Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!seismo!mcnc!rutgers!husc6!cmcl2!brl-adm!adm!jepeway@UTKCS2.CS.UTK.EDU From: jepeway@UTKCS2.CS.UTK.EDU (Chris Jepeway) Newsgroups: comp.unix.questions Subject: Getting status of a tape drive Message-ID: <8500@brl-adm.ARPA> Date: Mon, 27-Jul-87 12:34:22 EDT Article-I.D.: brl-adm.8500 Posted: Mon Jul 27 12:34:22 1987 Date-Received: Wed, 29-Jul-87 06:00:26 EDT Sender: news@brl-adm.ARPA Lines: 15 'lo, I'm writing a c-shell script to do backups on our system, a VAX 8200 running Ultrix 1.2. I'd like to be able to determine whether there is a tape mounted and online in the tape drive (a TU81 plus), and I want to be able to do so regardless of whether some other process is using the drive. Using `mt status' and then checking the status c-shell variable, or parsing mt's output, has proven unreliable: mt will often say that there's `No such device or address: /dev/rmt12' when, in fact, there's a tape in the drive and the sucker's online. I'd prefer to use a standard Unix/Ultrix program that's out there already, but I can flex to a home grown c program if need be. Any help would be greatly appreciated. I mean greatly. Thanks Ever, C. Jepeway