Bug#3100: no /etc/rmt with tar

[Craig Sanders <cas@taz.net.au>]

Package: tar
Version: 1.11.8-5

Maintainer: Bdale Garbee <bdale@gag.com>

remote backups can't be done, contrary to docs.

from the tar info file:

>  In either case, `tar' will invoke the command `rsh' (or `remsh')
>  to start up an `/etc/rmt' on the remote machine.  If you give an
>  alternate login name, it will be given to the `rsh'.  Naturally, the
>  remote machine must have an executable `/etc/rmt'.  This program is
>  free software from the University of California, and a copy of the
>  source code can be found with the sources for `tar'; it's compiled
                                                        ^^^^^^^^^^^^^
>  and installed by default.
   ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Permissions, hosts.allow, .rhosts etc are set up correctly to allow
cas@gw.taz.net.au to use taz.net.au's tape drive.

but it doesn't work because /etc/rmt isn't included with the tar
package.

(gw-cas) ~$ tar tvfz taz:/dev/tape
bash: /etc/rmt: No such file or directory
tar (child): Cannot open archive taz:/dev/tape: I/O error

gzip: stdin: unexpected end of file
tar: Child returned status 1


Is there any good reason for NOT compiling and installing rmt by default?

btw, if this is fixed, both source code and documentation should be
changed to refer to either/usr/bin/rmt or /usr/sbin/rmt, NOT /etc/rmt.


Craig