How do I mount a travan tape drive

sliptonic

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I have some old travan tapes that I'd like to read. I bought a used Travan drive (HP colorado memory systems) from ebay. This drive originally connected to a floppy drive IDE connector.
Since my motherboard doesn't have a floppy connector, I bought a USB to floppy converter. Now plugging the converter into the drive and connecting it to the PC, I see this with lsusb:
Bus 006 Device 004: ID 0644:0000 TEAC Corp. Floppy
dmesg shows extensive output (below) including errors but the device appears to be mounting at /dev/sdc
So I tried:
$ sudo mt -f /dev/sdc rewind
mt: /dev/sdc is not a character special file

I'm not sure what to try next or how to mount the drive as a character special file.
Is this even possible or do I need to start hunting for an antique motherboard with IDE floppy connector?

(Linux Mint 19)

Code:
[ 1519.022625] logitech-hidpp-device 0003:046D:200A.0006: HID++ 1.0 device connected.
[92341.221587] usb 6-1: new full-speed USB device number 4 using ohci-pci
[92341.416385] usb 6-1: New USB device found, idVendor=0644, idProduct=0000, bcdDevice= 2.00
[92341.416390] usb 6-1: New USB device strings: Mfr=1, Product=2, SerialNumber=0
[92341.416393] usb 6-1: Product: TEACV0.0
[92341.416396] usb 6-1: Manufacturer: TEACV0.0
[92341.418527] usb-storage 6-1:1.0: USB Mass Storage device detected
[92341.418983] scsi host7: usb-storage 6-1:1.0
[92342.461444] scsi 7:0:0:0: Direct-Access     TEAC     USB UF000x       0.00 PQ: 0 ANSI: 0 CCS
[92342.462446] sd 7:0:0:0: Attached scsi generic sg3 type 0
[92342.493345] sd 7:0:0:0: Power-on or device reset occurred
[92342.557416] sd 7:0:0:0: [sdc] 2880 512-byte logical blocks: (1.47 MB/1.41 MiB)
[92342.589404] sd 7:0:0:0: [sdc] Write Protect is off
[92342.589410] sd 7:0:0:0: [sdc] Mode Sense: 00 46 02 00
[92342.621405] sd 7:0:0:0: [sdc] No Caching mode page found
[92342.621416] sd 7:0:0:0: [sdc] Assuming drive cache: write through
[92350.685241] sd 7:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 FAILED Result: hostbyte=DID_OK driverbyte=DRIVER_SENSE
[92350.685249] sd 7:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 Sense Key : Medium Error [current]
[92350.685255] sd 7:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 Add. Sense: Incompatible medium installed
[92350.685260] sd 7:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 CDB: Read(10) 28 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 08 00 00 00
[92350.685264] print_req_error: I/O error, dev sdc, sector 0
[92350.685272] Buffer I/O error on dev sdc, logical block 0, async page read
[92358.525066] sd 7:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 FAILED Result: hostbyte=DID_OK driverbyte=DRIVER_SENSE
[92358.525072] sd 7:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 Sense Key : Medium Error [current]
[92358.525075] sd 7:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 Add. Sense: Incompatible medium installed
[92358.525079] sd 7:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 CDB: Read(10) 28 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 08 00 00 00
[92358.525081] print_req_error: I/O error, dev sdc, sector 0
[92358.525087] Buffer I/O error on dev sdc, logical block 0, async page read
[92366.364914] sd 7:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 FAILED Result: hostbyte=DID_OK driverbyte=DRIVER_SENSE
[92366.364920] sd 7:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 Sense Key : Medium Error [current]
[92366.364925] sd 7:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 Add. Sense: Incompatible medium installed
[92366.364931] sd 7:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 CDB: Read(10) 28 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 08 00 00 00
[92366.364935] print_req_error: I/O error, dev sdc, sector 0
[92366.364943] Buffer I/O error on dev sdc, logical block 0, async page read
[92374.204771] sd 7:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 FAILED Result: hostbyte=DID_OK driverbyte=DRIVER_SENSE
[92374.204779] sd 7:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 Sense Key : Medium Error [current]
[92374.204784] sd 7:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 Add. Sense: Incompatible medium installed
[92374.204789] sd 7:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 CDB: Read(10) 28 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 08 00 00 00
[92374.204793] print_req_error: I/O error, dev sdc, sector 0
[92374.204802] Buffer I/O error on dev sdc, logical block 0, async page read
[92374.204834] ldm_validate_partition_table(): Disk read failed.
[92382.044607] sd 7:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 FAILED Result: hostbyte=DID_OK driverbyte=DRIVER_SENSE
[92382.044613] sd 7:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 Sense Key : Medium Error [current]
[92382.044617] sd 7:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 Add. Sense: Incompatible medium installed
[92382.044621] sd 7:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 CDB: Read(10) 28 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 08 00 00 00
[92382.044624] print_req_error: I/O error, dev sdc, sector 0
[92382.044631] Buffer I/O error on dev sdc, logical block 0, async page read
[92389.884476] sd 7:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 FAILED Result: hostbyte=DID_OK driverbyte=DRIVER_SENSE
[92389.884483] sd 7:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 Sense Key : Medium Error [current]
[92389.884488] sd 7:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 Add. Sense: Incompatible medium installed
[92389.884493] sd 7:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 CDB: Read(10) 28 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 08 00 00 00
[92389.884497] print_req_error: I/O error, dev sdc, sector 0
[92389.884506] Buffer I/O error on dev sdc, logical block 0, async page read
[92397.724317] sd 7:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 FAILED Result: hostbyte=DID_OK driverbyte=DRIVER_SENSE
[92397.724321] sd 7:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 Sense Key : Medium Error [current]
[92397.724325] sd 7:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 Add. Sense: Incompatible medium installed
[92397.724329] sd 7:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 CDB: Read(10) 28 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 08 00 00 00
