E1036 Failed to write to media (a7) Tape ERR: Controller Failure

[DSFoster]

Once in a while when doing full backups of my larger filesystems I am getting the following error messages and my backup fails midstream:

Backup operation resumed on media <media> sequence <seq>
Failed to get buffer for media <media> <id> Seq <seq>, ret=167
E1036 Failed to write to media (a7) Tape ERR: Controller Failure

This problem is intermittent, occuring about 30% of the time and only with my larger filesystems (presumably the backups which span media).

Has anyone else seen this, and should I just consider this a hardware failure?

Dave Foster

 

[davidmichel]

Follow the advice in Which Driver Should I Use? faq478-3987

 

[DSFoster]

Thanks, this is a helpful suggestion, I'm just not sure if it would apply given that my BrightStor server is running Solaris and my library is the only device on my SCSI chain. I'm not aware of any applications which would be trying to access the SCSI device simultaneously with the BrightStor library interface.

If anyone has suggestions I'm definitely all ears!

Dave Foster

 

[davidmichel]

Don't know, the faq is for Windows only and so would not help out with a Solaris install.

 

[curses]

Dave.
I am getting the same error with the backups we are running against an oracle database . E1036 failed to write to media. It would appear that we have a similar setup as you: solaris 9, large files, intermittant failure etc. CA have not been that helpful did you ever get a resolution to this problem?

 

[DSFoster]

We have not had any resolution to this problem, and
CA has not been helpful at all. Of course anything
that even remotely suggests a hardware problem will
be invariably disregarded by a software company, been
there many times!

We have two AIT-3 drives and this happens intermittently
on both drives, but most of the time it works, so I
don't think this is truly a hardware problem.

Dave

 

[TDun]

Are you getting an E9131 a little before this?

 

[DSFoster]

No, I've never had an E9131 error message, if you are getting them then Google "+brightstor +e9131" and then translate the page that comes up, looks like some Linux OS filesize limitation.

Dave Foster

 

[DSFoster]

This problem has been RESOLVED by applying a firmware upgrade to my AIT-3 SDX-700C tape drives:

* Firmware:

http://sony.storagesupport.com/tape/firmware/sdx-700c.htm

* Perform firmware upgrade:
./sonytape /dev/rmt/0 -f sdx700c_0204.x70
SONY tape device detected.
SONY SDX-700C Revision: 0101
Firmware file size = 982396 bytes
Upgrading tape drive firmware.
Warning!! Do Not Power Off Drive!!
This process takes a few minutes.
Write Buffer = 0x8000
[...]
Firmware upgrade complete.
SONY SDX-700C Revision: 0204
Done.

./sonytape /dev/rmt/1 -f sdx700c_0204.x70
SONY tape device detected.
SONY SDX-700C Revision: 0101
Firmware file size = 982396 bytes
Upgrading tape drive firmware.
Warning!! Do Not Power Off Drive!!
This process takes a few minutes.
Write Buffer = 0x8000
[...]
Firmware upgrade complete.
SONY SDX-700C Revision: 0204
Done.