[gentoo-user] Superloader works but doesn't

[daniel]

I've having considerable trouble with writing to a simple tape drive and I'm 
hoping that someone here has some experience with it:

I'm using a Quantum Superloader, so I've installed mtx to manipulate the 
tapes.  This part works without issue.

Load the tape from slot #3:

  # mtx -f /dev/sg2 load 3

Now that it's in the drive, I try to tar something onto it:

  # cd /
  # tar cf /dev/st0 bin/
  bin/
  bin/bash
  <a VERY long wait>
  tar: /dev/st0: Cannot write: Input/output error
  tar: Error is not recoverable: exiting now

After getting that error, I check /var/log/messages:

  Dec 21 22:19:44 archiver kernel: st0: Block limits 2 - 16777214 bytes.
  Dec 21 22:30:37 archiver kernel: st0: Error 400f0 (sugg. bt 0x0, driver bt 
    0x0, host bt 0x4).
  Dec 21 22:30:48 archiver kernel: st0: Error with sense data: Current st0: 
    sense key Unit Attention
  Dec 21 22:30:48 archiver kernel: Additional sense: Not ready to ready 
    change, medium may have changed

What the heck does this mean?  I've checked the cables, everything seems 
secure.  Connectivity doesn't seem to be the problem because I can tell the 
tape drive to do whatever I like without issue.  The drive was just purchased 
and the tapes are new so we don't have a cleaning tape (though I don't think 
it'd be needed yet) so what's left?

Here's the output of /proc/scsi/scsi:

Attached devices:
Host: scsi1 Channel: 00 Id: 00 Lun: 00
  Vendor: SEAGATE  Model: ST39204LW        Rev: 0006
  Type:   Direct-Access                    ANSI SCSI revision: 03
Host: scsi2 Channel: 05 Id: 05 Lun: 00
  Vendor: BNCHMARK Model: DLT1             Rev: 5C3F
  Type:   Sequential-Access                ANSI SCSI revision: 02
Host: scsi2 Channel: 05 Id: 05 Lun: 01
  Vendor: QUANTUM  Model: UHDL             Rev: 0028
  Type:   Medium Changer                   ANSI SCSI revision: 02



-- 
real men don't make backups.
they upload it via ftp and let the world mirror it.
  - Linus Torvalds
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