[92397.724331] print_req_error: I/O error, dev sdc, sector 0
[92397.724338] Buffer I/O error on dev sdc, logical block 0, async page read
[92405.564185] sd 7:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 FAILED Result: hostbyte=DID_OK driverbyte=DRIVER_SENSE
[92405.564193] sd 7:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 Sense Key : Medium Error [current]
[92405.564198] sd 7:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 Add. Sense: Incompatible medium installed
[92405.564204] sd 7:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 CDB: Read(10) 28 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 08 00 00 00
[92405.564208] print_req_error: I/O error, dev sdc, sector 0
[92405.564218] Buffer I/O error on dev sdc, logical block 0, async page read
[92405.564247] Dev sdc: unable to read RDB block 0
[92413.436022] sd 7:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 FAILED Result: hostbyte=DID_OK driverbyte=DRIVER_SENSE
[92413.436030] sd 7:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 Sense Key : Medium Error [current]
[92413.436035] sd 7:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 Add. Sense: Incompatible medium installed
[92413.436041] sd 7:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 CDB: Read(10) 28 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 08 00 00 00
[92413.436044] print_req_error: I/O error, dev sdc, sector 0
[92413.436053] Buffer I/O error on dev sdc, logical block 0, async page read
[92421.275888] sd 7:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 FAILED Result: hostbyte=DID_OK driverbyte=DRIVER_SENSE
[92421.275896] sd 7:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 Sense Key : Medium Error [current]
[92421.275902] sd 7:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 Add. Sense: Incompatible medium installed
[92421.275907] sd 7:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 CDB: Read(10) 28 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 08 00 00 00
[92421.275911] print_req_error: I/O error, dev sdc, sector 0
[92421.275920] Buffer I/O error on dev sdc, logical block 0, async page read
[92429.051721] sd 7:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 FAILED Result: hostbyte=DID_OK driverbyte=DRIVER_SENSE
[92429.051726] sd 7:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 Sense Key : Medium Error [current]
[92429.051729] sd 7:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 Add. Sense: Incompatible medium installed
[92429.051733] sd 7:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 CDB: Read(10) 28 00 00 00 00 18 00 00 08 00 00 00
[92429.051736] print_req_error: I/O error, dev sdc, sector 24
[92429.051743] Buffer I/O error on dev sdc, logical block 3, async page read
[92436.891607] sd 7:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 FAILED Result: hostbyte=DID_OK driverbyte=DRIVER_SENSE
[92436.891614] sd 7:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 Sense Key : Medium Error [current]
[92436.891620] sd 7:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 Add. Sense: Incompatible medium installed
[92436.891626] sd 7:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 CDB: Read(10) 28 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 08 00 00 00
[92436.891629] print_req_error: I/O error, dev sdc, sector 0
[92436.891638] Buffer I/O error on dev sdc, logical block 0, async page read
[92436.891664]  sdc: unable to read partition table
[92437.083608] sd 7:0:0:0: [sdc] Attached SCSI removable disk
[92438.395553] sd 7:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 FAILED Result: hostbyte=DID_OK driverbyte=DRIVER_SENSE
[92438.395561] sd 7:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 Sense Key : Medium Error [current]
[92438.395567] sd 7:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 Add. Sense: Incompatible medium installed
[92438.395572] sd 7:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 CDB: Read(10) 28 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 08 00 00 00
[92438.395576] print_req_error: I/O error, dev sdc, sector 0
[92446.235399] sd 7:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 FAILED Result: hostbyte=DID_OK driverbyte=DRIVER_SENSE
[92446.235405] sd 7:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 Sense Key : Medium Error [current]
[92446.235410] sd 7:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 Add. Sense: Incompatible medium installed
[92446.235414] sd 7:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 CDB: Read(10) 28 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 08 00 00 00
[92446.235417] print_req_error: I/O error, dev sdc, sector 0
[92446.235426] Buffer I/O error on dev sdc, logical block 0, async page read
[92454.139242] sd 7:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 FAILED Result: hostbyte=DID_OK driverbyte=DRIVER_SENSE
[92454.139249] sd 7:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 Sense Key : Medium Error [current]
[92454.139254] sd 7:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 Add. Sense: Incompatible medium installed
[92454.139258] sd 7:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 CDB: Read(10) 28 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 08 00 00 00
[92454.139262] print_req_error: I/O error, dev sdc, sector 0
[92454.139272] Buffer I/O error on dev sdc, logical block 0, async page read
[92462.043098] sd 7:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 FAILED Result: hostbyte=DID_OK driverbyte=DRIVER_SENSE
[92462.043106] sd 7:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 Sense Key : Medium Error [current]
[92462.043111] sd 7:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 Add. Sense: Incompatible medium installed
[92462.043116] sd 7:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 CDB: Read(10) 28 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 08 00 00 00
[92462.043119] print_req_error: I/O error, dev sdc, sector 0
[92462.043128] Buffer I/O error on dev sdc, logical block 0, async page read
[92469.914965] sd 7:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 FAILED Result: hostbyte=DID_OK driverbyte=DRIVER_SENSE
[92469.914973] sd 7:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 Sense Key : Medium Error [current]
[92469.914979] sd 7:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 Add. Sense: Incompatible medium installed
