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To rewind or erase a tape, you should use the tape(C) command.
To rewind a tape, the command is as follows:
tape rewind device
The device argument is the name of the device file for the tape unit. (See ``Using tapes''.) For example, with a quarter-inch QIC-02 tape, enter the following command line:
$ tape rewind /dev/rct0By default, if no device is specified, tape reads the file /etc/default/tape. This contains the device name of a tape drive to use. So if there is only one tape device on your system and /etc/default/tape is correctly set up, you should not need to specify a device name.
It is a good idea to rewind the tape to the beginning after every use, or after encountering an error.
To erase a tape, the command is as follows:
tape erase device
You should retension any tapes that you use regularly, or that have
been in storage and that you now wish to read from; this takes up
any slack in the cartridge and reduces the likelihood of
errors. (The drive retensions a tape by winding to the end of it,
then rewinding it rapidly.) The command to retension a cartridge is
as follows:
tape reten device
We recommend that you write-disable your tapes to prevent accidental erasure or overwriting. This is done by turning the tab on the cartridge so that the arrow points to the SAFE position; turn it the other way when you intend to write over or erase the tape.