need help with multi-reel cpio

[Doug Gwyn]

I prefer Greg's suggestion over Griff's.  There seem to me to be
two ways to handle magtapes on UNIX:  (a) make them do the right
thing to fit the generalized idea of "file";  (b) supply special
magtape-handling bells and whistles.  I've managed in the past
to make method (a) serve quite well, even for such things as
ANSI standard magtapes; since I believe in the generalized file
approach, that's the method I recommend.  Approach (b) is not
really necessary, in my opinion.  But whatever approach is used,
it should be done RIGHT, which has not traditionally been the
case with UNIX magtape drivers.