Using btape to Verify Tape Drive

An important reason for this program is to ensure that a Storage daemon configuration file is defined so that Bacula will correctly read and write tapes.

It is highly recommended that you run the test command before running your first Bacula job to ensure that the parameters you have defined for your storage device (tape drive) will permit Bacula to function properly. You only need to mount a blank tape, enter the command, and the output should be reasonably self explanatory.

For example:

(ensure that Bacula is not running)
./btape -c /usr/bin/bacula/bacula-sd.conf /dev/nst0

The output will be:

Tape block granularity is 1024 bytes.
btape: btape.c:376 Using device: /dev/nst0
*

Enter the test command:

test

The output produced should be something similar to the following:

=== Append files test ===
This test is essential to Bacula.
I’m going to write one record in file 0,
two records in file 1,
and three records in file 2
btape: btape.c:387 Rewound /dev/nst0
btape: btape.c:855 Wrote one record of 64412 bytes.
btape: btape.c:857 Wrote block to device.
btape: btape.c:410 Wrote EOF to /dev/nst0
btape: btape.c:855 Wrote one record of 64412 bytes.
btape: btape.c:857 Wrote block to device.
btape: btape.c:855 Wrote one record of 64412 bytes.
btape: btape.c:857 Wrote block to device.
btape: btape.c:410 Wrote EOF to /dev/nst0
btape: btape.c:855 Wrote one record of 64412 bytes.
btape: btape.c:857 Wrote block to device.
btape: btape.c:855 Wrote one record of 64412 bytes.
btape: btape.c:857 Wrote block to device.
btape: btape.c:855 Wrote one record of 64412 bytes.
btape: btape.c:857 Wrote block to device.
btape: btape.c:410 Wrote EOF to /dev/nst0
btape: btape.c:387 Rewound /dev/nst0
btape: btape.c:693 Now moving to end of media.
btape: btape.c:427 Moved to end of media
We should be in file 3. I am at file 3. This is correct!
Now the important part, I am going to attempt to append to the tape.
...
=== End Append files test ===

If you do not successfully complete the above test, please resolve the problem(s) before attempting to use Bacula. Depending on your tape drive, the test may recommend that you add certain records to your configuration. We strongly recommend that you do so and then re-run the above test to insure it works the first time.

Some of the suggestions it provides for resolving the problems may or may not be useful. If at all possible avoid using fixed blocking. If the test suddenly starts to print a long series of:

Got EOF on tape.
Got EOF on tape.
...

then almost certainly, you are running your drive in fixed block mode rather than variable block mode. See below for more help of resolving fix versus variable block problems.

It is also possible that you have your drive set in SysV tape drive mode. The drive must use BSD tape conventions. See the section above on setting your Archive device correctly.