RS/6000 AIX release tape format

[Bob Shair]

The IBM Support Center gave the U of Illinois the following
instructions for copying a stacked tape:

1. Change the tape device to the correct blocking:
       chdev -l rmt0 -a block_size=512
(this made the tape readable for them, and may be all you
 need)
  
2. Copy all of the images from tape to hard disk:
 a. Boot image ~2294880 Bytes
 dd if=/dev/rmt0.5 of=BOSBOOT bs=512 conv=sync
  
 b. install programs ~1382400 Bytes
 dd if=/dev/rmt0.5 of=INSTALL bs=512 conv=sync

 c. Table of Contents (variable size depending on number of lpp's)
 dd if=/dev/rmt0.5 of=TOC bs=512 conv=sync
  
 d. Base Operating System ~20480000 Bytes
 dd if=/dev/rmt0.5 of=BOS.OBJ bs=512 conv=sync

 e. Message and locale catalogs ~3737600 Bytes 
 dd if=/dev/rmt0.5 of=MESSAGES bs=512 conv=sync
  
 f. Repeat step e for all other lpp's to be copied...

3. copy images to second tape:
 dd if=TAPEBOOT of=/dev/rmt0.5 bs=512 conv=sync
 et cetera

******WARNING  ***********
IMPORTANT -- IMPORTANT
The copies must have ALL images on them even if you only plan
to use the copied tape to boot the system and then install 
from non-stacked tapes or over the network.
***************************

-- 
Bob Shair                              shair at vmd.cso.uiuc.edu
Scientific Computing Specialist        SHAIR at UIUCVMD (bitnet)
IBM Champaign