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## 3. The preliminaries

## 3.1 Other sources of information

ftape version 3

  `ftape-3.x` came with a manual of its own, which is contained in the `ftape-3.04d` package available from the usual places. See Getting Ftape.

ftape version 4

  `ftape-4.x` also has a documentation package `ftape-doc` which is available from the usual places. This Ftape-HOWTO, however, also focusses on `ftape-4.x` and is meant as an entry point to the available documentation. See Getting Ftape.

ftape-tools

  The `ftape-tools` package (including useful utilities for `ftape`) comes with its own manual. See Getting Ftape.

Ftape-FAQ

  The `Ftape-FAQ` is included wordly in this manual, but more recent versions may be found at http://www.correct.nl/~ftape.

## 3.2 Contacts

The maintainer of the source for `ftape` is Claus Heine <heine@math1.rwth-aachen.de>. He has a web page at http://www-math.math.rwth-aachen.de/~LBFM/claus/ftape/.

If you have a problem or questions about ftape, try posting to the `Linux Tape` mailing list `linux-tape@vger.rutger.edu` (see Following the ftape development below). There also used to be a newsgroup that mirrored the mailing list traffic but it has vanished some time ago.

I use `ftape` (it is my sole means of backing up on my linux box :-). I hesitate to make recommendations on what hardware to buy. See the section Supported drives and Unsupported drives for a list of supported and unsupported drives.

You should try to post a summary of your problems and its solution(s), after you've got it working, even if you only got it partially working. Please also send a copy copy of your solution to the Linux Tape mailing list at <linux-tape@vger.rutgers.edu> so that it can be added to the HOWTO and/or the FAQ.

If you receive this as part of a printed distribution or on a CD-ROM, please check out the Linux Documentation home page or ftp to ftp://sunsite.unc.edu:/pub/Linux/doc/HOWTO to see if there exists a more recent version. This could potentially save you a lot of trouble.

If you email me, please include the string `ftape` in the subject line. This will help ensure the mail doesn't inadvertently get buried. But preferrably you should email to the Linux Tape mailing list at <linux-tape@vger.rutgers.edu> instead of contacting me directly.

## 3.3 What is `ftape`

`ftape` is a driver program that controls various low-cost tape drives that connect to the floppy controller.

`ftape` is not a backup program as such; it is a device driver, which allows you to use the tape drive (just like the SoundBlaster 16 driver let you use your sound card) through the device files `/dev/[n]qft[0-3]`.

`ftape` was originally written by Bas Laarhoven `<bas@vimec.nl>`, with ``a little help from his friends'' to sort out the ECC (Error Correcting Code) stuff. `ftape` is copyrighted by Bas under the GNU General Public License, which basically says: ``go ahead and share this with the world, just don't disallow other people from copying it further''.

`ftape` has undergone several changes since then. While the Linux-2.0.x kernel series still contains `ftape-2.08` the v2.1.x and soon the v2.2.* kernel series come with `ftape-3.x` (hopefully even with `ftape-4.02`, but this wasn't clear at the time of this writing) which differs in some points from the `ftape-2.x` driver. Since version `3.00` the `ftape` driver has been maintained by me (Claus-Justus Heine); it has been changed and improved in several respects and support for new hardware has been added.

`ftape` is quite stable, and has been that for some time now. It is reliable enough for critical backups (but it's always a good idea to check your backups, so you won't get a nasty surprise some day).

`ftape` supports drives that conform to the QIC-117 and one of the QIC-80, QIC-40, QIC-3010, and QIC-3020 standards as well as the Iomega Ditto 2GB and Ditto Max drives which no longer strictly conform to the QIC standards in all respects.

`ftape` can drive floppy tape drives that connect to the internal FDC as well as certain parallel port floppy tape drives.

`ftape` supports neither QIC-02, IDE (ATAPI), nor SCSI tape drives. SCSI drives are accessed as `/dev/[n]st[0-7]` and are supported by the kernel through the SCSI drivers. If you look for help on SCSI tape drives, you should read the `SCSI-howto`. ATAPI tape drives are supported by the kernel since 1.3.46. See section Supported drives and Unsupported drives for a list of supported and unsupported drives.

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