diff --git a/src/tape/mod.rs b/src/tape/mod.rs
index e4eeb3bd..f9309ec0 100644
--- a/src/tape/mod.rs
+++ b/src/tape/mod.rs
@@ -45,6 +45,9 @@ pub use chunk_archive::*;
 mod snapshot_archive;
 pub use snapshot_archive::*;
 
+mod pool_writer;
+pub use pool_writer::*;
+
 /// Directory path where we store all tape status information
 pub const TAPE_STATUS_DIR: &str = "/var/lib/proxmox-backup/tape";
 
diff --git a/src/tape/pool_writer.rs b/src/tape/pool_writer.rs
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..ce118445
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/tape/pool_writer.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,392 @@
+use std::collections::HashSet;
+use std::path::Path;
+
+use anyhow::{bail, Error};
+
+use proxmox::{
+    tools::Uuid,
+    api::section_config::SectionConfigData,
+};
+
+use crate::{
+    backup::{
+        DataStore,
+    },
+    tape::{
+        TAPE_STATUS_DIR,
+        MAX_CHUNK_ARCHIVE_SIZE,
+        COMMIT_BLOCK_SIZE,
+        TapeDriver,
+        TapeWrite,
+        ChunkArchiveWriter,
+        SnapshotReader,
+        SnapshotChunkIterator,
+        MediaPool,
+        MediaId,
+        MediaCatalog,
+        MediaSetCatalog,
+        tape_write_snapshot_archive,
+        request_and_load_media,
+    },
+};
+
+
+struct PoolWriterState {
+    drive: Box<dyn TapeDriver>,
+    catalog: MediaCatalog,
+    // tell if we already moved to EOM
+    at_eom: bool,
+    // bytes written after the last tape fush/sync
+    bytes_written: usize,
+}
+
+impl PoolWriterState {
+
+    fn commit(&mut self) -> Result<(), Error> {
+        self.drive.sync()?; // sync all data to the tape
+        self.catalog.commit()?; // then commit the catalog
+        self.bytes_written = 0;
+        Ok(())
+    }
+}
+
+/// Helper to manage a backup job, writing several tapes of a pool
+pub struct PoolWriter {
+    pool: MediaPool,
+    drive_name: String,
+    status: Option<PoolWriterState>,
+    media_set_catalog: MediaSetCatalog,
+}
+
+impl PoolWriter {
+
+    pub fn new(mut pool: MediaPool, drive_name: &str) -> Result<Self, Error> {
+
+        let current_time = proxmox::tools::time::epoch_i64();
+
+        pool.start_write_session(current_time)?;
+
+        let mut media_set_catalog = MediaSetCatalog::new();
+
+        // load all catalogs read-only at start
+        for media_uuid in pool.current_media_list()? {
+            let media_catalog = MediaCatalog::open(
+                Path::new(TAPE_STATUS_DIR),
+                &media_uuid,
+                false,
+                false,
+            )?;
+            media_set_catalog.append_catalog(media_catalog)?;
+        }
+
+        Ok(Self {
+            pool,
+            drive_name: drive_name.to_string(),
+            status: None,
+            media_set_catalog,
+         })
+    }
+
+    pub fn pool(&mut self) -> &mut MediaPool {
+        &mut self.pool
+    }
+
+    /// Set media status to FULL (persistent - stores pool status)
+    pub fn set_media_status_full(&mut self, uuid: &Uuid) -> Result<(), Error> {
+        self.pool.set_media_status_full(&uuid)?;
+        Ok(())
+    }
+
+    pub fn contains_snapshot(&self, snapshot: &str) -> bool {
+        if let Some(PoolWriterState { ref catalog, .. }) = self.status {
+            if catalog.contains_snapshot(snapshot) {
+                return true;
+            }
+        }
+        self.media_set_catalog.contains_snapshot(snapshot)
+    }
+
+    /// commit changes to tape and catalog
+    ///
+    /// This is done automatically during a backupsession, but needs to
+    /// be called explicitly before dropping the PoolWriter
+    pub fn commit(&mut self) -> Result<(), Error> {
+        if let Some(ref mut status) = self.status {
+            status.commit()?;
+        }
+        Ok(())
+    }
+
+    /// Load a writable media into the drive
+    pub fn load_writable_media(&mut self) -> Result<Uuid, Error> {