[92469.914985] sd 7:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 CDB: Read(10) 28 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 08 00 00 00
[92469.914988] print_req_error: I/O error, dev sdc, sector 0
[92469.914998] Buffer I/O error on dev sdc, logical block 0, async page read
[92477.818813] sd 7:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 FAILED Result: hostbyte=DID_OK driverbyte=DRIVER_SENSE
[92477.818822] sd 7:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 Sense Key : Medium Error [current]
[92477.818828] sd 7:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 Add. Sense: Incompatible medium installed
[92477.818834] sd 7:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 CDB: Read(10) 28 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 08 00 00 00
[92477.818838] print_req_error: I/O error, dev sdc, sector 0
[92477.818848] Buffer I/O error on dev sdc, logical block 0, async page read
[92485.722657] sd 7:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 FAILED Result: hostbyte=DID_OK driverbyte=DRIVER_SENSE
[92485.722664] sd 7:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 Sense Key : Medium Error [current]
[92485.722669] sd 7:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 Add. Sense: Incompatible medium installed
[92485.722675] sd 7:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 CDB: Read(10) 28 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 08 00 00 00
[92485.722679] print_req_error: I/O error, dev sdc, sector 0
[92485.722689] Buffer I/O error on dev sdc, logical block 0, async page read
[92493.626519] sd 7:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 FAILED Result: hostbyte=DID_OK driverbyte=DRIVER_SENSE
[92493.626527] sd 7:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 Sense Key : Medium Error [current]
[92493.626532] sd 7:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 Add. Sense: Incompatible medium installed
[92493.626538] sd 7:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 CDB: Read(10) 28 00 00 00 00 18 00 00 08 00 00 00
[92493.626542] print_req_error: I/O error, dev sdc, sector 24
[92493.626551] Buffer I/O error on dev sdc, logical block 3, async page read
[92495.098566] sd 7:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 FAILED Result: hostbyte=DID_OK driverbyte=DRIVER_SENSE
[92495.098573] sd 7:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 Sense Key : Medium Error [current]
[92495.098578] sd 7:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 Add. Sense: Incompatible medium installed
[92495.098583] sd 7:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 CDB: Read(10) 28 00 00 00 00 08 00 00 08 00 00 00
[92495.098587] print_req_error: I/O error, dev sdc, sector 8
[92502.970335] sd 7:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 FAILED Result: hostbyte=DID_OK driverbyte=DRIVER_SENSE
[92502.970342] sd 7:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 Sense Key : Medium Error [current]
[92502.970348] sd 7:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 Add. Sense: Incompatible medium installed
[92502.970353] sd 7:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 CDB: Read(10) 28 00 00 00 00 08 00 00 08 00 00 00
[92502.970357] print_req_error: I/O error, dev sdc, sector 8
[92502.970367] Buffer I/O error on dev sdc, logical block 1, async page read
[92510.906161] sd 7:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 FAILED Result: hostbyte=DID_OK driverbyte=DRIVER_SENSE
[92510.906167] sd 7:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 Sense Key : Medium Error [current]
[92510.906172] sd 7:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 Add. Sense: Incompatible medium installed
[92510.906178] sd 7:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 CDB: Read(10) 28 00 00 00 00 80 00 00 08 00 00 00
[92510.906181] print_req_error: I/O error, dev sdc, sector 128
[92510.906191] Buffer I/O error on dev sdc, logical block 16, async page read
[92518.842035] sd 7:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 FAILED Result: hostbyte=DID_OK driverbyte=DRIVER_SENSE
[92518.842043] sd 7:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 Sense Key : Medium Error [current]
[92518.842048] sd 7:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 Add. Sense: Incompatible medium installed
[92518.842054] sd 7:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 CDB: Read(10) 28 00 00 00 00 02 00 00 02 00 00 00
[92518.842058] print_req_error: I/O error, dev sdc, sector 2
[92518.842095] EXT4-fs (sdc): unable to read superblock
[92526.777879] sd 7:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 FAILED Result: hostbyte=DID_OK driverbyte=DRIVER_SENSE
[92526.777887] sd 7:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 Sense Key : Medium Error [current]
[92526.777892] sd 7:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 Add. Sense: Incompatible medium installed
[92526.777898] sd 7:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 CDB: Read(10) 28 00 00 00 00 02 00 00 02 00 00 00
[92526.777902] print_req_error: I/O error, dev sdc, sector 2
[92526.777939] EXT4-fs (sdc): unable to read superblock
[92534.681729] sd 7:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 FAILED Result: hostbyte=DID_OK driverbyte=DRIVER_SENSE
[92534.681737] sd 7:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 Sense Key : Medium Error [current]
[92534.681742] sd 7:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 Add. Sense: Incompatible medium installed
[92534.681748] sd 7:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 CDB: Read(10) 28 00 00 00 00 02 00 00 02 00 00 00
[92534.681751] print_req_error: I/O error, dev sdc, sector 2
[92534.681792] EXT4-fs (sdc): unable to read superblock
[92542.617574] sd 7:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 FAILED Result: hostbyte=DID_OK driverbyte=DRIVER_SENSE
[92542.617581] sd 7:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 Sense Key : Medium Error [current]
[92542.617587] sd 7:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 Add. Sense: Incompatible medium installed
[92542.617592] sd 7:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 CDB: Read(10) 28 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 01 00 00 00
[92542.617595] print_req_error: I/O error, dev sdc, sector 0
[92542.617632] FAT-fs (sdc): unable to read boot sector
 


