will be skipped completely.
FILES
/dev/rmt12
DIAGNOSTICS
A warning message will be generated when a record exceeds the maximum
record length and the affected file will be truncated.
BUGS
Ansitape quietly truncates names longer than 17 characters.
Multivolume tapes can be read (provided no files cross the volume
boundary) but not written.
4th Berkeley Distribution April 10, 1985 ANSITAPE(1)