SCO 5.0.6 cpio: out of sync, bad magic number/header

You might have problem with the tape media, use a tape drive cleanning kit clean the tape
drive, and then try it on a new tape.

pax utility handles errors better, but you cannot avoid cleaning tape with this
is this same drive tape was recorded ?

The media is new 4 month only, i clean the media whit a special tape, and i try whit a brand new tape, but i still have the same error. The media save only a couple a files and after is stop........

s this same drive tape was recorded ?

How can check my backup whit pax????? the hold network admin was using pax.......

this same drive tape was recorded ? what do you meane by that

Yes the was recoded before but now i dont have any backup for couple of week!!!!

That is bad, clean drive and make backup....
Sometimes juggling with SCSI bios helps a bit, like setting lower speed, disabling wide etc

It could be a SCO bug (Bug-ID:     SCO-246-34) see:
http://osr5doc.sco.com:1997/OSr505/fixlist

Try to installed the SCO patch.

PS: test to see if your tape drive works first, eg: use "tar" to copy a small amount
      of data to see if it work.
     also, type in:

     tape status
     to check your tape out
     man tape
     to learn more details.

You mention above the media only saves couple of files then stops.  Are you saying the backup is stopping?  If so is it always stopping on the same file?  Could be a bad file, or could be a bad filename (one with unprintable characters) that may be causing the backup to fail.  Try changing your path to a different (smaller) directory, then run a backup to see if it goes through.  If the backup completes then verify the tape with appropriate commands.  if it reads back ok then maybe try a larger directory for a test.  if this also passes then you need to take a good look at the area where the backups are currently failing.

Good Luck.

I already instal the patch 5.0.6a

I try different file and all give me the error if  i do a tape xstatus he give me a
bash-2.05b# tape xstatus /dev/rct0
     status : ready beginning-of-tape
Total read errors corrected : 0
Total read ECC errors : 0
Total bytes transferred (read) : 2
Total unrecovered read errors : 0
Total write errors corrected : 0
Total write ECC errors : 2
Total bytes transferred (write) : 9728
Total unrecovered write errors : 0

Can you tar some files to the tape drive?

reboot the box to see if it help (I know it is not M$ Windows!).

Let's take a few steps back here.

Did the tape drive ever work in this system?

If so have there been any changes (i.e. new hardware, kernel rebuilds, new programs, etc.) to the system since it last worked?

Is this a new tape drive?  Could it be misconfigured (i.e. jumpers, switches, termination, etc.)?

Let's cd out to the /etc directory then do the following and report the results:

     # find . -depth -print | cpio -ocv -C10240 -O/dev/rStp0

This should give a block count at the end--write down the number.  Then do the following:

     # cpio -ictv -C10240 -I/dev/rStp0

This should read back through the tape and the block counts should match.

If this passes then try your full backup.

     # cd /
     # find . -depth -print > /tmp/file_list
     # cat /tmp/file_list| cpio -ocv -C10240 -O/dev/rStp0

If this fails make note of the last file listed on the screen then with the vi editor open the file /tmp/file_list.  Search for the file noted above.  Make a note of the next file in the list.  Check these files for corruption in the file names.  Also you may try deleteing these two lines from the file /tmp/file_list and issue the command:

     # cat /tmp/file_list| cpio -ocv -C10240 -O/dev/rStp0

If this goes through then one of the two files noted above have a problem.

Let us know how you come out.

Good Luck.

Ok before the tape doing good . I start to have some trouble in March so i change my tape backup for a new one and i installed the same way the old one was install. No new soft ware.
I did
# find . -depth -print | cpio -ocv -C10240 -O/dev/rStp0
evrythink go well i had 480 blocks after
i did
# cpio -ictv -C10240 -I/dev/rStp0
and i have this
120777 root       44  oct 19 08:18:42 2001  default/slot -> /var/opt/K/SCO/Unix/5.0.
6Ga/etc/default/slot
120777 root       43  oct 19 08:15:53 2001  default/Stp -> /var/opt/K/SCO/Unix/5.0.6
Ga/etc/default/Stp
120777 root       47  oct 19 08:15:53 2001  default/archive -> /var/opt/K/SCO/Unix/5
.0.6Ga/etc/default/archive
120777 root       46  aoû 31 19:10:33 2001  default/authsh -> /var/opt/K/SCO/Unix/5.
0.6Ga/etc/default/authsh
120777 root       46  oct 19 08:15:53 2001  default/backup -> /var/opt/K/SCO/Unix/5.
0.6Ga/etc/default/backup
120777 root       44  oct 19 08:15:53 2001  default/boot -> /var/opt/K/SCO/Unix/5.0.
6Ga/etc/default/boot
120777 root       48  oct 19 08:15:53 2001  default/cleantmp -> /var/opt/K/SCO/Unix/
5.0.6Ga/etc/default/cleantmp
120777 root       47  oct 19 08:15:53 2001  default/codeset -> /var/opt/K/SCO/Unix/5
.0.6Ga/etc/default/codeset
120777 root       44  oct 19 08:15:53 2001  default/cron -> /var/opt/K/SCO/Unix/5.0.
6Ga/etc/default/cron
120777 root       47  oct 19 08:15:53 2001  default/filesys -> /var/opt/K/SCO/Unix/5
.0.6Ga/etc/default/filesys
cpio: out of sync, bad magic number/header.

Sounds like you may either have a bad tape drive and/or the tapes are bad.  Hopefully you still have some warranty time on your tape drive.  One last thing to try is with a brand new never before used tape, making sure the tape are of the proper type.  May want to check your tape drive manual for compatible tape types. (i.e. DDS, DDS-I, DDS-II, DDS-III, etc.)  If that still fails then you need to replace the drive again.  Sad to say but the quality of tape backup units has degraded considerably over the past few years.  Just don't seem to get the milage out of them one would expect.  But guess that is the price to pay for ever cheaper hardware.

Good Luck.

Yes - there is problem with one file data ( next after one you see ), consider it lost, use same listing you got to skip that file ...