Re: problem with multitape level 0 archive

} } In article <CwG0un.K1@nntpa.cb.att.com> ciesla@stairs.nw.att.com (Larry Ciesla) writes: } > } >Hi, } > } > Here is our problem: at one of } >our sites, a level 0 archive spans several tapes. If, when a tape is written } >and On-line is prompting you to install a second tape, and for whatever } >reason, On-line decides that it is time for a checkpoint, guess what! The } >server is hung and everything stops until the operator puts in the new tape! } >On-line will do nothing until it can execute the checkpoint, and it will } >not execute the checkpoint until a new tape is installed. } } What I have done is to create a daemon which wakes up every so often, } does a tbstat - , and looks for CKPT REQ, checkpoint required, as the } status of the engine. If it finds that it tightens the loop and looks } again. If it finds it again, it presumes its waiting on tape and } sends out a noisy message to the console and any others of a list of } user defined ttys. What I really need it to do is call the PA system or } get the operator who is on the loading dock smoking a butt, but I haven't } got that figured out yet ... } } I have read where other people have used 2 tapes successfully. They } output tbtape to a link, and have written a program which monitors the } tbtape and flips the link from the first tape drive to the second tape drive, } and provides the carraige returns, when they detect the wait. While we } deemed this too difficult for our environment, your's sounds like it } might justify this. } } Another usage I've seen is outputting the tbtape to a pipe which does } compression before sending to a tape archive. In the 5.0 Online DBA guide, Informix explicitly stated that 'named pipe' cannot be used with tbtape... Eventhough it works. Any body knows the real reason why? } } We have used up to 5 gigabyte drives successfully and skipped the methods } that would be more difficult to write or operate. }