*BSD News Article 13343


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Newsgroups: comp.unix.bsd
Path: sserve!newshost.anu.edu.au!munnari.oz.au!constellation!osuunx.ucc.okstate.edu!moe.ksu.ksu.edu!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!usc!elroy.jpl.nasa.gov!ames!pacbell.com!unet!blunt!dsilvia
From: dsilvia@blunt.net.com (Dave Silvia)
Subject: Re: /dev/rmt8: Bad Filfile descriptor ????
Message-ID: <1993Mar25.144116.2849@unet.net.com>
Sender: news@unet.net.com
Nntp-Posting-Host: blunt
Organization: Network Equipment Technologies
References: <1993Mar24.064408.902@pyrian.com> <C4F7G5.EyD@acsu.buffalo.edu>
Date: Thu, 25 Mar 1993 14:41:16 GMT
Lines: 23

In article <C4F7G5.EyD@acsu.buffalo.edu> ferrick@acsu.buffalo.edu (Patrick K. Ferrick) writes:
>
>I get 
>
>tar: can't open /dev/rmt8: bad file descriptor
>

Not having an example of how you invoked tar, I can only guess that you did not
use the -f switch to  specify  your device driver file (/dev/[r|nr]st[0-?]).
If you do not specify a device, /dev/rmt8 is the default (and you probably
don't have that!:).  E.G.:

	tar -xvf /dev/rst0

to extract the tape archive on the tape in st0, OR:

	tar -cvf /dev/rst0 /usr/mine

to create a tape archive of /usr/mine on the tape in st0.

[ why the 'v'?  'verbose', I like to see what's happening!;^} ]

Dave S.