# ftape-HOWTO

## Kai Harrekilde-Petersen, <khp@pip.dknet.dk>

v1.53, 2 July 1995 for ftape-2.03b

This HOWTO discuss the essentials of the do's and dont's for the `ftape` driver under Linux. The `ftape` driver interfaces to QIC-40, QIC-80, QIC-3010 and QIC-3020 compatible drives only. The QIC-3010 and QIC-3020 standards are also known as `QIC-WIDE'. These drives connects via the floppy disk controller (FDC). It does not cover SCSI or QIC-02 tape drives. DAT tape drives usually (always?) connect to a SCSI controller. This is but one of the Linux HOWTO documents. You can get an index of the HOWTOs from the Linux HOWTO index , while the real HOWTO's can be fetched (using `ftp`) from `sunsite.unc.edu:pub/Linux/doc/HOWTO` (this is the ``official'' place) or via the World Wide Web from the Linux Documentation Project home page .

## 1. Legalese

## 2. News flash

## 3. The preliminaries

## 4. Getting and installing `ftape`

- 4.1 What is `ftape`
- 4.2 How fast is `ftape`?
- 4.3 What you need to install `ftape`
- 4.4 If you have `ftape-2.02`, or earlier
- 4.5 If you have `ftape-2.02`, or earlier
- 4.6 Compiling and installing the `ftape` driver
- 4.7 Can I format my tapes under Linux?
- 4.8 Which formatting programs can I use under DOS?
- 4.9 Mixing `ftape` and floppies

## 5. (Un)supported hardware

- 5.1 Mixing `ftape` and floppies
- 5.2 Supported special controllers
- 5.3 Supported special controllers
- 5.4 Using an external tape drive with `ftape`
- 5.5 Using an external tape drive with `ftape`

## 6. Backing up and restoring data

- 6.1 Using an external tape drive with `ftape`
- 6.2 Restoring an archive
- 6.3 Testing the archive
- 6.4 Putting more than one `tar` file on a tape
- 6.5 Appending files to an archive
- 6.6 Mount/unmounting tapes

## 7. Creating an emergency boot floppy for `ftape`

## 8. Frequently Asked Questions

- 8.1 Can I exchange tapes with someone using DOS?
- 8.2 How do I `....' with `tar`?
- 8.3 `ftape` DMA transfers gives ECC errors
- 8.4 `insmod` says the kernel version is wrong
- 8.5 `ftape` complains that ```This tape has no 'Linux raw`
- 8.6 Where can I find the `tar`/`mt`/`cpio`/`dd`
- 8.7 Where can I obtain the QIC standards?
- 8.8 What block-size to use with `tar`
- 8.9 `ftape` detects more bad sectors than DOS on QIC-3020 tapes

## 9. Debugging the `ftape` driver

- 9.1 The kernel/`ftape` crashes on me when I do `...' - is that a
- 9.2 OK, it's a bug ...ehhh... feature - How do I submit a report?
- 9.3 How do I change the trace-level?
- 9.4 `ftape` keep saying `... new tape', what do I do?