How do I read an SGI-written tar format DDS tape?
The secret (at least in this case) is to byte-swap the tape before passing it to tar: # dd if=/dev/rmt/0m conv=swab | tar -xvf – Byte swapping is believed to only be necessary if the device which created the tape was a swapping one (swapping tape devices are the default on IRIX 4, but not in IRIX 5). One can use /dev/nrtapens on either system to produce tapes which are not byte-swapped. If the SGI is running Irix 5.
The secret (at least in this case) is to byte-swap the tape before passing it to tar: dd if=/dev/rmt/0m conv=swab | tar -xvf – Byte swapping is believed to only be necessary if the device which created the tape was a swapping one. (Swapping tape devices are the default on IRIX 4, but not in IRIX 5). One can use /dev/nrtapens on either system to produce tapes which are not byte-swapped. If the SGI is running Irix 5.
