mt

Check status of a tape drive

$ mt -f [/dev/nst0] status

$ mt -f [/dev/nst0] rewind

$ mt -f [/dev/nst0] fsf [count]

$ mt -f [/dev/nst0] asf [count]

$ mt -f [/dev/nst0] eod

$ mt -f [/dev/nst0] eject

$ mt -f [/dev/nst0] eof

mt [-f device] operation [count]

mt controls magnetic tape drive operations, commonly used with LTO (Linear Tape-Open) and other SCSI tape drives. It provides commands for positioning, rewinding, ejecting, and writing control marks on tape media.
The device is specified with -f option or via the TAPE environment variable. Use /dev/nstX for non-rewinding devices (preserves position after operations) or /dev/stX for auto-rewinding devices.

-f _device_, -t _device_

Specify tape device (e.g., /dev/nst0, /dev/st0)

List available commands

Display version information

status

Print tape drive status and position

Rewind tape to beginning

Forward space specified number of files

Backward space specified number of files

Forward space specified number of records

Backward space specified number of records

Rewind and position at beginning of specified file

Space to end of valid data

Write EOF (end-of-file) marks

Rewind and unload/eject tape

Erase entire tape (long operation)

Rewind, wind to end, rewind again (conditions tape)

Seek to specified block number (SCSI)

Print current block number (SCSI)

Tape operations can be slow, especially erase and retension. Using the wrong device (st vs nst) can cause unexpected tape rewinding. Some operations are SCSI-specific. Ensure correct device permissions for non-root access.

mt (magnetic tape) has been a standard Unix utility since early Unix systems for controlling tape drives. The Linux version supports additional SCSI tape features beyond traditional operations.

tar(1), dd(1), st(4)