ADSM-L

Re: TSM on Solaris with a 3583 Tape Libray

2003-12-03 10:33:41
Subject: Re: TSM on Solaris with a 3583 Tape Libray
From: Richard Sims <rbs AT BU DOT EDU>
To: ADSM-L AT VM.MARIST DOT EDU
Date: Wed, 3 Dec 2003 10:33:19 -0500
>We have TSM 5.1 server running on Solaris 8 with a 3583 IBM LTO tape
>library that is scsi attached.  Every month or so we get tape drive errors
>that hang the library so bad that we have to reboot to recover. TSM and
>tapeutil can not see the drives until after the reboot. The IBM CE's
>verified that the hardware if not the problem. They are saying the  problem
>is somewhere between the library and the O/S. ...

Linda - Ah, SCSI...

The classic cause of weird problems like this is a loose SCSI cable connection,
a too-long SCSI chain, or faulty SCSI termination.  I'd think that the CEs
would have looked or mentioned such, but perhaps they deem it non-IBM customer
equipment (Sun!) they don't want to get involved in.  That's something to
check.  Replace any dubious looking stuff - particulary if people are
walking on the cables or they suffer extreme bends.

In such an event, you may be able to find error messages in the Solaris
syslog or the like; and you may be able to run diags or at least drive
access tests outside of TSM.  It could also be a bad SCSI card inside the
Sun (or even the 358x: maybe that aspect didn't get examined).

  Richard Sims, BU