Backup Device Names

You specify a tape or diskette to use for backup by supplying a logical device name. This name points to the subdirectory that contains the “raw” device file and includes the logical unit number of the drive. Tape drive naming conventions use a logical, not a physical, device name. The following table shows this naming convention.

Table 29-2 Basic Device Names for Backup Devices

In general, you specify a tape device as shown in the following figure.

Figure 29-1 Tape Drive Device Names

If you don't specify the density, a tape drive typically writes at its “preferred” density. The preferred density usually means the highest density the tape drive supports. Most SCSI drives can automatically detect the density or format on the tape and read it accordingly. To determine the different densities that are supported for a drive, look at the /dev/rmt subdirectory. This subdirectory includes the set of tape device files that support different output densities for each tape.

Also, a SCSI controller can have a maximum of seven SCSI tape drives.

Specifying the Rewind Option for a Tape Drive

Normally, you specify a tape drive by its logical unit number, which can run from 0 to n. The following table describes how to specify tape device names with a rewind or a no-rewind option.

Table 29-3 Specifying Rewind or No-Rewind for a Tape Drive

Specifying Different Densities for a Tape Drive

By default, the drive writes at its “preferred” density, which is usually the highest density the tape drive supports. If you do not specify a tape device, the command writes to drive number 0 at the default density the device supports.

To transport a tape to a system whose tape drive supports only a certain density, specify a device name that writes at the desired density. The following table describes how to specify different densities for a tape drive.

Table 29-4 Specifying Different Densities for a Tape Drive

The additional density values are shown in Backup Device Names.