SUMMARY: /dev/rmt link assignment

I received a lot of helpful answers, and I think the most concise is
from Mark Neill below.  Thanks to everyone who responded.

Tapes are set up just like disks....

There is an order that the buses in the system are scanned.  The slots
on
those buses are scanned in order.  Each successive tape drive that's
found
in given the next unused drive number.

If you attach 4 drives, and scan, they will get drive numbers 0-3, in
order
of low board to high board and low slot to high slot.

The next drive that is attached will get drive number 4, regardless of
where
you attach it to - a slot before the current drive 0, in the middle
somewhere, or at the end.

Remove drive 2, but not the links, and add another drive somewhere
else.  It
gets drive number 5.  Delete the 2 links, add yet another drive, it will
become number 2.

You can see how drive numbers quickly get confusing.

-- 
Chad Campbell
System Administrator III, Sprint Midrange Support
Work: (913)768-5121  Pager: (877)280-4128
Alpha page: 8772804128@airmessage.net