VMSBackup

HOWTO extract files from a tape saved with VMS Backup

Background

if you used a command similar to:
BACKUP/LOG DISK:[DIR...]/VERIFY TAPE1:SAVE.BCK/SAVE_SET/LABEL=LABEL1

and don't have access to the VMS station anymore you are at a similar situation as I was.

After searching the net after tools that were capable to extract my vmsbackup files from the DAT tapes I found a tool, but it did not read my tapes?

There is a tool that can dump a tape to a file-image (send me an email, and I will give you the link) and my tool below takes that file-image and extracts the readable files inside it to window-files.

More problem info:

• Windows XP, Windows 2000
• Access to normal scsi DAT tape station (just plug the dat-station to a windowsmachine, no installation requried, just reboot)
• No access to VMS stations
• Lots of backup in savesets in 10 year old DAT tapes.

One solution VMSBackup.exe

1 tape-image-filename

Enter the tape image filename created with novatape...

2 extract files or extract file-list

Try the extract file-list button first, the extract button takes some time for large files.

3 stop execution

Cancel the execution by checking the stop

4 SaveSet

Current save-set

5 Filename

Current filename translation

6 Filelist

Extracted files from tape-image

From tape to image-file

1. Use a windows 2000/XP station with a scsi dat-tape drive or just plug in a dat-drive to a scsi port and reboot the station, no installation required. I have only tried with dat-tapes but it will probably work with any tape that windows can understand. Please drop a mail if you found some workable setup.
2. Get the ... tool and copy the tape to a tape-image-file on disk

Download

• get vmsbackup   vmsbackup.zip
  
• Extract the vmsbackup.exe (1 file) place it whereever and run...

More info

if you like we can help you with extracting the files, or do it yourself with the above tools.
More info/questions from: Subject: VMSBackup