Networker and 3584 LTO Tape Drives

[mpezeur]

My company has a IBM 3584 LTO library, with 6 LTO drives, split amongst two fibre channel cards. Using EMC SAN for fiber connectivity. Host server running as Networker master is running AIX 4.3.3.
AIX marks all 6 drives as 'available' via lsdev, and no errors in logs, and jbconfig sees all 6 drives, but when you try to load a tape in the last two LTO drives(rmt5 or rmt6), Networker reports 'Device Not Ready'. Please note that rmt4 is working off the same fibre card, fscsi1, as rmt5 and rmt6, but rmt4 is working correctly. Checked IBM's site, and we're using the latest firmware (25D4).

Our site on the west coast, with identical setup, has the same exact issue within Networker.

 

[Chapter11]

Can you use mtlib to manually load a tape into rmt5 or 6, then use nsrmm to manually mount the tape?

 

[mpezeur]

I am not aware of a mtlib command, but I am able to mount a tape into rmt5 and rmt6 using the tapeutil command, and while it's loaded, tar a file to the tape, and read it's contents.

When I try to mount a volume into /dev/rmt6.1 using the command: nsrmm -m -f /dev/rmt6.1 200009L1
I receive the error:
nsrmm: RAP error: read open error, Device not ready

Apparently, then, the tape drives are fine, but Networker is having a problem. Does anyknow the solution ?

 

[stevengreen]

Hi,

I am experiencing the same problem.

I have 8 drives in our IBM LTO split into 5 & 3 "VLAN's" let call it....

2 servers running off of that IBM. The server using the 5 drives has been working perfectly. I've just recently added another backup server to the IBM to use the other 3 Drives and 2 of the drives keep giving read open errors.

Both servers are running the same networker version. All drivers have been updated and so has the firmware for the drives and for the life of me I cannot get this working?

Regards
Steven

 

[Chapter11]

Ok, if you load a tape into the drives that Networker is failing to use, can you do other tape work with them, such as tar to-and-from them?

 

[mpezeur]

Yes, I can write to the tapes in the library using AIX commands. I used tapeutil to load the tapes into the tape drives, and tar'd a file to the tape, and read the tar file from it.

Also, during last night's backup, networker disabled rmt4 due to read errors. rmt4, rmt5 and rmt6 are all on fscsi1. AIX sees these devices as just fine and fully operational.

 

[wallace88]

Since rmt4 is also having problems now, I suspect something is wront with the scsi bus. Check the cables and terminator. It could even be the scsi controller.

 

[temponaut]

I have bad experiences with the FC-Tape support of the 6227. If you use this HBA see ftp://ftp.legato.com/pub/NetWorker/Updates/AIX/ and read the txt-files in the subfolders (particulary the LGTpa31238 subfolder). Maybe you can find a solution for your problem there...