If you use tapeutil to do an inquiry on a tape drive, the serial number
should be recognizable in the output.

You can compare this with the results from a "lscfg -vl rmt1" or "lsattr
-El rmt1". I've seen the ODM reporting serial numbers that don't match
what the tape drive reports.

IIRC the 3590s talked FC-AL, and they negotiate with each other to see
who is going to get a particular ALPA. If you move cables from one
switch to the other, you can cause all of them to renegotiate, and
everyone moves around.

The newer drives can do fabric mode, and don't need to LIP as often.

[RC]

-----Original Message-----
From: ADSM: Dist Stor Manager [mailto:ADSM-L AT VM.MARIST DOT EDU] On Behalf Of
Dwight Cook
Sent: Thursday, April 30, 2009 7:54 AM
To: ADSM-L AT VM.MARIST DOT EDU
Subject: Re: [ADSM-L] Tape Drive SN issue

You are aware that under AIX if any WWN in the path of a drive changes,
then that constitutes an entirely new device as seen by AIX.  If you
replaced GBics, it possibly could have caused the tape drive to take on
a new rmt as seen under AIX unless you performed a "rmdev -dl rmt_" on
the existing device found down that GBic and then ran cfgmgr afterwards
so it would in fact come back as the same device.

I take it that you have run cfgmgr and checked to see that there are no
new/unexpected rmt's present...  if not, please do that and run "lscfg
-vpl rmt__" against any new rmt's you see to determine if they are the
drives that you are having issues with (SR# cross ck)

Also from a library point of view... from your AIX host system you
performed an "mtlib -l/dev/lmcp__ -qD"  to ck that the library does in
fact still see the drives.

Dwight


-----Original Message-----
From: ADSM: Dist Stor Manager [mailto:ADSM-L AT VM.MARIST DOT EDU] On Behalf Of
Huebner,Andy,FORT WORTH,IT
Sent: Thursday, April 30, 2009 9:40 AM
To: ADSM-L AT VM.MARIST DOT EDU
Subject: Re: [ADSM-L] Tape Drive SN issue

Update:
We turned on TapeAlertMSG - no new messages We have changed the GBics on
the switches - No change We had IBM do a health check on the drives -
Last abnormal error was months earlier on one drive.  The other two were
clean.
We have updated the firmware to the same version as a drive not having
the issue.  The troubled drives were slightly lower version - No change
We updated the drives to the current firmware - No change We swapped
cables with one of the working drives - No change We verified the
cabling on all drives - It was done right We have opened a case -
Waiting for call back.
We have considered kicking it - Might dent it.
We have run out of ideas - Heads are being scratched.

The question is what did we miss?


Andy Huebner
-----Original Message-----
From: ADSM: Dist Stor Manager [mailto:ADSM-L AT VM.MARIST DOT EDU] On Behalf Of
Huebner,Andy,FORT WORTH,IT
Sent: Monday, March 30, 2009 11:18 AM
To: ADSM-L AT VM.MARIST DOT EDU
Subject: Re: [ADSM-L] Tape Drive SN issue

The error occurs when TSM attempts to mount a tape.  We have had no
problems deleting and defining these paths, which I should have included
in the first message.

Andy Huebner

-----Original Message-----
From: ADSM: Dist Stor Manager [mailto:ADSM-L AT VM.MARIST DOT EDU] On Behalf Of
Kelly Lipp
Sent: Monday, March 30, 2009 10:53 AM
To: ADSM-L AT VM.MARIST DOT EDU
Subject: Re: [ADSM-L] Tape Drive SN issue

I assume these message occur when you try to define the path?

Kelly Lipp
CTO
STORServer, Inc.
485-B Elkton Drive
Colorado Springs, CO 80907
719-266-8777 x7105
www.storserver.com


-----Original Message-----
From: ADSM: Dist Stor Manager [mailto:ADSM-L AT VM.MARIST DOT EDU] On Behalf Of
Huebner,Andy,FORT WORTH,IT
Sent: Monday, March 30, 2009 9:50 AM
To: ADSM-L AT VM.MARIST DOT EDU
Subject: [ADSM-L] Tape Drive SN issue

We have a three drives that generate these messages and we are unable to
use the drives because the path will not stay on-line.  We have not been
able to find a solution to this problem.

03/30/2009 04:30:41  ANR8963E Unable to find path to match the serial
number
                      defined for drive L1R3DR1 in library IBM3494A .
(SESSION:
                      139365)
03/30/2009 04:30:41  ANR8873E The path from source TSMSERVER1 to
destination
                      L1R3DR1 (/dev/rmt13) is taken offline. (SESSION:
139365)

These are 3590-E drives; the other 21 do not have this problem.

The 24 drives are in one 3494 library, the library is shared by 2 TSM
servers, 1 TSM server is the library manager.  There are also 8 AS/400
LPARs that use the library.  There have not been any problems reported
by the AS/400.
The problem started a few months ago with no known changes.
The AIX error logs do not show any problems, the fiber switch also does
not show any errors.  IBM has checked the drives and they do not show
any errors.
These drives are on different HBA's and different FC switches, both of
which have working drives.
AIX has been restarted, due to other reasons, and that did not fix the
problem.  The drives have been reset and power cycled.
We are running AIX 5.3 & TSM 5.4.2.0.

What have we missed, what could be looked at next?  Does ANR8963E have a
hidden meaning?


Andy Huebner


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