In regard to: Re: [Networker] Reading/writing SAIT1 tapes on Linux that...:

On Wed, 30 Nov 2005, Tim Mooney wrote:

TM> In regard to: Re: [Networker] Reading/writing SAIT1 tapes on Linux that...:

TM>
TM> > OK, the thing that SEEMS to solve the problem is to run "mt -f
TM> > /path/to/device status" just BEFORE the tape is loaded into the drive by

TM> > networker. What happens then is that networker can't read the drive, since

TM> > its already in use by mt. mt then returns the status as expected, and

TM> > networker ejects the tape because it couldn't read it. The interesting bit

TM> > is that when you load ANY tape after that has happened, it can read the
TM> > tape just fine! And no, this is no across-reboot persistent. :(
TM>
TM> Your earlier post showed that you have an stinit.def, but are you certain
TM> it's being used?  What does /etc/modules.conf look like on the Linux box?

I've tried running stinit manually before doing anything, and it says that
it has inited four drives (the ones in the library).

Yeah, I should have read your earlier posts more carefully.  After my
last response, I reread your message and noticed that you had included
some dmesg output and mentioned trying stinit.  Sorry I didn't catch that
at first.

This is what it writes to the dmesg buffer:

st0: Drive buffer default set to 1
st0: Normal timeout set to 800 seconds.
st0: Long timeout set to 14400 seconds.
st0: Mode 0 options: buffer writes: 1, async writes: 1, read ahead: 1
st0:    can bsr: 1, two FMs: 0, fast mteom: 0, auto lock: 0,
st0:    defs for wr: 0, no block limits: 0, partitions: 0, s2 log: 1
st0:    sysv: 0 nowait: 0
st0: Default block size set to 0 bytes.
st0: Density default set to 0

The same is also written for the remaining three drives.

Well, I think the most import thing is that the default block size is 0.

I will include the modprobe.conf at the end of this email.

TM> Also, what does dmesg report?  Unfortunately there are no timestamps in
TM> dmesg, so it's difficult to know what actions may have triggered any
TM> messages that are in the ring buffer.  If you do a reboot, check dmesg,
TM> try the read (no mt first), check dmesg, and then do the mt and the read,
TM> that might give you a hint what's going on.

The "st0: Incorrect block size." appears after I try to mount a tape in
the drive. This does not appear after I've run the mt -f device status
command just before inserting a tape into the device.

That might be an important clue, or it could just be a red herring.  ;-)

TM> I'm just taking wild guesses here, but I'm wondering if you need
TM>
TM> post-install st /sbin/stinit
TM>
TM> in /etc/modules.conf, but the `mt' is triggering stinit, and that's why
TM> you don't see the problem *after* mt has been run once.

I don't have a /etc/modules.conf file. But I guess /etc/modprobe.conf
should do the same thing. Can't see it there though. Based on the below
file, should I just enter what ypu've written into
/etc/modprobe.conf.local ?

I'm unfortunately not very familiar with SuSE, but it looks like it is
the equivalent.  There's a lot more stuff in your modprobe.conf than
Red Hat defaults into the modules.conf.

Assuming you have media you can boot from if you (following possibly
bad advice from me) screw up modprobe.conf.local, I would try adding the
post-install line I showed to that file, and reboot.  You should get
messages from stinit in your dmesg output.

The other thing I'm wondering about is device modes.  You only have one
mode (mode1 ?) defined in your stinit.def for your drives, correct?

Tim
--
Tim Mooney                              mooney AT dogbert.cc.ndsu.NoDak DOT edu
Information Technology Services         (701) 231-1076 (Voice)
Room 242-J6, IACC Building              (701) 231-8541 (Fax)
North Dakota State University, Fargo, ND 58105-5164

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