The “mt” command is a Unix/Linux utility that is used to control magnetic tape drive operations, such as rewinding, forwarding, and positioning the tape. The most common type of magnetic tape drive is the Linear Tape-Open (LTO) tape. The “mt” command provides a way to manipulate the tape drive from the command line, rather than using a graphical interface or manual controls. This can be useful for automating tape backup processes, or for performing maintenance tasks such as cleaning the tape drive. The exact options available with the “mt” command will vary depending on the specific tape drive and operating system, but common options include “rewind”, “forward”, “eject”, and “status”.
If you encounter the below error while running the command mt:
mt: command not found
you may try installing the below package as per your choice of distribution:
| Distribution | Command |
|---|---|
| Debian | apt-get install mt-st |
| Ubuntu | apt-get install mt-st |
| Alpine | apk add mt-st |
| Kali Linux | apt-get install mt-st |
| CentOS | yum install mt-st |
| Fedora | dnf install mt-st |
| Raspbian | apt-get install mt-st |
mt Command Examples
1. Check the status of a tape drive:
# mt -f /dev/nstX status
2. Rewind the tape to beginning:
# mt -f /dev/nstX rewind
3. Move forward a given files, then position the tape on first block of next file:
# mt -f /dev/nstX fsf count
4. Rewind the tape, then position the tape at beginning of the given file:
# mt -f /dev/nstX asf count
5. Position the tape at the end of valid data:
# mt -f /dev/nstX eod
6. Rewind the tape and unload/eject it:
# mt -f /dev/nstX eject
7. Write EOF (End-of-file) mark at the current position:
# mt -f /dev/nstX} eof