+        let last_media_uuid = match self.status {
+            Some(PoolWriterState { ref catalog, .. }) => Some(catalog.uuid().clone()),
+            None => None,
+        };
+
+        let current_time = proxmox::tools::time::epoch_i64();
+        let media_uuid = self.pool.alloc_writable_media(current_time)?;
+
+        let media = self.pool.lookup_media(&media_uuid).unwrap();
+
+        let media_changed = match last_media_uuid {
+            Some(ref last_media_uuid) => last_media_uuid != &media_uuid,
+            None => true,
+        };
+
+        if !media_changed {
+            return Ok(media_uuid);
+        }
+
+        // remove read-only catalog (we store a writable version in status)
+        self.media_set_catalog.remove_catalog(&media_uuid);
+
+        if let Some(PoolWriterState {mut drive, catalog, .. }) = self.status.take() {
+            self.media_set_catalog.append_catalog(catalog)?;
+            drive.eject_media()?;
+        }
+
+        let (drive_config, _digest) = crate::config::drive::config()?;
+        let (drive, catalog) = drive_load_and_label_media(&drive_config, &self.drive_name, &media.id())?;
+        self.status = Some(PoolWriterState { drive, catalog, at_eom: false, bytes_written: 0 });
+
+        Ok(media_uuid)
+    }
+
+    /// uuid of currently loaded BackupMedia
+    pub fn current_media_uuid(&self) -> Result<&Uuid, Error> {
+        match self.status {
+            Some(PoolWriterState { ref catalog, ..}) => Ok(catalog.uuid()),
+            None => bail!("PoolWriter - no media loaded"),
+        }
+    }
+
+    /// Move to EOM (if not aleady there), then creates a new snapshot
+    /// archive writing specified files (as .pxar) into it. On
+    /// success, this return 'Ok(true)' and the media catalog gets
+    /// updated.
+
+    /// Please note that this may fail when there is not enough space
+    /// on the media (return value 'Ok(false, _)'). In that case, the
+    /// archive is marked incomplete, and we do not use it. The caller
+    /// should mark the media as full and try again using another
+    /// media.
+    pub fn append_snapshot_archive(
+        &mut self,
+        snapshot_reader: &SnapshotReader,
+    ) -> Result<(bool, usize), Error> {
+
+        let status = match self.status {
+            Some(ref mut status) => status,
+            None => bail!("PoolWriter - no media loaded"),
+        };
+
+        if !status.at_eom {
+            status.drive.move_to_eom()?;
+            status.at_eom = true;
+        }
+
+        let current_file_number = status.drive.current_file_number()?;
+        if current_file_number < 2 {
+            bail!("got strange file position number from drive ({})", current_file_number);
+        }
+
+        let (done, bytes_written) = {
+            let mut writer: Box<dyn TapeWrite> = status.drive.write_file()?;
+
+            match tape_write_snapshot_archive(writer.as_mut(), snapshot_reader)? {
+                Some(content_uuid) => {
+                    status.catalog.register_snapshot(
+                        content_uuid,
+                        current_file_number,
+                        &snapshot_reader.snapshot().to_string(),
+                    )?;
+                    (true, writer.bytes_written())
+                }
+                None => (false, writer.bytes_written()),
+            }
+        };
+
+        status.bytes_written += bytes_written;
+
+        let request_sync = if status.bytes_written >= COMMIT_BLOCK_SIZE { true } else { false };
+
+        if !done || request_sync {
+            status.commit()?;
+        }
+
+        Ok((done, bytes_written))
+    }
+
+    /// Move to EOM (if not aleady there), then creates a new chunk
+    /// archive and writes chunks from 'chunk_iter'. This stops when
+    /// it detect LEOM or when we reach max archive size
+    /// (4GB). Written chunks are registered in the media catalog.
