Tar Problem -- HELP !!!

[DoN Nichols]

> From: lad <lad at lad.uucp>
> Subject: Tar Problem -- HELP!!!

> I hope one of you wizards can help.

I'm not really a wizard, but I believe that I know something which can
help you here.

	[summary: I created an archive, remade the file system, and overwrote
	the head of the archive instead of restoring from it - DoN. ]

> The question: Is there any way to recover those files from that tape?  The 
> second tar command should only have initialized the first few blocks of the tape.  I know my files are on the rest of it.   
>  
> If someone knows what to do, please call me at the number below.  I will pay  
> your LD charges!  Anything anyone can do to help will be appreciated. 
>  

The process of turning the wizards newsgroup into a digest seems to have
stripped off your phone number, etc, and I can't get the local mailer to
accept uucp addresses with any reliability, so I'm posting to the net.

The GNU tar program has an option (-i  ignore blocks of zeros in the
archive) which is said to be useful for reading multiple archives cat'ed
together, or damaged archives.   You definately have the latter, and It
will look somewhat like the former, so this may help.  I'm assuming that
you have enought of your system left to be able to compile and link a
program.  I can't do it for you on my system, since you specified a
blocking factor of 100, and my tape interface hardware chokes above a
blocking factor of 40.  The tar itself will work with any blocking
factor that your system hardware will accept.  If you have ftp access to
simtel20.army.mil or another comp.sources.unix archive site, you can get
it directly.  If not, give me an evening call (703) 938-4564, (Usually
after 6:15PM EST/EDT), and we'll try sending you a tar file of the
sources)

	Sorry that this isn't a quick fix, but it it least offers some hope.

				Good Luck
				DoN. (Donald Nichols)
				<nvt9001 at belvoir-emh3.army.mil>

Disclaimers:
1)	My employer doesn't pay me enough to speak for him.
2)	The system from which I offer help is not this one with net access,
	but my personal one at home.