I have a customer who has an AS/400 with a 6347 1/4-inch drive
who has received a cartridge from another customer who saved an
ASCII file using the AIX command "DD" on a RS6000 machine specifying
EBCDIC data conversion. My customer has sent this tape to me after
unsuccessful attempts to read this cartridge. The problem is that
this AIX command does not put the correct label information on the
cartridge.
I have since given the customer the alternative of using diskette
save and upload to the target AS/400 using PC Support file transfer.
He is also considering an SNA link to run the connection program.
My question is; Is it at all possible to perform data exchange
between an RS6000 and an AS/400 using a 1/4-inch luge? If it is
possible what commands need to be executed on the RS6000 machine
and with what parameters?
ANSWER
Received.
R: Unfortunately, AIX, as well as UNIX as a whole, does not support
the ability to read or write tapes using an IBM or ANSI standard
tape label. You might be able to fake a tape label, but this would
require getting a technical book on the AS/400 and the format &
content of its tape labels. Then construct a file on the RISC
to serve the purpose of a tape header and 'dd' that file to the
front of the tape. Then write the real information using the 'dd'
command and pass it the 'fskip=1' flag so as to bypass our
tape header. This is only an idea and has not been tested. AIX
can read these tapes by 'dd'ing the information and using the
'fskip=1' flag to bypass the tape header.
Another option my be the product called "REELexchange" by the
SCH Corporation. REELexchange has the ability to read and write
tape using the IBM or ANSI tape labeling standard on AIX.
The SCH Corp. can be reached at:
SCH, Inc.
Three Centennial Plaza
895 Central Avenue
Cincinnati, OH 45202
US Ph#: (513)579-0455
Thank You.
S e a r c h - k e y w o r d s:
TAPE LABEL AS/400 AIX
WWQA: ITEM: RTA000071644 ITEM: RTA000071644
Dated: 05/1996 Category: ITSAI6000GE
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