How do I troubleshoot tape backups on Linux?

Here are a few helpful procedures for troubleshooting tape backup problems under Linux.

  • First, test the tape drive by attempting to rewind the tape:
mt -f /dev/st0 rewind
    • If there are no problems issuing the rewind command, you’ll be returned to the command prompt.
    • If there are any issues, you will be presented with a descriptive error message.
  • Next, try to perform a manual backup of a few small files:
tar -czvpf /dev/st0 /etc
    • If there are no problems performing the test backup, you’ll see a number of files scroll by and then be returned to the command prompt.
    • If there are any issues, you will presented with a descriptive error message.
  • If there were errors with either of the above tests, please run the Dell Hardware diagnostics

Here are some common errors you may see with tape drives under Linux:

  • Tape has been marked as write-protected or read-only:
tar: /dev/st0: Cannot open: Read-only file system
tar: Error is not recoverable: exiting now

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