[luau] connecting tape drive to RH 7.2, 7.3, 8.0

[MonMotha]

Ray Strode wrote:
>> They're just character devices...you can use them with tar's "f" 
>> option to make tar files on the tape.
> 
> 
> I've never used a tape drive in linux before, so I'm wondering, is it 
> standard practice to symlink
> /dev/st0 or /dev/ht0 to /dev/rmt0 ?
> 
> I ask, because I know that tar assumes /dev/rmt0 if you don't use the 
> "f" option.
> 
> --Ray
> 

Quite possibly, but an app shouldn't rely on those being present any 
more than /dev/mouse, /dev/modem, /dev/cdrom, etc and should probably 
ask the user before assuming anything like that.

However, it's of course permissable to make things easier on yourself :) 
  I believe the "mt" command (controls tape drive to do things like 
rewind, retensions, advance to next "mark", etc) also defaults to 
/dev/rmt0.  There is also sometimes a /dev/tape.

Come to think of it, I think rmt0 may be for ftape based devices only. 
Not sure.  The authoritative source is of course 
/usr/src/linux/Documentation/devices.txt.  It also mentions something 
about the common symlinks that are often present (but not required to be).

--MonMotha
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