I've never working with this library, but have some questions/ideas.
1. Are both libraries "identical" and do they have same firmware for library
and drives?
How about configuration on the library?
2. They are both connected to same TSM server you say. Do they use the same
HBA's
on the TSM server or different? Do all HBA's have up to date firmware?
3. What about SAN switches? Use the same ones or different? Also when
library goes
offline, can you get the SAN guys to show or give you logs of the switches and
see
if any glitch there?
4. You say happens about once a month. So I don't "assume", is this library
in a Data Center
and on UPS power? If so, then one thing that comes to mind is that Generator
tests
happen once a month. Any correlation with any Data Center wide maintenance?
5. Why are you concentrating on the Robot? Did you get errors somewhere that
point
to that?
6. Do you use encryption on either or both libraries? Do they use the same
"Key Manager"?
7. I wouldn't just replace this library because of problems. May have same
with new/same
model if it is external!
Just a few..
David Longo
>>> "Dury, John C." <JDury AT DUQLIGHT DOT COM> 4/5/2011 6:10 PM >>>
We purchased an STK SL500 tape library with 4 LTO4 drives in it a few years ago
and we have had nothing but problems with it, almost from the beginning. It is
fully loaded with LTO4 cartridges (about 160) and seems to randomly just crash
and take all of the drives offline to TSM. We also have a second SL500 that is
at a remote site and connected to the same TSM server , and it has no problems
at all. The remote SL500 has copies (backup stg pool) of the local SL500. We've
gone round and round with STK/Oracle support and they have actually come onsite
and physically replaced the entire robot and all of it's parts, several times
and they can never find a reason as to what is causing it to go offline. Keep
in mind this has been happening about once a month or so for over a year.
My questions to all of you is not so much what could be wrong (although if you
have ideas, that would be great also), but, we are considering a new robot and
are hoping to be able to use or reuse our existing LTO4 tapes. Right now it has
about 80 scratches so if we were to goto a second library, I should be able to
have both defined to TSM and move the data from one to the other after putting
some of the scratches in the new library and labeling/initializing them until
all data is in the new library and then I can light the old one on fire (j/k) !
Like most IT departments we are severely budget constrained so we would like to
reuse the tape drives and the tape cartridges and only purchase a robot that
can handle 160 slots or so. Suggestions if this is even an option or which
robots and/or models to look at? Remember, very little budget for this if I
could even get it approved at all but we really don't know what else to do with
the bad SL500 at this point and we have a project coming up that is going to
increase the amount and flow of data to our TSM system significantly within the
new few years.
Help!
John
#####################################
This message is for the named person's use only. It may
contain private, proprietary, or legally privileged information.
No privilege is waived or lost by any mistransmission. If you
receive this message in error, please immediately delete it and
all copies of it from your system, destroy any hard copies of it,
and notify the sender. You must not, directly or indirectly, use,
disclose, distribute, print, or copy any part of this message if you
are not the intended recipient. Health First reserves the right to
monitor all e-mail communications through its networks. Any views
or opinions expressed in this message are solely those of the
individual sender, except (1) where the message states such views
or opinions are on behalf of a particular entity; and (2) the sender
is authorized by the entity to give such views or opinions.
#####################################
|
