I've recently added a tape autoloader (a Exabyte Magnum 224), and am
curious to see whether or not I can write to it using the standard
tools -- i.e. tar, cpio etc -- without needing 3rd-party software.
No, you can't. There's no support for tape devices in the OS (just
like there isn't in Solaris, etc...)
Get the Tollis Groups' TapeTool. It's cheap and will do what you want.
The trouble is, I'm not sure where the /dev entries are for the
device, or if they're even created at all.
There isn't one since there's no device support for the drive. Hence
the kernel can not build a /dev entry.
Retrospect identifies the LTO drive itself as being at SCSI-A:3:0,
with the library mechanism at SCSI-A:3:1.
Yes, and it will use it's IOKit support to communicate with the
device through it's application. It will not add "driver support" for
the OS.
Running System Profiler shows essentially the same thing, but calls
the target addresses "Target Device @ 3" with "Logical Units" at 0
and 1 respectively. Does anyone happen to know the nomenclature for
how these devices (if at all) are created in /dev?
Yes. I do happen to know, probably others do too.
It's also documented and covered in "Mac OS X Internals".
If you'd like to ask how this happens to be don rather if someone
knows how it's done I can tell you that the kernel will build /dev
entries for devices that have kexts and are present. These are
dynmaically mapped into the device tree and power up and as they are
added. You can not rely on, nor should you ever use, the /dev entries
for identifying a device as these are likely to change as the system
configuration dynamically changes. That is what is /dev/something
today could be /dev/somethingelse after something as minor as
inserting a CD in a device. Therefore there is no real reason to know
these device names.
--
-dhan
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dan Shoop AIM: iWiring
Systems & Networks Architect http://www.ustsvs.com/
email@hidden http://www.iwiring.net/
1-714-363-1174
"The wise man doesn't give the right answers, he poses the right
questions." -- Claude Levi-Strauss
iWiring provides systems and networks support for Mac OS X, unix, and
Open Source application technologies at affordable rates.
_______________________________________________
Do not post admin requests to the list. They will be ignored.
Macos-x-server mailing list (email@hidden)
Help/Unsubscribe/Update your Subscription:
http://lists.apple.com/mailman/options/macos-x-server/email@hidden
