Configure tape Drive in Redhat

ComputerErik · 11-26-2011, 07:06 AM

So what exactly is the problem now, that a regular user can't create a backup to the tape? If that is the case the lines in your file will have nothing to do with it, the root of your problem is that you are trying to have a normal user perform actions which they don't have permission for. Adding the user to the root group is not a good solution, and as you see doesn't help. What you really need to do is either run the backup job as root, or look into setting up sudo.

Also I will echo the others, why not just call Red Hat if it is so critical to get this setup and working fast? They will be able to get you exact answers in a much shorter time than working through a forum. You need to understand that people come here to help others learn as time permits. The folks at Red Hat support get paid to make sure your questions get answered, and there is even an SLA around the support contract.

TB0ne · 11-26-2011, 10:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by J_U_D_E

Dont what to bore anyone here with the name of the software application. Its a software for seismic acquisition and processing. I can use root user in the Redhat OS to read, write to tape,load tape and put tape offline. But the user(created by root) in which the software application is installed can not read and write to tape. I tried to use the same command that i used for root. I get permission denied. It seems that user can not use the device.

mt -f /dev/nst0 load

I modified the user to be a Group member with root. The error persit. If i can get the user to read and write to tape. I can use the parameter for the line entry in the device.tts I found this file the file device.tts in which the software application uses to read from and write to tape. There is a line entry highlighted in bold that i edited. That should be where the problem is. the file below is device.tts The machine hostname is localhost

Seems like you don't want to 'bore anyone' with ANY sort of details...how long did it take to even get a tape drive model # from you? If you don't know the answers to questions we're asking here, you should be calling support, and they'll walk you through it.

Do an "ls -l" on the device in /dev/, and see who owns it. If you want anyone to be able to write to it, and it's just a generic tape device, then do a chmod on it, and give everyone read/write permission to it. As computererik said, that's what support is there for, and if you called them days ago, this whole issue could have been resolved in less than 15 minutes.

J_U_D_E · 11-27-2011, 06:42 AM

Problem solved.....

copied /dev/nst0 to a new device name(I did not want to mess up the initial device(nst0))device called nst0_manipulate. I changed the permission so that other users can make use of the device to read and write to tape. In this case the user in which the software application was installed. Remember now, on the Redhat OS level root can read and write to tape. On the OS level, the software user can now read and to tape. I now modified the file(device.tts) in the software application that enables the application to read and write to tape.

tape0 DEVICE="localhost:/dev/nst0_manipulate" DPOOL="8mm" CLIENT="ProClient" DEVTYPE="SIMPLE"

J_U_D_E · 11-27-2011, 07:19 AM

This was actually solve in the morning yesteday. I had to travel. That is why i posting the solution now. I am just loking at TBOne's reply now. The reply by TBOne is exactly what Redhat Support will have told me. Redhat support does not have anything to do with the software application that my company sells. If i call Redhat support and tell them that a button in my software application can not initiate read and write to tape. Their answer will be limited to fixing the problem on the OS level. I stood my ground by not contacting Redhat support on this. I sent a mail 4 days ago to our application support and there have being no reply.(My application supports guys support other applications and not this one).

There were three things involve here.

1. Hardware(Controller card and tape drive).

2. Redhat OS

3.Application software

TB0ne · 11-27-2011, 10:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by J_U_D_E

This was actually solve in the morning yesteday. I had to travel. That is why i posting the solution now. I am just loking at TBOne's reply now. The reply by TBOne is exactly what Redhat Support will have told me. Redhat support does not have anything to do with the software application that my company sells. If i call Redhat support and tell them that a button in my software application can not initiate read and write to tape. Their answer will be limited to fixing the problem on the OS level. I stood my ground by not contacting Redhat support on this. I sent a mail 4 days ago to our application support and there have being no reply.(My application supports guys support other applications and not this one).

There were three things involve here.

1. Hardware(Controller card and tape drive).
2. Redhat OS
3.Application software

...and with the exception of #3, both are supported by RedHat, who would have been able to tell you if the controller was initialized/found (the initial point of your thread), if the tape drives were found, what the device names were, and what the permissions on that device were, and how to modify them. And, by modifying them, your application (#3) would have started working.

So, essentially your ENTIRE PROBLEM would have been resolved in minutes had you called. Would have been resolved quickly too, had you bothered to provide any details when you were asked for them here.

Congratulations on having "stood your ground".