For emergency testing I want to read the amanda files with standard Unix/Linux 
tools

W Curtiss preson's book suggests that amanda tapes can be read with the command
dd -if=/dev/nst0 bs=32k count=1

Attempting to move it to the next file with 
mt /dev/nst0 fsf 1
dd -if=/dev/nst0 bs=32k count=1
persistingly returned the amanda header, nothinbg else

This returns indeed the Amanda header but not the backup software used (tar in 
my case)
Forcing a  listing with dd -if=/dev/nst0 bs=32k skip=x | tar -t -
returned either not output or the message "not a tar file"

How can access the tape content.
I use amanda 2.4.5 in linux (RH7.3)

Gerrit Hommersom