SCO 5.0.7 DVD-RAM usage

We are currently using an application that is set up to use a tape drive for backups. The tape was being used with cpio for read, write, and verify. I want to replace that with the latest Panasonic multi drive (using DVD-RAM media). I've been playing with cdrecord and readcd -w, but all I've been able to accomplish is writing a .raw file from a copied cd to the DVD-RAM. Using .iso and .raw images doesn't really fit my needs. I need to mimic the commands that the tape was using for the DVD-RAM drive, since the program we're using takes the commands set and attaches/extracts the necessary files.

I copied a program update cd to the DVD-RAM disk and used it to update the program using it's existing cpio command, which amazed me. But I can't seem to get it to write or verify. I get bad header errors.

Does the DVD-RAM need to be formatted with a filesystem first in order to be written to like a tape?

I'm not really all that familiar with the SCO/Linux platforms, I was kinda thrown into this at work. If you could offer me any assistance or might just know of a place that I could look I would really appreciate it.

Current tape commands:  
Read: cpio -ivcudBm < /dev/rct0  
Write: cpio -ovcB > /dev/rct0  
Verify: cpio -ivctB < /dev/rct0  
 

Thank you,
Jason Baker

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Tue Apr 19 18:08:52 2005:   TonyLawrence




I'd suggest using Microlite or Lonetar for this.


You aren't really verifying with that anyway if you are using stock cpio and the Supertars are far better products - see for example the recent review of Edge at /Reviews/backupedge21.html (similar features are available in the Lonetar product).




Tue Apr 19 18:28:08 2005:   jabaker


I was hoping that I wouldn't have to install any more packages on the servers, since I'd have to have the techs do it to 120 of them, plus I'd have to make it work with our current application. I am hoping to find a way to use the multi drive like a tape drive without going any further than the cdrtools package.



Tue Apr 19 18:36:11 2005:   TonyLawrence


I don't know of anyone who has done a filesystem or tape device driver for dvd-ram on SCO. Even the current Linux releases don't seem to have great support for that.

You could roll your own with cdtools, of course: that's how the supertars do it. But it isn't going to be as good or as reliable. If these machines are worth backing up at all, it's worth doing it reliably.

Pricing for 120 copies would be quite reasonable (I can give you a quote by email if you like) and installation can be done remotely if the machines can be reached.

I know you don't like this answer but it's the only one I can honestly give. Roll your own with cdtools, or write your own filesys driver (ugh!) or go with a professional product - seems obvious to me.








Sat Apr 23 16:09:32 2005:   dhart


There's a tool called parallel ssh which can make the maintenance of 120 systems quite a bit less cumbersome.

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