I'm having a terrible time trying to get a SCSI tape drive to work with tar. My problem comes with multi-file archives. I use a command like the following: tar --label "mn65-zippy home backup $date" --multi-volume --listed-incremental="home-backup-list" --preserve-permissions --exclude=tape-backup-excludes -cMf /dev/st0 /home [date is bound in this context] tar fills the tape and then...does the wrong thing. First it gives me an error message about its inability to close the first tape, then when I insert the second tape, hoping that the first error isn't fatal, tar crashes: [root at host]# ./home-backup tar: Removing leading `/' from archive names tar: WARNING: Cannot close /dev/st0 (3, -1): Input/output error Prepare volume #2 for /dev/st0 and hit return: tar: Cannot write to /dev/st0: Input/output error tar: Error is not recoverable: exiting now [root at host]# Here's info about tar on my system: tar --version tar (GNU tar) 1.13.11 Copyright 1988, 92,93,94,95,96,97,98, 1999 Free Software Foundation, Inc. This is free software; see the source for copying conditions. There is NO warranty; not even for MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. Written by John Gilmore and Jay Fenlason. Any idea what I could do to fix or at least diagnose this problem? Many thanks! Robert