mtx

Remote Links
  • http://mtx.sourceforge.net/ 1/02 - home of mtx
  • Sun Manager 10/01 email about Solaris 8 changers
  • mtx tar file on ftp.dandelion.com
  • Debian.org page
  • stctl - Solaris SCSI Tape Changer package
    • Local Links
  • mtx-1.0.tar.gz source file That contains:
  • mtx.c
  • mtx.doc
  • chg-mtx - Amanda changer script for this version of mtx. I don't know why I had to modify chg-mtx, my guess is that I'm running a different version of mtx than the Amanda maintainers.
  • Solaris 2.5.1 binary
  • mtx-1.0.solaris2.5.1.tar.gz Tar file that contains the Solaris 2.5.2 mtx binary, mtx.c, mtx.doc and chg-mtx.
  • Juke a more sophisticated tape jukebox system.

    • mtx

    mtx is a program that is
    "for controlling the robotic mechanism of DDS autoloaders such as the Seagate 4586NP, 4584NP, and the HP Surestore 12000"
    Locally, we use it to control a Quantum DLT 4500 and the Amanda back up system.

    Example

    In the example below, we query the drive, then unload slot 4 and load slot 1. 
    carson.eecs 8# mtx
Usage:
  mtx [ -f  ] status | first | last | next | previous
  mtx [ -f  ] load 
  mtx [ -f  ] unload [  ]
carson.eecs 9# mtx -f /dev/nrst12 status
Data Transfer Element:	Full (Storage Element 4 Loaded)
Storage Element 1:	Full
Storage Element 2:	Full
Storage Element 3:	Full
Storage Element 4:	Empty
Storage Element 5:	Full
carson.eecs 10# mtx -f /dev/nrst12 load 1
mtx: Data Transfer Element is Already Full
carson.eecs 11# mtx -f /dev/nrst12 unload
Unloading Data Transfer Element into Storage Element 4...done
carson.eecs 12# mtx -f /dev/nrst12 load 1
Loading Storage Element 1 into Data Transfer Element...
carson.eecs 13# mtx -f /dev/nrst12 status
Data Transfer Element:	Full (Storage Element 1 Loaded)
Storage Element 1:	Empty
Storage Element 2:	Full
Storage Element 3:	Full
Storage Element 4:	Full
Storage Element 5:	Full
carson.eecs 14#

    Solaris 10 notes

    mtx problem 
    dumper@carson.EECS.Berkeley.EDU 1# mtx -f /dev/nrst11 status
mtx -f /dev/nrst11 status
mtx: Request Sense: Long Report=yes
mtx: Request Sense: Valid Residual=no
mtx: Request Sense: Error Code=0 (Unknown?!)
mtx: Request Sense: Sense Key=No Sense
mtx: Request Sense: FileMark=no
mtx: Request Sense: EOM=no
mtx: Request Sense: ILI=no
mtx: Request Sense: Additional Sense Code = 00
mtx: Request Sense: Additional Sense Qualifier = 00
mtx: Request Sense: BPV=no
mtx: Request Sense: Error in CDB=no
mtx: Request Sense: SKSV=no
INQUIRY command Failed
    Running truss indicates 
    ioctl(3, 0x04C9, 0xFFBFF8C8)                    Err#1 EPERM [sys_devices]
    The /usr/include/sys/errno.h files says: 
    #define	EPERM	1	/* Not super-user			*/
    The solution is to make the mtx binary suid root 
    carson.EECS.Berkeley.EDU:root: %C2> ls -l /usr/local/sbin/mtx
-rwxr-xr-x   1 root        23060 Sep 28 16:02 /usr/local/sbin/mtx
carson.EECS.Berkeley.EDU:root: %C2> chmod u+s !$
carson.EECS.Berkeley.EDU:root: %C2> ls -l !$
-rwsr-xr-x   1 root        23060 Sep 28 16:02 /usr/local/sbin/mtx
    Back to my public sysadmin pages
    Last Updated: 10/09/05. cxh at eecs