+    pub fn append_chunk_archive(
+        &mut self,
+        datastore: &DataStore,
+        chunk_iter: &mut std::iter::Peekable<SnapshotChunkIterator>,
+    ) -> Result<(bool, usize), Error> {
+
+        let status = match self.status {
+            Some(ref mut status) => status,
+            None => bail!("PoolWriter - no media loaded"),
+        };
+
+        if !status.at_eom {
+            status.drive.move_to_eom()?;
+            status.at_eom = true;
+        }
+
+        let current_file_number = status.drive.current_file_number()?;
+        if current_file_number < 2 {
+            bail!("got strange file position number from drive ({})", current_file_number);
+        }
+        let writer = status.drive.write_file()?;
+
+        let (saved_chunks, content_uuid, leom, bytes_written) = write_chunk_archive(
+            writer,
+            datastore,
+            chunk_iter,
+            &self.media_set_catalog,
+            &status.catalog,
+            MAX_CHUNK_ARCHIVE_SIZE,
+        )?;
+
+        status.bytes_written += bytes_written;
+
+        let request_sync = if status.bytes_written >= COMMIT_BLOCK_SIZE { true } else { false };
+
+        // register chunks in media_catalog
+        status.catalog.start_chunk_archive(content_uuid, current_file_number)?;
+        for digest in saved_chunks {
+            status.catalog.register_chunk(&digest)?;
+        }
+        status.catalog.end_chunk_archive()?;
+
+        if leom || request_sync {
+            status.commit()?;
+        }
+
+        Ok((leom, bytes_written))
+    }
+}
+
+/// write up to <max_size> of chunks
+fn write_chunk_archive<'a>(
+    writer: Box<dyn 'a + TapeWrite>,
+    datastore: &DataStore,
+    chunk_iter: &mut std::iter::Peekable<SnapshotChunkIterator>,
+    media_set_catalog: &MediaSetCatalog,
+    media_catalog: &MediaCatalog,
+    max_size: usize,
+) -> Result<(Vec<[u8;32]>, Uuid, bool, usize), Error> {
+
+    let (mut writer, content_uuid) = ChunkArchiveWriter::new(writer, true)?;
+
+    let mut chunk_index: HashSet<[u8;32]> = HashSet::new();
+
+    // we want to get the chunk list in correct order
+    let mut chunk_list: Vec<[u8;32]> = Vec::new();
+
+    let mut leom = false;
+
+    loop {
+        let digest = match chunk_iter.next() {
+            None => break,
+            Some(digest) => digest?,
+        };
+        if media_catalog.contains_chunk(&digest)
+            || chunk_index.contains(&digest)
+            || media_set_catalog.contains_chunk(&digest)
+        {
+            continue;
+        }
+
+        let blob = datastore.load_chunk(&digest)?;
+        println!("CHUNK {} size {}", proxmox::tools::digest_to_hex(&digest), blob.raw_size());
+
+        match writer.try_write_chunk(&digest, &blob) {
+            Ok(true) => {
+                chunk_index.insert(digest);
+                chunk_list.push(digest);
+            }
+            Ok(false) => {
+                leom = true;
+                break;
+            }
+            Err(err) => bail!("write chunk failed - {}", err),
+        }
+
+        if writer.bytes_written() > max_size {
+            println!("Chunk Archive max size reached, closing archive");
+            break;
+        }
+    }
+
+    writer.finish()?;
+
+    Ok((chunk_list, content_uuid, leom, writer.bytes_written()))
+}
+
+// Requests and load 'media' into the drive. Then compare the media
+// set label. If the tabe is empty, or the existing set label does not
+// match the expected media set, overwrite the media set label.
+fn drive_load_and_label_media(
+    drive_config: &SectionConfigData,
+    drive_name: &str,
+    media_id: &MediaId,
+) -> Result<(Box<dyn TapeDriver>, MediaCatalog), Error> {
+
+    let (mut tmp_drive, info) =
+        request_and_load_media(&drive_config, &drive_name, &media_id.label)?;
+
+    let media_catalog;
+
+    let new_set = match media_id.media_set_label {
+        None => {
+            bail!("got media without media set - internal error");
+        }
+        Some(ref set) => set,
+    };
+
+    let status_path = Path::new(TAPE_STATUS_DIR);
+
+    match &info.media_set_label {
+        None => {
+            println!("wrinting new media set label");
+            tmp_drive.write_media_set_label(new_set)?;
+
+            let info = MediaId {
+                label: info.label,
+                media_set_label: Some(new_set.clone()),
+            };
+            media_catalog = MediaCatalog::overwrite(status_path, &info, true)?;
+        }
+        Some(media_set_label) => {
+            if new_set.uuid == media_set_label.uuid {
+                if new_set.seq_nr != media_set_label.seq_nr {
+                    bail!("got media with wrong media sequence number ({} != {}",
+                          new_set.seq_nr,media_set_label.seq_nr);
+                }
+                media_catalog = MediaCatalog::open(status_path, &media_id.label.uuid, true, false)?;
+            } else {
+                println!("wrinting new media set label (overwrite '{}/{}')",
+                         media_set_label.uuid.to_string(), media_set_label.seq_nr);
+
+                tmp_drive.write_media_set_label(new_set)?;
+
+                let info = MediaId {
+                    label: info.label,
+                    media_set_label: Some(new_set.clone()),
+                };
+                media_catalog = MediaCatalog::overwrite(status_path, &info, true)?;
+            }
+        }
+    }
+
+    // todo: verify last content/media_catalog somehow?
+    tmp_drive.move_to_eom()?;
+
+    Ok((tmp_drive, media_catalog))
+}