1STINIT(8)                   System Manager's Manual                  STINIT(8)
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NAME

6       stinit - initialize SCSI magnetic tape drives
7

SYNOPSIS

9       stinit [-f conf-file] [-h] [-p] [-r] [-v] [devices...]
10

DESCRIPTION

12       This  manual page documents the tape control program stinit can used to
13       initialize SCSI tape drive modes at system startup, after  loading  the
14       tape  driver as module, or after introduction of new device to the SCSI
15       subsystem at run-time. The initialization is performed by sending ioctl
16       commands  to the drive. The commands are defined in a text file that is
17       indexed using the inquiry data the drive returns (manufacturer, device,
18       revision).  Values  for  all of the general and mode-specific SCSI tape
19       parameters up to Linux version 2.6.0 can be initialized.
20

OPTIONS

22       -f conf-file
23              Specifies the name of the text file containing  the  definitions
24              for  different tape drive types. By default stinit tries to find
25              the definition  file  stinit.def  or  /etc/stinit.def  (in  this
26              order).
27
28       -h     Print the usage information.
29
30       -p     The  definition  file is parsed but no tape drive initialization
31              is attempted. This option can be used for testing the  integrity
32              of a definition file after changes have been made.
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34       -r     Rewind every device being initialized.
35
36       -v     The more -v options (currently up to two), the more verbose out‐
37              put.
38
39       --version
40              Print the program version.
41

THE DEVICES BEING INITIALIZED

43       If the program is started without  arguments,  it  tries  to  find  all
44       accessible  SCSI  tape  devices  and the device files for the different
45       modes of the devices. The tape drives  are  searched  in  the  scanning
46       order  of the kernel and searching is stopped at the first non-existing
47       tape. All of the found devices are initialized if a  matching  descrip‐
48       tion is found from the parameter file. Note that a mode for a device is
49       not initialized if the corresponding device file is not found even if a
50       matching description for the mode exists. The non-rewind device is pre‐
51       ferred over the auto-rewind device for  each  mode.  If  the  directory
52       /dev/tapes  is  found, the devfs filesystem is assumed to be mounted on
53       /dev. Otherwise, the directories /dev/scsi and  /dev  are  scanned  for
54       device files.
55
56       SCSI  tape  drives  can  be initialized selectively using program argu‐
57       ments. A numeric argument specifies the number of the tape drive in the
58       scanning  order  of  the  kernel. A file name specifies that the device
59       corresponding to this name is to be initialized. If the  file  name  is
60       given without the directory specification, the program searches for the
61       name in the device directories /dev/scsi  and  /dev.   Only  full  path
62       names are supported with devfs.
63

