This section covers system management functions related to tape drives. Many of these functions change or get information from the device configuration database that contains information about the devices on your system. The device configuration database consists of the predefined configuration database that contains information about all possible types of devices supported on the system, and the customized configuration database that contains information about the particular devices currently on the system. For the operating system to make use of a tape drive, or any other device, the device must be defined in the customized configuration database and must have a device type defined in the predefined configuration database.
See the AIX 5L Version 5.2 System Management Concepts: Operating System and Devices for the following related topics:
Basic tasks for tape drives are shown in the following table:
| Task | SMIT Fast Path | Command or File |
|---|---|---|
| List All Defined Tape Drives | smit lsdtpe | lsdev -C -c tape -H |
| List All Supported Tape Drives | smit lsstpe | lsdev -P -c tape -F "type subclass description" -H |
| Add New Tape Drives Automatically | smit cfgmgr | cfgmgr |
| Add a User-Specified Tape Drive | smit mktpeNote 1 | mkdev -c tape -t '8mm' -s 'scsi' -p 'scsi0' -w '4,0' -a extfm=yes |
| Show Characteristics of a Tape Drive | smit chgtpe | lsdev -C -l rmt0
lsattr -D -l rmt0Note 2 |
| Change Attributes of a Tape Drive | smit chgtpe | chdev -l rmt0 -a block_size='512' -a mode=noNote 2 |
| Remove a Tape Drive | smit rmvtpe | rmdev -l 'rmt0'Note 2 |
| Generate an Error Report for a Tape Drive | smit errpt | See Error Logging Tasks in AIX 5L Version 5.2 General Programming Concepts: Writing and Debugging Programs. |
| Trace a Tape Drive | smit trace_link | See Starting the Trace Facility in AIX 5L Version 5.2 General Programming Concepts: Writing and Debugging Programs. |