User Guide

Ampex 1308911-02 6-9
DD-2 Utilities Manual Pages dd2_format_tape
6.4 dd2_format_tape
NAME
dd2_format_tape - format a DD-2 tape.
SYNOPSIS
dd2_format_tape -format <format_spec> [ -f <device_special_file> ]
dd2_format_tape -help [ help_type ]
DESCRIPTION
A DD-2 tape must be formatted before it can be used for data storage. See the DST SCSI Tape
Drive DD-2 Tape Format Guide for information on formatting and examples of several
commonly used formats.
Unless the No Re-Formatting (
DST_NO_REFORMAT) interface parameter is set in the device
special file, dd2_format_tape formats unconditionally and does not check whether the target
tape has already been formatted or contains data. Re-formatting a tape invalidates all data
written previously. To check the
DST_NO_REFORMAT interface parameter settings, use the
dd2_getparam_drive utility.
Due to variations in actual tape length, the size of the last partition cannot be determined until
formatting is completed. To read this attributes after the tape is formatted, use the
dd2_query_tape utility.
dd2_format_tape is available to all users.
OPTIONS
-f < device_special_file >
Specifies the device special file to use for the operation (see Appendix B).
ARGUMENTS
-help [ help_type ]
Displays help on stderr and invalidates all other options, cancelling any other actions. Valid
keywords for the optional help_type specification are: stdout, revision, and v_revision.