NAME    [Toc]    [Back]

     mtio - magtape interface

SYNOPSIS    [Toc]    [Back]

     #include <sys/mtio.h>

DESCRIPTION    [Toc]    [Back]

     This interface concerns devices which are typical tape block
devices, see
     physio(9).

     The conventional device letters/numbers is applicable to any
of the
     transport/controller pairs.  (But note that only 1600 BPI is
available
     with  the TS11, and that 800 BPI is not applicable to TM78.)

     When the device last number is between 0-7 the  device  will
operate at 800
     BPI (or its lowest density), between 8-15 it will operate at
1600 BPI (or
     its second density), and between 16-23 it  will  operate  at
6250 BPI.

     The  rewind  devices  automatically rewind when the last requested read,
     write or seek has finished, or the end of the tape has  been
reached.  The
     letter `n' is usually prepended to the name of the no-rewind
devices.

     Unix tapes are written  in  multiples  of  1024  byte  block
records.  Two endof-file
  markers mark the end of a tape, and one end-of-file
marker marks
     the end of a tape file.  If the tape is not to be rewound it
is positioned
  with  the  head in between the two tape marks, where
the next write
     will overwrite the second end-of-file marker.

     All of the magtape devices may be manipulated with the mt(1)
command.

     The  include  file <sys/mtio.h> defines the various ioctl(2)
operations
     available on raw magnetic tape.

FILES    [Toc]    [Back]

     /dev/mt?
     /dev/rmt?

SEE ALSO    [Toc]    [Back]

     mt(1), tar(1), intro(4), st(4), wt(4)

HISTORY    [Toc]    [Back]

     The mtio manual appeared in 4.2BSD.

BUGS    [Toc]    [Back]

     The status should be returned in a device  independent  format.

OpenBSD      3.6                          January     7,     1996