NCR Tower cpio multiple volumes

[Greg]

    We have a MAJOR problem with cpio on the NCR Tower 4/600 series. I'm sure
this has probably been thrashed before, but 
i) I ain't been on the net that long
ii) wading thru comp.unix.wizards kills more brain cells than I can afford.

So, if you have the answer, please mail me, rather than discuss it on the net.

Problem - cpio on the earlier releases (I think the 16 bit versions - 3.0, etc)
has the V option where when it reaches the end of a tape , it asks for another 
volume and keeps on going. The current 1.03.xx versions have a cpio which will
read multple volumes, but not write them out.

    Using 'cpio -ovcV /dev/rtp' results in a usage clause being displayed,
according to which the input command is valid syntax. We have tryed mixing and
matching the blocking and various other options, but to no avail.

We need to be able to write multiple volumes without having to manually split
the volumes up (which is ridiculous if the utilities will do it themselves).
The only other option would be a multiple volume 'dd'.

Our only current solution is to carry around out of date cpio's until something
is fixed, or we find another solution.

If you have a patch, or know of some other utility we have missed, or a
timetable as to when this may be fixed, please mail me. I know the problem
has been around a couple of years now, but the new cpio is faster and not
completely compatible with the old version.

Thanks in advance,
Greg


Greg Calkin                                   Commercial Software N.Z. Limited,
...!uunet!vuwcomp!dsiramd!pnamd!cstowe!greg   PO Box 4030 Palmerston North,
or greg at csoft.co.nz                           New Zealand.    Phone (063)-65955