tapetest Test Modes

Connection 

Yes 

tapetest verifies that the drive can be opened and that the drive type can be determined. If both checks are successful, or if the drive is currently busy, then the test passes. The tapetest fails if the open operation is unsuccessful for any reason other than the drive is busy.

Functional 

(Offline) 

Yes 

tapetest checks the status, rewinds the tape, erases and retensions it. If the device is a cartridge tape, tapetest writes a pattern to nblks or eot (default), rewinds the tape, and then reads and compares of the pattern. On the other hand, if the device is busy or if no tape cartridge can be found in the drive, the test cannot run and fails.