E63000 & E3717 Errors with SDLTs 3

[jd32]

We are currently experiencing problems with restores from Compaq SDLT drives on Compaq Servers running Arcserve 2000 SP3 (and SP4). The following errors occur during a restore of a selection of files from a restore by session:-
___________________________________________________________
20020626 104607 6 Use media 31/05/02 20:35, ID D2D4, sequence #1
20020626 104607 6 Source Session 2 on Media 31/05/02 20:35
20020626 104607 6 Target Directory: E:\temp
20020626 114607 TAPE E6300 Windows NT SCSI PORT Error[ABSL:1000 CMD:11h] SCSI Command Retry.
20020626 114620 TAPE E6300 Windows NT SCSI PORT Error[ABSL:1000 CMD:11h] SCSI Command Retry.
20020626 114620 TAPE E6300 Windows NT SCSI PORT Error[ABSL:1000 CMD:11h] SCSI Command Retry.
20020626 114620 TAPE E6300 Windows NT SCSI PORT Error[ABSL:1000 CMD:11h] SCSI Command Retry.
20020626 114620 TAPE E6300 Windows NT SCSI PORT Error[ABSL:1000 CMD:11h NT:45Dh 1117]
20020626 114621 6 E3717 Unable to goto cluster. (CLUSTER=30114747, EC=Hardware Error)
20020626 114621 6 E3842 Unable to find file.
____________________________________________________________

This is happening on 30+ Compaq servers of varying models (P7000 - P580)all running SDLTs with the latest versions of the Compaq firmware (v. 45 2d2d). If we do a full restore, there are no problems, however, when selecting only a few files, we keep getting the same errors.

We've replaced drives, SCSI cards, system boards, tapes; We've tried to full format the tapes, re-install Arcserve, re-initialise the Arcserve database, updated SCSI drivers, updated Tape drive firmware, etc, etc.......and none of this has worked.

Having spoken to CA Support, after much 'try this, try that', they said that the best way to do the restores is to do a full restore with filters, which worked, but can take many hours to complete. When you have to support backups on 1000 servers, it becomes unfeasable to filter the restores.

I have read some of the earlier threads but none of the suggested ideas have helped. Is anybody having the same problems and does anybody have any suggestions on how to fix the issues? CA and Compaq just blame each other!!!!
Thanks.

 

[dagfinnc]

Hi

I had the same kind of trouble with a Compaq ML370 and AIT Library (SSL2020).

I think the Compaq Management Agents are doing something to the Win2000 SCSI port driver, that Arcserve is not comfortable with.

And yes, I also tried upgrading the Support Pack (and installing the very latest Compaq SCSI UW3 66MHz driver for Win200) without luck.

After days of greef I found some tips on the web regarding Compaq Storage Agents. So I removed the "SCSI information" part of the Management Agent Setup (in Control panel), since the Tape Lib is attached to a Compaq UW3 (Adaptec) Controller, and suddenly tings started to operate as normal.

Cheers (from a happy kid)

 

[chkplsfromindia]

Hi,
Try to update the drivers for the scsi controllers and also update the firmware of the tape device, coz 6300 error is a hardware error. Also try cleaning the device.
Hope it helps.
Thanks

 

[ComSprt]

Hey ...jd32
I am experiencing the exact same issue with a customer and would like to contact you...Is that possible???

 

[AshT]

I'm experiencing this problem as well, since upgrading server to Windows 2000 Server.

Running ARCserve 2000 and Tape Library Option with Compaq MSL5026SL SDLT Tape Library 2 drives.

It has been suggested that the 12 ft SCSI Cable that the library is attached with is too long. Will try it tomorrow with 3ft cable when it arrives.

 

[Guest_imported]

I have this issue & have implemented the compaq "fix" from Compaq Support document EM020409_CW02. If this works I'm gonna try just disabling the SCSI information as in the article above so I have some management back - that's why we all bought Compaq wasn't it kids!

 

[JimHarrison]

Guys,

I have found a doc on their site. Maybe this was what Jimmer29 was talking about.

http://wwss1pro.compaq.com/support/reference_library/viewdocument.asp?source=EM020409_CW02.xml&dt=3

Regards
Jim Harrison
Computer Associates International, Inc.

 

[dr1ver]

Hi All,

I have just had the same problem exactly as at the top of this thread. We have an NT4 server running AS2000 to an SDLT.
Backup seems to work fine, but when you come to restore from one particular drive (There are four)it fails.
All backups from this drive are unable to be read properly by other drives. After changing the SDLT drive we still have the same problem.

