NetBSD Problem Report #59570

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Date: Sun,  3 Aug 2025 21:15:16 +0000 (UTC)
From: brandon@burn.net
Reply-To: brandon@burn.net
To: gnats-bugs@NetBSD.org
Subject: tar fails with physical tape drives
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>Number:         59570
>Category:       bin
>Synopsis:       tar fails with physical tape drives
>Confidential:   no
>Severity:       serious
>Priority:       medium
>Responsible:    bin-bug-people
>State:          open
>Class:          sw-bug
>Submitter-Id:   net
>Arrival-Date:   Sun Aug 03 21:20:00 +0000 2025
>Last-Modified:  Tue Dec 30 02:40:01 +0000 2025
>Originator:     Brandon Applegate
>Release:        10.1
>Organization:
>Environment:
>Description:
When using tar with a (SCSI) attached tape drive, writing appears to succeed.  However reading fails with "damaged archive" / "skipping header" messages.  I have tried:

- Multiple tape drives.
- Multiple block sizes. (tar -b)
- Using tar to create a tar file - dd'ing this to tape.  dd'ing it back off to a file.
- Using gtar from pkgsrc
- Multiple architectures (amd64, hppa, sparc).

Using the same drive and tape on a Solaris or Linux system behaves correctly (no errors).

I had a thread on netbsd-users here:

https://mail-index.netbsd.org/netbsd-users/2025/07/22/msg032890.html

I tested a few releases going backwards from 10.1 and it seems that 7.2 let me use the tape drive with no errors.

The fact that tar/gtar/dd all have essentially the same failure modes makes me think something is wrong in the st driver nowadays ?

I have multiple drives and machiens and am happy to run any tests requested.


>How-To-Repeat:
Connect known good tape drive, use known good tape.

tar -cpvf /dev/st0 /usr/pkg

tar -xpvf /dev/st0
>Fix:

>Audit-Trail:
From: Brandon Applegate <brandon@burn.net>
To: "gnats-bugs@netbsd.org" <gnats-bugs@NetBSD.org>
Cc: 
Subject: Re: bin/59570
Date: Mon, 29 Dec 2025 21:27:16 -0500

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 A few more tests / data points.

 I also tried bsdtar and star from pkgsrc and both have the same =
 behavior.

 PS: I submitted this with the category of =E2=80=98bin=E2=80=99.  I=E2=80=99=
 m not sure if that=E2=80=99s correct so please feel free to change this =
 (if possible) to the correct category.=

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