How to Retrieve Files From a Tape (tar)

1. Change to the directory where you want to put the files.

2. Insert the tape into the tape drive.

3. Retrieve files from the tape using the tar command.

   $ tar xvf /dev/rmt/n [filename ...]

   x	Indicates that files should be extracted from the specified archive file. All of the files on the tape in the specified drive are copied to the current directory.
   v	Displays the name of each file as it is archived.
   f /dev/rmt/n	Indicates the tape device containing the archive.
   filename	Specifies a file to retrieve.

4. Verify the files are copied by listing the contents of the current directory.

   $ ls -l

Example--Retrieving the Files on a Tape (tar)

The following example retrieves all the files from the tape in drive 0.

$ cd /var/tmp
$ tar xvf /dev/rmt/0
x reports/, 0 bytes, 0 tape blocks
x reports/reportA, 0 bytes, 0 tape blocks
x reports/reportB, 0 bytes, 0 tape blocks
x reports/reportC, 0 bytes, 0 tape blocks
x reports/reportD, 0 bytes, 0 tape blocks
$ ls -l

The names of the files extracted from the tape must exactly match the names of the files stored on the archive. If you have any doubts about the names or paths of the files, first list the files on the tape. See "How to List the Files on a Tape (tar)" for instructions.

See tar(1) for more information.