That reply didn't make sense to me so I picked up on the second suggestion that perhaps stack overflow was the wrong location.
The travan drive was designed to plug into a standard floppy ide drive connector. Why would it require the adapter to have travan software running?
Is it possible to create the usb tape drive subprofile manually? How do I do that?
 
Ah, so it wasn't anything special - it just tucked right into a bog-standard IDE connection?

I did a bunch of reading yesterday and came across a few links that looked interesting. My understanding was that it'd need to be a direct connection to the floppy IDE (the intervening USB may not know how to deal with that type of connection - was what I was thinking). But, if everything is pretty much standard - it may still work.

This was one of the links I came across:


From that link, and a few others, it looked like it'd be a SCSI device.

This is stuff is all very, very old...


With this stuff being so old, it may be worth trying in a VM with an earlier kernel - one that matches the kernels in use for the sites above.
 
@sliptonic , did you ever get anywhere with this? I'm in a similar situation, except that my computer does have the right plug (in my case, the old ATA hard disk slot), but no luck in getting Linux to recognize the drive.
One suggestion you might consider, though it didn't work for me, is to boot with an old live DVD from an older Linux. (This post suggests Ubuntu 6.06 still has zftape, for instance.) Unfortunately, anything old enough to have ftape seems to be too old to boot on my oldest working computer. But perhaps you'll have better luck...
 
No, I haven't made any progress. It isn't a front-burner issue for me so I'll keep picking at it and post back here if I make progress.
 

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