[SLUG] Erasing backup tapes?

From: Ben Ostrowsky (ostrowb@tblc.org)
Date: Wed Jun 05 2002 - 09:03:35 EDT


I've got several dozen DDS tapes that I'd like to throw out. Before I
do that, however, I'd like to make it non-trivial to read the data
currently on them.

I can't seem to figure out bcwipe; it works on files and block devices.
I'm not sure what a block device is, but dmesg says "Attached scsi tape
st0 at scsi1, channel 0, id 6, lun 0".

[root@snoopy /tmp]# bcwipe -v -b /dev/st0
Wipe /dev/st0 (y/[n]/a)?y
Wiping device /dev/st0
Writing to /dev/st0: Input/output error

Perhaps it's not a block device:

crw-rw---- 1 root disk 9, 0 Mar 23 2001 /dev/st0

Any ideas how I can wipe these tapes? I don't have easy access to an
MRI or a mile of copper wire, and I'd rather not trust the demagnetizer
at the library -- it's not designed for this.

I've been told that writing from /dev/urandom until the tape fills up
would do the trick, but I don't even know how to do that!

Haaaaalp!

Ben



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