Mksysb error, cannot access drive

[Drill]

Hi ,
Could anyone advise please? Running AIX 4.3 and attempting to run a mksysb and it comes back with:

Creating information file (/image.data) for rootvg...

Creating tape boot image....................
/dev/rmt1.1 fsf 3 failed: There is an input or output error.

0512-044 mksysb: Cannot access device /dev/rmt1.1.
tctl fsf failed with return code 2.

The drive can be written to and read from ok with cpio, have tried both command line and smit routes. the drive is a DDS3. Any ideas? Thanks in advance.

 

[broep02]

Hi,

I see that you trying to write to /dev/rmt1.1.
This is a no-rewinding tape device, try de folowing command;

mksysb -i -d /dev/rmt0
or
mksysb -i -d /dev/rmt1

the -i flag creates a new image.data file (optional)

best regards,

 

[Drill]

Thanks for the reply, i tried the command line route (using rmt1) and i get the same. Smit seems to select the drive (rmt1) and then automatically use rmt1.1

Any more ideas?

TIA.

 

[broep02]

Can you give me the output of the next command;

lsdev -Cctape

thanks

 

[Drill]

lsdev gives the following:# lsdev -Cctape
rmt0 Available 00-07-A1-0,0 Bull 2.5 GB 1/4-Inch Tape Drive
rmt1 Available 00-07-A1-1,0 Other SCSI Tape Drive

lsattr gives:
# lsattr -El rmt1
mode yes Use DEVICE BUFFERS during writes True
block_size 512 BLOCK size True
extfm yes Use EXTENDED file marks True
res_support no RESERVE/RELEASE support True
var_block_size 0 BLOCK SIZE for variable length support True
density_set_1 0 DENSITY setting 1 True
density_set_2 0 DENSITY setting 2 True
delay 45 Set delay after a FAILED command True
rwtimeout 144 Set timeout for the READ or WRITE command True
ret_error no RETURN error on tape change or reset True
#

This drive was swapped from an exabyte to this Dat DDS3 drive about a year ago and has been working fine execpt for when i tried to do a mksysb. I have searched the net high and low for afix but have just hit brick walls.

Any thoughts/comments would be very much aprreacited as i am stumped.

MAny thanks for you input so far.

 

[broep02]

Ok, lets do/try the following things.

rmdev -l rmt1 -d (remove the tape device)
cfgmgr (installing tape device)
lsdev -Cctape (check tape device)

check at this point if the mksysb commands work.
if not, to the following thing.

smitty tape
change the block size from 512 to 0 en press enter to confirm.

check again.

otherwise check these things;
- another tape
- clean tape drive
- run errpt an look for problems on the tape device.

best regards,

 

[Drill]

Hi Broep02,

Had some progress on this.
Tried playing with block size but it made no difference (looked at the mksysb script and it does a chdev to 512
automatically). Tried removing and readding the drive (good idea) but this made no difference. I then found that there is a bug in 4.3.0 which causes this error on J series severs
(mine!) to do with the tctl rewind. I have copied over a mksysb file from a 4.3.3 server onto this server and it got past the problem. But (there is always one) when it did the mksysb it completed and reported '2 files backed up' which doesnt sound right at all. I am looking at this today, if you have any more ideas then please get back to me.
Again, many thanks for your help so far!

 

[Drill]

Got it working.
Installed bos.sysmgt.sysbr.4.3.2.4.bff and it works fine now.

Thanks for your input

 

[broep02]

Hi Drill,

I'm glade that you find the problem.
Good luck.

best regards,