[Info-vax] Delete a file from a tape?

[sapienzaf]

On Oct 13, 5:38 pm, gartm... at nonsense.immunbio.mpg.de (Christoph
Gartmann) wrote:
> Hello,
>
> I have a tape with a few files (backup savesets). The last file on tape is
> an incomplete saveset. Thus, I would like to delete this last file from the
> tape. But OpenVMS 7.3-2 lists the file, asks for confirmation to delete and
> finally refuses to do so. My next attempt was to recreate the saveset in
> question via BACKUP with /REPLACE. Here I got:
>
> %BACKUP-F-POSITERR, error positioning MKB200:[000000]13OCT09MAC358.BCK;
> -SYSTEM-F-OPINCOMPL, operation is incomplete
>
> Thus, how do I get rid of the incomplete saveset on tape without loosing
> the previous savesets? Do I need to copy the contents of the tape to disk,
> delete the incomplete file, initialize the tape and copy back the rest?
>
> Regards,
>    Christoph Gartmann
>
> --
>  Max-Planck-Institut fuer      Phone   : +49-761-5108-464   Fax: -80464
>  Immunbiologie
>  Postfach 1169                 Internet: gartmann at immunbio dot mpg dot de
>  D-79011  Freiburg, Germany
>                http://www.immunbio.mpg.de/home/menue.html

You can't delete a file on tape.  You can overwrite it.

After you $MOUNT /FOREIGN the tape drive, issue a $SET MAGTAPE/
SKIP=2.  That will position the tape after the end of the second
(good) saveset.

You can then issue a $BACKUP/NOREWIND to generate the third and
subsequent savesets.

Yes, you must issue the $BACKUP/NOREWIND for all savesets which follow
the first two good ones, and which you want retained.