Many thanks to Terry Moore's response on the comment on a possible block size issue.
I would like to add that, I re-ran the same job again, but this time, without the use of the -F nexttape switch: frost:~ # mt -f /dev/nst0 rewind frost:~ # mt -f /dev/nst0 setblk 0 frost:~ # time tar -b 2048 -xv -M -k -C /group_workspaces/cems/globalalbedo/JMP036L5 -f /dev/nst0 1>>/tmp/JMP036L5.lis3 Prepare volume #2 for `/dev/nst0' and hit return: When the tape comes to its end, it stays there. The tar command did not fail, but prompts for the 2nd volume. >From another window, I can do mtx next to swap the tape with the next. Back to the tar prompt, just hit enter, the tar retrieval process continues with the new tape. Does that imply that the nexttape script I use somehow triggered the tar process getting the "Device or resource busy" errors? If so, I could modify the nexttape script to wait a few minutes before it switches the tapes, and then wait a few more minutes at the end. Unfortunately a LTO5 tape can take over 10 hours to get to the end of tape, this is not something can be easily tested. Peter From: Chiu, Peter (STFC,RAL,RALSP) Sent: 01 February 2013 11:30 To: bug-tar@gnu.org Cc: Chiu, Peter (STFC,RAL,RALSP) Subject: GNU tar 1.26: multi-volume continuation issue Hello, This is not really a bug, but a request for help solve a problem we have in using tar to read a multi-volume set of LTO5 tapes. We have received a few sets of LTO5 tapes, knowing it was written using the command at source site: tar --create -v --multi-volume --new-volume-script=/etc/tape/nexttape.sh \ --totals --blocking-factor 2048 --file=/dev/nst0 -C /disk /disk/foo /disk/bar /disk/bazz We have a SUSE Enterprise Server 11 Sp2 host connected with a Quantum Superloader3 8-slots and 1 LTO5 tape drive. The tape drive is set up (as default) in random mode, allowing the host to query and maneuver the tapes. Having placed the first volume tape (tape 3 with barcode JM036L5) into the drive, I used the following commands mt -f /dev/nst0 setblk 0 time tar -b 2048 -xv -M -k -F /csupport/script/nexttape \ -C /group_workspaces/cems/globalalbedo/JMP036L5 -f /dev/nst0 1>>/tmp/JMP036L5. where my nexttape contains: . /etc/profile PATH=$PATH:/usr/sbin if [ "${ThisLog}" == "" ] then ThisLog=/tmp/nexttape.log fi echo "`date`-`hostname -s` unload current tape ..." >> $ThisLog mtx next mt -f /dev/nst0 setblk 0 echo "`date`-`hostname -s` loaded in the next tape:" >> $ThisLog mtx status >> $ThisLog The above command started off reading the 1st volume, but fails with this erro: frost:/csupport/script # time tar -b 2048 -xv -M -k -F /csupport/script/nexttape -C /group_workspaces/cems/globalalbedo/JMP036L5 -f /dev/nst0 1>>/tmp/JMP036L5. lis2 tar: /dev/nst0: Cannot read: Device or resource busy tar: /dev/nst0: Cannot read: Device or resource busy tar: /dev/nst0: Cannot read: Device or resource busy tar: /dev/nst0: Cannot read: Device or resource busy tar: /dev/nst0: Cannot read: Device or resource busy tar: /dev/nst0: Cannot read: Device or resource busy tar: /dev/nst0: Cannot read: Device or resource busy tar: /dev/nst0: Cannot read: Device or resource busy tar: /dev/nst0: Cannot read: Device or resource busy tar: /dev/nst0: Cannot read: Device or resource busy tar: /dev/nst0: Cannot read: Device or resource busy tar: /dev/nst0: Cannot read: Device or resource busy tar: Too many errors, quitting tar: Error is not recoverable: exiting now real 185m56.158s user 0m21.693s sys 10m43.264s While the log in /tmp/nexttape.log shows: frost:/csupport/script # less /tmp/nexttape.log Thu Jan 31 22:59:07 GMT 2013-frost unload current tape ... Thu Jan 31 23:02:35 GMT 2013-frost loaded in the next tape: Storage Changer /dev/changer:1 Drives, 8 Slots ( 0 Import/Export ) Data Transfer Element 0:Full (Storage Element 4 Loaded):VolumeTag = JMP037L5 Storage Element 1:Full :VolumeTag=JMP034L5 Storage Element 2:Full :VolumeTag=JMP035L5 Storage Element 3:Full :VolumeTag=JMP036L5 Storage Element 4:Empty Storage Element 5:Full :VolumeTag=JMP038L5 Storage Element 6:Full :VolumeTag=JMP039L5 Storage Element 7:Full :VolumeTag=JMP040L5 Storage Element 8:Full :VolumeTag=JMP041L5 That means tape 4 has been loaded, but some how, the tar command fails to continue with the above error. Does anyone have any idea of what could be the cause? Many thanks. Regards, Peter Chiu STFC Rutherford Appleton Laboratory UK -- Scanned by iCritical.