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SMT(1)			     Schily's USER COMMANDS			  SMT(1)

NAME
     smt - magnetic tape control

SYNOPSIS
     smt [ -f tapename ] command [ count ]

DESCRIPTION
     The smt program sends commands to a local or a remote magnetic tape drive.

     The count operand specifies the number of times the requested command is to
     be performed. If count is omitted, the value of count defaults to one.

OPTIONS
     -help  Prints a summary of the options for smt(1) and exits.

     -version
	    Prints the smt version number string and exists.

     -debug
	    print additional debug messages.

     -f tapename

     -t tapename
	    Set the raw tape device to use, otherwise smt uses a system specific
	    default  for  the rtape device.  If smt is installed suid root or if
	    it has been called by  root,  tapename  may  be  in  remote  syntax:
	    user@host:filename	as  in rcp(1) even if invoked by non root users.
	    See SUID NOTES for more information.

	    To make a file local although it includes a colon (:), the	filename
	    must start with: '/', './' or '../'

	    Note  that	if  smt talks to an old rmt remote tape server that does
	    not support symbolic open modes, it does not open a remote tape with
	    the O_CREAT open flag because this would be extremely dangerous.  If
	    the rmt server on the other side is the rmt server that  comes  with
	    star  or  the  GNU rmt server, smt may use the symbolic mode for the
	    open flags.  Only the symbolic open modes allow sending all possible
	    open modes in a portable way to remote tape servers.

	    It is recommended to use the rmt server that comes with star.  It is
	    the only rmt server that gives  platform  independent  compatibility
	    with  BSD, Sun and GNU rmt clients and it includes security features
	    that may be set up in /etc/default/rmt.

	    See ENVIRONMENT section for information on how to use ssh(1) to cre-
	    ate a remote tape server connection.

     -wready
	    Wait for the tape drive to become ready before  executing  the  com-
	    mand.

COMMANDS
     The following commands are supported:

     eof

     weof	 Write	count  EOF  (FILE)  marks at the current position on the
		 tape.

		 This command may be run remotely with any BSD compliant old rmt
		 server.

     fsf	 Forward skip over count FILE marks.  The tape is positioned  on
		 the first block of the file.

		 This command may be run remotely with any BSD compliant old rmt
		 server.

     bsf	 Backward skip count FILE marks.  The tape is positioned on side
		 of the FILE mark that is closer to the beginning of the tape.

		 This command may be run remotely with any BSD compliant old rmt
		 server.

     asf	 Absolute  FILE  mark positioning to file number count.  This is
		 equivalent to a rewind followed by a fsf count.

		 A RMT version 1 server is needed to run this command on  a  re-
		 mote tape drive.

     fsr	 Forward skip count tape records.

		 This command may be run remotely with any BSD compliant old rmt
		 server.

     bsr	 Backward skip count tape records.

		 This command may be run remotely with any BSD compliant old rmt
		 server.

     rewind	 Rewind the tape.

		 This command may be run remotely with any BSD compliant old rmt
		 server.

     offline

     rewoffl	 Rewind  the  tape.   If  the specified tape drive allows one to
		 take the drive off-line or to unload the tape,  a  off-line  or
		 unload operation is performed in addition.

		 This command may be run remotely with any BSD compliant old rmt
		 server.

     status	 Retrieve and print status information for the tape drive.

		 A RMT version 1 server is needed to get correct status informa-
		 tion on a remote tape drive.

     nop	 No  operation.   If you only like to wait for the tape drive to
		 become ready, call smt -wready nop.

		 This command may be run remotely with any BSD compliant old rmt
		 server.

     retension	 Retension the tape. This only makes sense with  cartridge  tape
		 drives.

		 A  RMT  version 1 server is needed to run this command on a re-
		 mote tape drive.

     erase	 Erase the entire tape. This may take a long time (up to several
		 hours) depending on the tape drive and the medium.

		 A RMT version 1 server is needed to run this command on  a  re-
		 mote tape drive.

     eom	 Position  the	tape to the end of the recorded media.	This al-
		 lows one to append data to previously written tapes.

		 A RMT version 1 server is needed to run this command on  a  re-
		 mote tape drive.

     nbsf	 Backward skip count FILE marks.  The tape is positioned on side
		 of the FILE mark that is closer to the end of the tape. This is
		 before the first block of the file.  The nbsf command is equiv-
		 alent to count+1 bsf's followed by one fsf.

		 A  RMT  version 1 server is needed to run this command on a re-
		 mote tape drive.

     load	 If the specified tape drive allows one to take  the  drive  on-
		 line  or  to load the tape, a on-line or load operation is per-
		 formed.  in addition.	For remote  tape  drives,  this  command
		 only  works  if  the  remote tape server supports symbolic open
		 modes as the command needs the O_NDELAY flag to succeed.

		 A RMT version 1 server is needed to run this command on  a  re-
		 mote tape drive.

ENVIRONMENT
     RSH    If the RSH environment is present, the remote connection will not be
	    created  via  rcmd(3)  but by calling the program pointed to by RSH.
	    Use e.g.  RSH=/usr/bin/ssh to create a secure shell connection.

	    Note that this forces smt to create a pipe to the rsh(1) program and
	    disallows smt to directly access the network socket  to  the  remote
	    server.   This  makes it impossible to set up performance parameters
	    and slows down the connection compared to a root  initiated  rcmd(3)
	    connection.

     RMT    If	the  RMT environment is present, the remote tape server will not
	    be the program /etc/rmt but the program pointed  to  by  RMT.   Note
	    that  the remote tape server program name will be ignored if you log
	    in using an account that has been created with a remote tape  server
	    program as login shell.

     TAPE   In	case  no  -f option pas been specified, the default tape name is
	    taken from the TAPE environment.

SEE ALSO
     spax(1), suntar(1),  scpio(1),  tar(1),  cpio(1),	pax(1),  rcp(1),  mt(1),
     rmt(1),  match(1),  dd(1),  sdd(1),  rsh(1),  ssh(1),  star(1),  star(4/5),
     rcmd(3),

NOTES
     If the remote tape server is running Linux and the remote	tape  server  on
     such  a  system  is  not  the rmt server that comes with star(1), then com-
     pletely unexpected results (including unexpectedly erased tapes) may occur.
     This is because Linux ignores the numbering values for the magnetic tape op
     codes and only the rmt server from star(1) maps to  standard  values.   The
     standard  rmt server on Linux for this reason may not be called BSD compli-
     ant.

BUGS
     None currently known.

     Mail bugs and suggestions	to  schilytools@mlists.in-berlin.de  or  open  a
     ticket at https://codeberg.org/schilytools/schilytools/issues.

     The mailing list archive may be found at:

     https://mlists.in-berlin.de/mailman/listinfo/schilytools-mlists.in-berlin.de.

AUTHOR
     Joerg Schilling and the schilytools project authors.

SOURCE DOWNLOAD
     The  source  code for smt is included in the schilytools project and may be
     retrieved from the schilytools project at Codeberg at

     https://codeberg.org/schilytools/schilytools.

     The download directory is

     https://codeberg.org/schilytools/schilytools/releases.

Joerg Schilling 		   2022/09/09				  SMT(1)

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