On Fri, Feb 27, 2009 at 12:03:21PM -0500, Dustin J. Mitchell wrote:
> I'm sorry -- I somehow filed this away withot answering.
> 
> On Mon, Feb 23, 2009 at 3:59 PM, Brian Cuttler <brian AT wadsworth DOT org> 
> wrote:
> > read(4, 0x080887A0, 32768) ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?Err#5 EIO
> 
...
> Note that the actions Amanda is performing are:
>  open
>  rewind
>  read 32k blocks until getting an EOF indication:
>    /2:     read(4, 0x08170A40, 32768)                      = 0
>  attempt to read the next block (which should begin the next file)
> 
> These steps aren't particularly easy to duplicate from the command
> line, since 'dd' closes its input once it reaches an EOF.

You can use a shell workaround/trick to deal with this:

# (
cmd1
cmd2
...
cmdn
) > /dev/"tapedevice" < /dev/"tapedevice"

The shell creates a subprocess that runs the commands
between the parentheses.  Stdin and stdout are open
to the tape device at the start of this subprocess and
stays open through all cmds between the parens.

Any dd commands between the parens should omit and "if="
and "of=" arguments as you want the defaults of stdin/out.

jl
-- 
Jon H. LaBadie                  jon AT jgcomp DOT com
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