Tape Loader Problem. 1

[CokeandSushi]

Hi All,

We are running ARCserv 2000 on Win 2K.

The server is a Compaq DL380 and the drive a Compaq DLT890DLT library.

All relavant ARCServ patches and updates have been applied. The firm ware on the SCSI card up to date, Tape drives and boards have been updated and replaced due to a recall notice.

Backups work however on random occasions the drive will not eject a tape and go to the next tape in the library during a job. The error message then appears saying that the media is full.

This error occured before the drives where replaced and is till occuring.

As a work around I force the job to a particular tape that I know is still blank.

Does anyone have any ideas on how to fix the above problem?

Thanks.

 

[peeky1323]

Hi,

You say the SCSI card firmware has been upgraded and the tape drive and boards replaced (so they probably have the newer/latest firmware too).

ARCserve doesn't always support the latest firmware revisions on devices. You should be able to check this off of the following URL:

http://esupport.ca.com/index.html?/public/storage/infodocs/nt/as2000_cdl.asp

Probably worth a check (apologies if you have already of course)

Matt

 

[CokeandSushi]

All firmware levels look good. However prior to swap out the problem also existed.

I had a look last night and the tape is ejecting but NOT going to the next available tape ?

So the issue is the device goes through tapes filling one at a time. It stops at a tape at random once filled, then ejects the tape and tries to reload the tape it just ejected.

However this tapes is full, so it ejects it and tries reloading it again !

A message is in the log stating that the Media is Full.

 

[davidmichel]

The two most likely directions to go are:
1) Device Configuration problem
2) software conflict

For the first just make sure the device looks and works correct in the ARCserve Device Manager window. The library should show up indented under the controller and the drives indented under the library. All the slots should show up and the media correctly identified. Basic inventory, mount dismount, erase, format commands should work.

For the second make sure the OS Tape Device and Media Changer drivers are not loading (faq478-3987). Also in Control Panel select the HP/Compaq Managment Storage Agent and go to properties. Then select SCSI Information and then click Remove. The scanning the agents do to the tape device causes a problem.

 

[CokeandSushi]

David

Thanks for that, however;

I have had three Compaq Techs look at the tape server and my SCSI and Server setups and all agree it is OK.

I can erase and format etc but cannot retension a tape. The option is greyed out. I don't think this is as major an issue to my orginal question.

 

[Cyklops]

The greyed out box means that retensioning is not supported for DLT technology.
What are the rules you set up for overwriting media (custom or rotation) and how did you setup Device Group Configuration ?? You mentioned earlier that you can workaround the problem by forcing the job to use a media that you know to be blank but with ARCserve this cannot be done. The media name in the destination field will remain a * when you do this and ARCserve will search for particular media according for the rules you have set.

regards

 

[davidmichel]

CokeandSushi not sure about your reply. It sounds like you are saying that you are taking their advice over mine. If that is the case then good luck.

But if you want ARCserve to run correctly get rid of drivers and reconfigure the storage agent.

 

[CokeandSushi]

Sorry David if it didn't make sense.

It wasn't a reply just another bit of info.

To answer your questions and suggestions. No other drivers are loaded. HP scanning agent is not loaded and Windows drivers are disabled. Both drives can be seen under the controller (indented).

I used auto configure to assign drives to the groups.

The tapes are done as follows.

4 groups of 10 tapes. One per week.
I load the tapes and run an inventory. Do an erase. Then format the tapes. The tape drive can see all tapes.

To workaround I go to the destination page (under modify job)and select a tape from the pool rather than * to over come the problem. I have tried recreating jobs.

Again the problem is intermittment and doesn't happen with any particular tape.

 

[davidmichel]

I am having trouble connecting your work-around to the problem.

The problem as I see it is that something is interupting the communication between the Tape Engine and the device at the point of the span. (This is straight SCSI and not Fibre, right?) This interuption results in the tape getting left in the drive. If there is a tape in the drive then it is not possible to load another and so the span fails. This interuption would be caused by a software conflict and thus the recommendation to unload the tape device and media changer drivers and recofiguring the Storage Agents.

Now this could also be caused by a failure of the library to move the tape. If this was the case then usually the tape will be left sticking partially out of the drive or sitting on the bottom of the library if it was dropped. In either case you should have noticed it.

In either case I can not see how selecting a specific tape to be used would work around the problem. So I could be way off base on what is going on here. But if I am right then capturing the failure with both the Job and Tape Engines in debug mode would be the only way I know of to see for sure if it is a hardware problem or a software conflict.

If it is software conflict then there is something else addressing the drive, like perhaps the Removable Storage service.