Tape management systems --- Summary.

[Russell J Fulton;ccc032u]

Original Query:

>We need a system to manage tapes on our SGI 4D system. We are looking for the
>following features.

>    1/ supports ANSI labels
>    2/ mount and unmount operations for both labeled and unlabeled tapes.
>    3/ catalog of tape giving storage location and other information for 
>       tape held by the system.
>    4/ wrappers for tar etc to read and then skip over labels.

>Item 2 implies managing the /dev... files to maintain secure access to who
>ever has the device mounted at any particular time.

>I would be interested in system that does parts of this e.g. manage the
>security of the /dev... files to prevent one user overwriting another's tape
>since I will probably end up writing a system if I can't find one.
>(I have done it before on an IBM VM system in PLI and assembler :-( )

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The items 1,2,4 are covered by the labeled tape interface, which runs
on CDC's EP/IX (its' MIPS RiscOs 4.51 running on CDC's 4xxx). I don't
know about availability of the labeled tape interface for other UNIX'es,
but CDC sells also SGI. Maybe CDC has implemented the labeled tape interface
also on their SGI boxes, so it's possible that you can get a modified UNIX
for your SGI-box from CDC.

Sincerely,
Klaus Steinberger
-- 
Klaus Steinberger               Beschleunigerlabor der TU und LMU Muenchen
Phone: (+49 89)3209 4287        Hochschulgelaende
FAX:   (+49 89)3209 4280        D-8046 Garching, Germany
BITNET: K2 at DGABLG5P             Internet: k2 at bl.physik.tu-muenchen.de
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The archive and lockdev features of SMT do this.  I append a fuller
description.  Good luck!

Cheerio, Rick Rodgers
-- 
R. P. C. Rodgers, M.D.         (415)476-8910 (work) 664-0560 (home)
UCSF Laurel Heights Campus     UUCP: ...ucbvax.berkeley.edu!cca.ucsf.edu!rodgers
3333 California St., Suite 102 ARPA: rodgers at maxwell.mmwb.ucsf.edu
San Francisco CA 94118 USA     BITNET: rodgers at ucsfcca

(SMT is available from: 
  Office of Technology Licensing, 
  University of California

  contact domino at garnet.berkeley.edu
  cost $300 single user machine.
       $600 multiuser non networked
       $800 multiuser networked.

)

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Ron Schnell of "Secure Online Systems" responded by couriering a description
of their product called 'Secure tape Interface' which covers all of the 
original requirements and much more. The only catch was the price, $15,000
to run an a $500,000 system + 10% PA. (Please correct me Ron if I have this 
wrong.) It would be worth this if we were a big commercial operation, but we 
are not.

Secure Online Systems
1100 Glendon Ave.
Suite 851
Los Angeles, CA 90024.
tel 213-443-9688
    800-321-1767
Fax 312-824-1373

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Check out "REELlibrarian" from Sceptre Corporation.  Their product does all
you want and more.

They are at:

	SCEPTRE Corporation
	P.O. Box 8031
	Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA 48107
	Voice:  313-665-8778
	FAX:    313-665-5707

Since you're so far away, you might also try email to Paul Stuttler.  Paul
is (I think) president of Sceptre.  He should be reachable as pes at sceptre.com.

<Standard Disclaimer Here>

--Pete Poorman
  poorman at convex.com

( I tried the email address but have not had any response. RF)

------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Item 2 implies managing the /dev... files to maintain secure access
    to who ever has the device mounted at any particular time.

    I would be interested in system that does parts of this e.g. manage
    the security of the /dev... files to prevent one user overwriting
    another's tape...

I have that one.  I don't know whether I could get it to you, but you
might get some ideas from reading the paper about it in the Summer 89
(Baltimore, Md, USA) USENIX Conference proceedings.  I have it cleared
for academic release, but I don't know whether that applies to the
antipodes.
---
Griff Smith	AT&T (Bell Laboratories), Murray Hill
Phone:		1-201-582-7736
UUCP:		{most AT&T sites}!ulysses!ggs
Internet:	ggs at ulysses.att.com

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That's it. Thank you every body who responded.

Since we are rather broke we will probably buy SMT from UC and write the 
rest ourselves.

Cheers, Russell.

-- 
Russell Fulton, Computer Center, University of Auckland, New Zealand.
<rj_fulton at aukuni.ac.nz>