mhvtl.conf(5)

💖 mhvtl.conf — the config file glow-up 💖

okay so real talk: this is the mhvtl.conf(5) page from the User Commands manual, and it's basically the settings file that tells your virtual tape library how to act when it wakes up. it's short, it's sweet, and every single knob matters, so let's go 🎀

✨ NAME ✨

mhvtl.conf — the configuration file for vtllibrary(1) and vtltape(1). that's it, that's the vibe. it's giving "small file, big responsibility" 👑

🌸 DESCRIPTION 🌸

bestie, this is the config file that defines the startup behaviour of the virtual tape library. like, how your whole virtual tape situation shows up to school on the first day. every setting lives right here:

• MHVTL_HOME_PATH=/var/lib/mhvtl — the spot where mhvtl keeps its tape database. that's home base, the address, the whole storage situation 🏠
• CAPACITY=500 — the default capacity that any new media gets created with, measured in Megabytes. make_vtl_media(1) grabs this value and hands it straight over to mktape. so yeah, 500 MB is the starting size unless you say otherwise 💾
• VERBOSE=1 — sets the verbosity level to [0|1|2|3] for the daemon's logging level at startup. wanna change it while things are already running? no stress, that's what vtlcmd(1) is for 🔍
• VTL_DEBUG=0 — set it to [0|1] to disable/enable kernel module logging. and yes, you can flip it at runtime too, with these iconic little commands:

"echo 0 > /sys/bus/pseduo/drivers/mhvtl/opts" to disable, or

"echo 1 > /sys/bus/pseudo/drivers/mhvtl/opts" to enable logging.

(yes, the paths are written exactly like that in the original, no i'm not fixing them, i would never 😌)

• DAEMON_DEBUG='' — set it to '' to disable daemon debugging, or to '-d' to enable it. simple as that, no cap 🐛

🦋 AUTHOR 🦋

Written by Mark Harvey. legend behaviour, honestly 🫶

💀 BUGS 💀

okay so the bugs section is fully serving self-awareness today:

• This man page.
• Config file not xml.
• vtllibrary(1) needs to be restarted to read any changes made. (By design).

the last one is not a bug it's a lifestyle choice, and the man page said so itself ✨

🙈 REPORTING BUGS 🙈

Report bugs to <markh794@gmail.com> — slide into the inbox, he's waiting 📬

👑 COPYRIGHT 👑

Copyright © 2019 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. no warranty bestie, not even a little one, not even for the specific purpose of being iconic 💅

🌈 SEE ALSO 🌈

mktape(1), vtlcmd(1), vtllibrary(1), vtltape(1) — go read them, they're the supporting cast and they ate 🍓

and that's the whole page, bestie!! this was mhvtl version 1.72_release+6.a11b6777660... from May 2025, signing off with a kiss and a little sparkle — stay slay, keep your daemons restarted, and never trust a config file that says it's xml 🧚💜