Networker

Re: [Networker] SCSI errors (What cards supported for Linux?)

2003-07-22 12:24:14
Subject: Re: [Networker] SCSI errors (What cards supported for Linux?)
From: Matthew Temple <mht AT RESEARCH.DFCI.HARVARD DOT EDU>
To: NETWORKER AT LISTMAIL.TEMPLE DOT EDU
Date: Tue, 22 Jul 2003 12:14:11 -0400
Sharon, et. al.,

        What SCSI card do you have?  We have a surely underpowered
Adaptec AHA2940U2.   But the throughput to the tape drives has never been
the issue, so it's hard for me to imagine it's the cards.   How short
does the scsi cable have to be?

                                        mht


On Tue, 22 Jul 2003, O'Brien, Sharon L wrote:

>  we get similar problems on our windows 2000/san connected STK L180
> using DDS. Not all the time, but most of the time. We also get a lot of
> problems with tape unloads causing active tape drives to get timeout
> errors. We never did get any resolution.
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Matthew Temple [mailto:mht AT research.dfci.harvard DOT edu]
> Sent: Tuesday, July 22, 2003 9:40 AM
> To: NETWORKER AT LISTMAIL.TEMPLE DOT EDU
> Subject: Re: [Networker] SCSI errors (What cards supported for Linux?)
>
> With reference to the conversation below, we're still getting
> strange SCSI related errors on our machine.   Strangely, the
> problems only seem to occur when an tape is being labeled
> by auto-media-management.   I can label normally when  no
> backup is in progress.   If a backup is in progress, the tape
> will (can) go into a permanent verify state, or stranger,
> seems to be trying to eject nad load at the same time.   The robot
> arm of the Qualstar library "clunks" for a very long time.   (I can
> eject the tape through the Qualstar Console -- it ejects, gets put back
> into its slot, then Networker remounts the tape and can't eject
> it!   Is there a list of supported SCSI cards for Linux anywhere?
>
>
> On Thu, 5 Jun 2003, Frank Altpeter wrote:
>
> >
> > Hello!
> >
> > Matthew Temple wrote on 2003-06-04 16:01:03 -0400:
> > >
> > > Frank,
> > >
> > >     I missed the beginning of this thread.   Did it ever work?
> > Oh, yes, it works, but not all the time...  It happens sometimes that
> > the mentioned errors occur, but not permanently. Last night for
> > example the backup processes were running fine without any error.
> >
> >
> > >     I've had similar problems on two extended occasions with a
> > > Qualstar library and three sony AIT-2 drives.   The card is an
> adaptec
> > > (I'm not near the machine) 2940U2.   The first time occurred after a
> move.
> > > The tape in the library, would go into a hung state when trying to
> > > verify label.
> > ACK, same was here.
> >
> > >   first it was all three drives.   Then I messed around with
> > > termination and changed the scsi cable and the problem reverted to
> > > just one drive. -- SCSI resets and timeouts.   Then I switched
> > > SCSI cards (same card, just a different one.)   I took a DDS tape
> drive
> > > off the internal channel.   Same result.   Then I reattached the
> > > internal tape drive.   Everything worked.   I don't know why.
> > > It was all so ... SCSI.   SCSI cables have always been mysterious to
> me --
> > > we've had RAID stacks that worked when their cable was curved to the
>
> > > left but now when curved to the right.
> >
> > You don't want to know how often i changed the cabeling on my system
> > the last weeks :-))
> >
> > >     1. Keep the cables as short as possible.
> > >     2. Is everything REALLY terminated correctly (how about
> > >             the jumpers on the devices?  TERM-POWER?)
> > >     3. Try different cable positions.
> > >     4. The following is MOSTLY true -- It's probably NOT your card.
> > >                     (except when it is 8-)   )
> > Yep, and i think that i used to work according to these rules... we
> > checked cables and termination more than a dozen times these days, but
>
> > it's hard to check for me when it comes to hardware - i'm more the
> > software guy ...
> >
> > With kind regards,
> >
> >       Frank Altpeter
> >
>
> --
> =============================================================
> Matthew Temple                Tel:    617/632-2597
> Director, Research Computing  Fax:    617/582-7820
> Dana-Farber Cancer Institute  mht AT research.dfci.harvard DOT edu
> 44 Binney Street,  ML105      http://research.dfci.harvard.edu
> Boston, MA 02115              Choice is the Choice!
>
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--
=============================================================
Matthew Temple                Tel:    617/632-2597
Director, Research Computing  Fax:    617/582-7820
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute  mht AT research.dfci.harvard DOT edu
44 Binney Street,  ML105      http://research.dfci.harvard.edu
Boston, MA 02115              Choice is the Choice!

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Note: To sign off this list, send a "signoff networker" command via email
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http://listmail.temple.edu/archives/networker.html where you can
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