tapconvert

tapconvert [options] input_archive output_archive

-f format
    Specifies the target archive format to which the input_archive should be converted. This is typically a numeric format version (e.g., '3', '4').

-v
    Enables verbose mode, printing progress messages and detailed information about the conversion process.

-h, --help
    Displays a help message with usage information and exits.

--version
    Outputs version information for the tapconvert utility and exits.

tapconvert is a utility program associated with the Taper backup system. Its primary function is to convert Taper archive files from one internal format to another, typically a newer version. This is crucial when a Taper installation is upgraded, and existing archive files created with an older version of Taper need to be accessible and readable by the new version. It ensures backward compatibility for your backup data, allowing you to restore files from older archives without issues after a software upgrade. tapconvert operates by reading the input archive and writing a new archive in the specified output format.

tapconvert is specific to Taper archive formats and cannot be used for general archive conversions (e.g., tar, zip).
The specified format must be a valid Taper archive format supported by the installed tapconvert version.
Sufficient disk space is required to store the new output_archive, which will be a complete copy of the converted data.

To convert an old Taper archive named old_backup.tap to a new format (e.g., format 4) and save it as new_backup.tap, you would use:
tapconvert -f 4 old_backup.tap new_backup.tap

tapconvert is an integral part of the Taper backup system, developed by Peter T. Breuer. It was created to address the challenge of backward compatibility for Taper archives as the Taper software evolved and introduced new internal archive formats. Its development is directly tied to the lifecycle and upgrades of the Taper project, ensuring users could continue to access and restore data from older backups despite format changes in newer Taper versions.

taper(8), taperead(1), tapeinfo(1)