THE CONFIGURATION FILE

65       The configuration file is a simple text file that contains descriptions
66       of tape drives and the  corresponding  initialization  parameters.  The
67       parameter  definition blocks are delimited by {}.  Specification of the
68       drive description is restarted after each parameter definition block.
69
70       The drive descriptions and the parameter definitions consist  of  pairs
71       name  =  value.   The value is either a numeric parameter, a string not
72       containing blanks, or a quoted string. In case of a numeric  parameter,
73       the  postfix  k  or M can be used to give the value in units of 1024 or
74       1024 * 1024, respectively. If the =value -part is  omitted,  the  value
75       "1"  is  used. If the character # is found from an input line, the rest
76       of the line is discarded. This allows use of comments in the definition
77       file.  The  following example contains definitions for one type of tape
78       drives:
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80              # The XY dat
81              manufacturer=XY-COMPANY model = "UVW DRIVE" {
82              scsi2logical=1 # Common definitions for all modes
83              can-bsr can-partitions auto-lock
84              # Definition of modes
85              mode1 blocksize=0 compression=1
86              mode2 blocksize=1024 compression=1
87              mode3 blocksize=0 compression=0
88              mode4 blocksize = 1k compression=0 }
89
90       The devices are identified using zero or more of the following keywords
91       corresponding  to  the  data returned by the tape device as response to
92       the SCSI INQUIRY command. The matches are case-sensitive and  performed
93       up  to  the length defined in the configuration file (permitting use of
94       partial matches).
95
96       manufacturer=
97              This keyword specifies the string that  must  match  the  vendor
98              identification returned by the device.
99
100       model= This  keyword  defines  the  string  that must match the product
101              identification returned by the device.
102
103       revision=
104              This keyword matched the string  that  must  match  the  product
105              revision level returned by the device.
106
107       All of the matching initializations are collected in the order they are
108       defined in the file. This means that common parameters can  be  defined
109       for  all  devices  using  zero keywords for a definition block. Another
110       consequence is that, for instance, some parameters can be easily  given
111       different values for a specific firmware revision without repeating the
112       parameters common to all revisions.
113
114       The tape parameters are defined  using  the  following  keywords.  More
115       thorough  description of the parameters can be found from the st(4) man
116       page (not up to date when this is  written)  or  from  the  file  driv‐
117       ers/scsi/README.st  in  the  Linux kernel source tree. The keywords are
118       matched using only the first characters. The part of the  keywords  not
119       used in matching is enclosed by []. The numeric values may be specified
120       either in decimal notation or hexadecimal notation  (using  the  prefix
121       0x).
122
123       drive-[buffering]=value
124              The drive's buffering parameter is set to value.  This parameter
125              if common for all modes.
126
127       cleaning
128              The cleaning request notifying parameter is set to value
129
130       no-w[ait]
131              The immediate mode is used with commands like rewind if value is
132              non-zero (i.e., the driver does not wait for the command to fin‐
133              ish).
134
135       mode=value
136              This keyword starts definition of tape mode value.   The  number
137              of the mode must be between 1 and 4.
138
139       disab[led]=value
140              This  mode is disabled for this device if value is non-zero. Can
141              be used if some mode defined in a more general definition should
142              be  disabled  by a more specific definition for some device (for
143              example, for a device with buggy firmware level).
144
145       block[size]=value
146              The default tape block size is set to value.  bytes.  The  block
147              size zero means variable block mode.
148
149       dens[ity]=value
150              The tape density code is set to value.
151
152       buff[ering]=value
153              The  buffered  writes  by  the  driver  in  fixed block mode are
154              enabled if value is non-zero.
155
156       async[-writes]=value
157              Asynchronous writes by the driver are enabled if value  is  non-
158              zero.
159
160       read[-ahead]=value
161              Read-ahead by the driver in fixed block mode is allowed if value
162              is non-zero.
163
164       two[-fms]=value
165              Two filemarks are written when a file being written to is closed
166              if value is non-zero. By default, one filemark is written.
167
168       comp[ression]=value
169              Compression of the data by the drive is enabled if value is non-
170              zero. Note that the tape driver can't enable compression for all
171              drives that can compress data. Note also that some drives define
172              compression using density codes.
173
174       auto[-lock]=value
175              The tape drive door is locked automatically when the device file
176              is opened if value is non-zero.
177
178       fast[-eom]=value
179              The  MTEOM command is performed using the SCSI command that spa‐
180              ces directly to the end of medium  if  value  is  non-zero.  The
181              drawback  is that the file number in the status becomes invalid.
182              By default, spacing to end of medium  is  performed  by  spacing
183              over filemarks until end of medium is detected and the file num‐
184              ber remains valid.
185
186       can-b[sr]=value
187              Backspacing over records is used by the driver when  reposition‐
188              ing the tape when read-ahead is enabled if value is non-zero.
189
190       noblk[limits]=value
191              The  tape driver does not use the READ BLOCK LIMITS SCSI command
192              when the device is being opened if value is  non-zero.  This  is
193              for the drives that do not support this SCSI command.
194
195       can-p[artitions]=value
196              The support for tape partitions is enabled if value is non-zero.
197
198       scsi2[logical]=value
199              Logical block addresses are used in the MTSEEK and MTIOCPOS com‐
200              mands if value is non-zero. The default is to  use  the  device-
201              specific addresses.
202
203       sili=value
204              If  value is non-zero, the SILI bit is set when reading in vari‐
205              able block mode. This may speed up reading blocks  shorter  than
206              the  read  byte  count. Set this only if you know that the drive
207              supports SILI and the HBA  reliably  returns  transfer  residual
208              byte counts. Requires kernel version >= 2.6.26.
209
210       defs-for-w[rites]=value
211              The  parameters  defining  the tape format (density, block size,
212              etc.)  are forced when writing starts at the beginning of a tape
213              if  value is non-zero. The default is to change there parameters
214              each time the device is opened at the beginning of  a  tape  (or
215              the mode is changed in the middle of a tape).
216
217       sysv=value
218              The  System V tape semantics are used if value is non-zero. Oth‐
219              erwise the BSD semantics are used.
220
221       timeout=value
222              The normal timeout for the device is set to value seconds.
223
224       long-time[out]=value
225              The long timeout for the device is set to value seconds.
226

RETURN VALUE

228       The program exits with value one if the command line is incorrect,  the
229       definition  file  is  not  found, or option -p is given and parsing the
230       definition file fails. In all other cases  the  return  value  is  zero
231       (i.e.,  failing  of  initialization  is  not  currently signaled by the
232       return value).
233

RESTRICTIONS

235       With the exception of the -p option, the program can be  used  only  by
236       the superuser. This is because the program uses ioctls allowed only for
237       the superuser.
238

AUTHOR

240       The program is written by Kai Makisara <Kai.Makisara@kolumbus.fi>.
241
243       The program and the  manual  page  are  copyrighted  by  Kai  Makisara,
244       1998-2008.  They can be distributed according to the GNU Copyleft.
245

SEE ALSO

247       st(4) mt(1)
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249
250
251                                  April 2008                         STINIT(8)
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