I will disable the Compaq storage agents as suggested in the Compaq article mentioned by Jim Harrison and we'll see how it goes!

Will report back...

 

[Guest_imported]

I've got a customer with the same problem, but the connection between the Server (Compaq DL380G2) and the MSL5026SL SDLT Tape Library is by Fibre Channel and a Compaq MDR.

This seems to indicate that the problem is not with the Tape Drive/Library, the connection between the server and the Tape drive, or the driver for the SCSI interface in use, as the same problem is occuring for all of these. However, ARCserve and Compaq appear to be the re-occuring theme. Either ARCserve has the problem, or there's something else going on like Compaq Agenets.

 

[jabus]

Check the ABSL order that is configured in Device Configuration. See thread478-335389 for details.

We are using MDR's in a Compaq SAN environment, and have found that if the ABSL is out-of-order from what is reported by the library/MDR, then you can get these types of errors.

Also, are you letting the MDR automatically set the FC to SCSI mapping?

 

[Housing]

Help,

We are having the same restore issue. The error we get is "Can not goto cluster" & "can not find file".

The funny thing is that we can restore some data on the tapes but not all.

Can someone that has had this problem in the past please post their solution as we have tried the same things as mentioned above and did not have any success.

Thanks.

 

[dr1ver]

Hi All,

After having the problems listed in my previous email above i have done the following.
Prior to the attempted restore I went into Compaq management agent in control panel and remove the SCSI option from the list.
Stop and restarted the Compaq Agent Services.
So far this seems to have resolved the issue for me. We have gone from zero successful restores from the SDLT's to 100% so far.
The SCSI option is readded to the list after the successful restore so we can keep monitoring the client SCSI drives for failures.

I am concerned following Housing's suggestion above that some data can be restored and others not, so I cannot catagorically say it is fixed.
One suggestion is that whatever causes the restore problem also has an intermittant effect on the backup changing/corrupting the data in some way? (Speculating!)

Will keep you posted if I have any restore failures I can attribute to this.

 

[Housing]

dr1ver,

What seems to be happening is that we can restore 3/4 of the data on the SDLT tape. It is the last pyysical 1/4 of data on the tape that we get the error message when trying to restore. It is like the SDLT drive will only read and restore up to a certain point on our tapes, anything after that it wont restore. We are trying to figure out if there is some thresh hold that we are exceeding.

Is anyone else having the same troubles?

Thanks

 

[tellus1]

We have the same probs with compaq40/80 DLX and SDLT,plugged on the Mainboard SCSI of the Server
I think it is a prob between the Server (SCSI-2) and the Librarys (SCSI-3).
The probs with 40/80 DLX is fixed with Compaq´s
Ultrawide3 Dual Channel Controller 129803-B21.
To switch the default Config of the DLT vom SCSI-3 to SCSI2
may work too(still testing...)

 

[joearcnerd]

I have had the same problem with restores. But the problem only occurs when the job needs to access a second tape. The job just says skipping for about 45 minutes then gets the errors that are posted here and will not access the second tape from the second job. The firmware on the drives is v45(2d2d). I have found however that if I try the same restore from some sdlt drives that have frimware 1e1e that my restore works. I also had drives with firmware of 2323 and they did the same as 2d2d. I upgraded the firmware to 2d2d to see if this would fix the prob, but it didn't. The only way that I can get successful restores when using multiple tapes is to use the drives that have firmware of 1e1e on them.

 

[joearcnerd]

Anybody have any ideas?

 

[ComSprt]

Hey Guys....my customer had this exact problem and the upgrade to FW version V46 successfully solved his problem on several servers...Hope it helps

 

[KB99]

I would concurr we have only just upgraded several of our SDLT's to V46 and it appears to have fixed them, we are however in the early stages, but results from the first few restore's show very positive results, we tried all the other options, such as Removing the SCSI management agents, this appears to be the one.. Fingers Crossed.

 

[Housing]

KB99 & ComSprt

I have downloaded the latest Tape Options Rompaq which is v2.00A. Can you confirm if this version is actually v46 or v45?

Thanks......

 

[jd32]

Hi,

I work with KB99 and I can confirm it was V46(2e2e). We've managed to complete 2 restores that just weren't possible before the firmware upgrade.

We'll be doing some more testing..........