mktape(1)

📦 version 1.72_release+6.a11b6777660b, in opensuse-leap 16.0

🦋 mktape(1) — User Commands, but make it blank-tape bestie energy 🦋

okay so this is the mktape(1) page, and it is literally here to help you make new/blank virtual media for the VTL. Yes bestie, the Virtual Tape Library. We are keeping every flag, every default, every warning — just with more sparkle. 💖

✨ NAME ✨

mktape — Utility to create new/blank virtual media for the VTL.

🎀 SYNOPSIS 🎀

mktape -h
mktape REQUIRED_PARAMS [OPTIONS] ...

💅 DESCRIPTION 💅

Create and initialise new media for the Virtual Tape Library. Media is created in the /var/lib/mhvtl directory by default. This can be overridden using the 'Home directory:' setting in device.conf.

lowkey important: default parent dir is /var/lib/mhvtl, but device.conf can change the vibe with the 'Home directory:' setting. 🫶

🌸 OPTIONS 🌸

💖 Options are from: 💖

  • -h — display this help and exit
  • -V — Print version information and exit
  • -v — Be verbose
  • -D — Enter debugging mode (the original says “much each output” — yes, exactly that, no cap)
  • -C config-dir — Use config-dir instead of the default of /etc/mhvtl.

🔥 Required options are: 🔥

  • -l n — Where n is the library index number (default library index numbers 10 & 30). The 'Home directory:' entry for the library specified is used as parent directory for media created. If the library index number does not exist, then a subdir under /var/lib/mhvtl/<n> is created and virtual media created in this directory. For example mktape -l 20 -m ABC123 -s 1024 -t data -d LTO3 will create a virtual media ABC123 in /var/lib/mhvtl/20/ if no library index 20 defined in device.conf.
  • -m PCL — where PCL is the Physical Cartridge Label (barcode).
  • -s size — where size is the capacity of the virtual media — Size is defined in 'megabytes'.
  • -t type — The media type which can be: data, WORM (Write Once Read Many), clean (cleaning cartridge) or NULL for media which does not save data.

The NULL is a special media type used primarily to test performance with disk writes kept to a minimum. Note: Metadata (512bytes per data block) is still written.

  • -d density — Media density. Can be one of LTO1, LTO2, LTO3, LTO4, LTO5, LTO6, LTO7, LTO8, LTO9, SDLT1, SDLT2, SDLT3, SDLT4, AIT1, AIT2, AIT3, AIT4, T10KA, T10KB, T10KC, 9840A, 9840B, 9840C, 9840D, 9940A, 9940B, J1A, E05 and E06.

The J1A, E05 and E06 media densities refer to the IBM 03592 media types.

🫶 AUTHOR 🫶

Written by Mark Harvey

💀 BUGS 💀

Needs to be made user friendly.

📣 REPORTING BUGS 📣

Report bugs to <markh794@gmail.com> — like, please do, bestie.

Copyright © 2018 Free Software Foundation, Inc.

This is free software; see the source for copying conditions. There is NO warranty; not even for MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.

🌈 SEE ALSO 🌈

make_vtl_media(1), library_contents(5), vtlcmd(1), vtllibrary(1), vtltape(1), edit_tape(1), generate_device_conf(1), generate_library_contents(1)

Mwah 💋 — this page is sourced from mhvtl 1.72_release+6.a11b6777660... and dated May 2025. That is the whole cute sign-off, bestie. 🎀

📦 where this page comes from