Is dump dumb? (Was: Contest: dump(8) parameters for DC300XL 1/4" ...)

[PETITPIERRE Dominique]

First here is an answer to <655 at rphroy.UUCP> Contest: dump(8) parameters
for DC300XL 1/4" cartridge tape :
My dump favorite parameters for a 600ft cartridge (I don't use 'c')
	dump 0udsbf 1000 5100 1000 /dev/nrst8 ...
the b option is there only in order to stream the tape as much as possible
and depends on the memory available. With these parameters around 60 Megabytes
can be stored on a tape. The 'nrst8' device is used so that the tape is left
positioned at the end of the dump, and another dump can be stored on the same
tape, with (the 's' parameter reduded appropriately).
 
 Apart of that wouldn't it be a good time to have a general discussion about
'is dump really dumb?':
	- Why doesn't 'restore -t' give you the name of the file system stored
	on the tape?
	- Why isn't it possible to specify many file system to be stored
	on the same tape (cartridge). You can do it by hand (see 'nrst8' above)
	but except for the first file system, dump will think that the space
	left on the tape is in fact the size of a full tape, and will not use
	properly the space on the second tape (impossible to dump two fs of
	30MB on two 40MB cartridges)
	- Is it true that restored files will have their modification time
	always set to the time of the restore command? (no 'p' option like
	for tar). Thats what happend to me with a level 0 dump.
	- Why isn't it possible to specify the size of the tape in (mega) bytes
	rather than this cumbersome combination of density, length and
	mysterious 'c' option? At least for streamer tape cartridges that we
	use, there is no indication of their density in bits per inches.
	In fact why doesn't dump use all the space available on the tape
	without being told how much on the command line?
	- Why can't dump work on active file systems? At least for incremental
	dumps that would be quite useful to run dump in multi-user mode!
	- Why is dump always interactive? Especially because you have to
	wait till every user logs out, it would be nice to have dump
	run at night, unattended, and properly coping with tape errors, as a
	big boy (and mail to 'root' the results).

You can see I have a lot of anger against dump. But I cannot understand
so many flaws in such a crucial and often used program. Maybe it is because
I don't know how to use it (and then I would be glad to hear about the
proper way to do things), or maybe other people share my views and
have abandonned dump to use something better I'd like to use too!

Dominique
-- 
Mr. Dominique Petitpierre   |EAN, BITNET, EARN, MHS, X.400: petitp at cui.unige.ch
ISSCO, University of Geneva |UUCP: mcvax!cernvax!cui!petitp , petitp at cui.uucp
54 route des Acacias	    |JANET: petitp%cui.unige.ch at ean-relay.ac.uk
CH-1227 GENEVA (Switzerland)|CSNET, ARPA: petitp%cui.unige.ch at csnet-relay.csnet
Tel: 0041/22/20 93 33 extension 2117