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Re: SureStore 4/60, SAN, Win2K - Somewhat Urgent

 
Cialowicz Witold
Occasional Contributor

SureStore 4/60, SAN, Win2K - Somewhat Urgent

Hi,

I have Win2K server connected to the HP SureStore 4/60 via Brocade FC16B using Emulex LP9002 HBAs, as soon as the server is connected to the switch I am getting high amount of 'Encd Errs Outside Frames' on the two ports that the Library is connected too. Also, I am loosing dirves on other hosts (HP-UX & Win)at random intervals which creates unstable environment, once the server is unpluged everything gets back to normal. So far I had verified that the HBAs have the correct drivers, correct drivers parameters, as well as the Firmware. The RMS is disabled on the Win2K server. It appears that 'something' is pooling the library/other hosts causing SCSI restes and the drives to go down, there is nothing conclusive in the event logs.
One more thing, every time the server is rebooted it will pick the robotic arm on the library and ask for drivers (there are none), can this device be disabled from Win since HP-UX Master server is controlling the arm?

Should any services on the Win2K box be disabled?

I would appreciate if anybody could help!

Thank you,

Witold
9 REPLIES 9

Re: SureStore 4/60, SAN, Win2K - Somewhat Urgent

Have you disabled the 'removable storage manager' service? This must be disabled on hosts with SAN attached tape drives.

Does the win2k server have any backup software on it (like Backup Exec?)

These can interfere horribly with SAN tape devices, as many windows backup products 'assume' they have dedicated access to the drives/robot and issue SCSI reserves etc.

HTH

Duncan

I am an HPE Employee
Accept or Kudo
Cialowicz Witold
Occasional Contributor

Re: SureStore 4/60, SAN, Win2K - Somewhat Urgent

Yes, RMS is disabled on the server.
The server has Veritas NetBackup Datacenter 4.5 FP5 installed as a Media Server, the Master server is controlling the robotic arm. The backup runs via HBA

Witold
Marino Meloni_1
Honored Contributor

Re: SureStore 4/60, SAN, Win2K - Somewhat Urgent

If you have agent installed from Smartstart 6.40, you should disable the FC agent because he can interfere with SAN
Cialowicz Witold
Occasional Contributor

Re: SureStore 4/60, SAN, Win2K - Somewhat Urgent

Hi,

sorry, but I don't follow...SmartStart 6.40?
Marino Meloni_1
Honored Contributor

Re: SureStore 4/60, SAN, Win2K - Somewhat Urgent

If you ahve installed your server with the Smartstart CD, you usualy have installed also all the monitoring tools (Agents)
this agents (Scsi agent and/or FC agents) may some time interfere with san.
I suggenst you as a troubeshooting test to desable any monitoring tool that can run on that server
Stuart Whitby
Trusted Contributor

Re: SureStore 4/60, SAN, Win2K - Somewhat Urgent

This may well be an incompatability between the HBA and jukebox itself. Without good info on the jukebox (and HP's site doesn't seem to know anything about it) my guess is that this is a rebadged STK L40, in which case it's a fibre-SCSI bridge which directly controls the arm and has a couple of SCSI connections to the drive. If that's the case, I wouldn't be surprised if it's due to your LP9002s running FPC2 and the jukebox talking FCP1. I've seen similar intermittent failures when the HP badged version of the Emulex card in a Tru64 box was talking to an IBM drive - one talked FCP1, the other talked FCP2, and sometimes they just didn't talk at all.

However, I can't find good information to say for sure whether these are talking the same FCP language. This may be configurable on the Emulex itself - I just don't know.

Given the way that I guess this library sits on the SAN, it won't be possible for you to block your server from seeing the arm without blocking it from seeing the drives. Not unless you can limit the SCSI IDs which it sees, but I don't think that's possible.

Not much conclusive there - hope it gives you something to look at though.
A sysadmin should never cross his fingers in the hope commands will work. Makes for a lot of mistakes while typing.
Cialowicz Witold
Occasional Contributor

Re: SureStore 4/60, SAN, Win2K - Somewhat Urgent

Ok, thanks for the explanation, it didn't click the first time. There are no monitoring tools running on the server that would try to access the HBAs. Also, the install was done using only Win2K CD with limited as possible nuber of options.

Witold
Leif Halvarsson_2
Honored Contributor

Re: SureStore 4/60, SAN, Win2K - Somewhat Urgent

Hi,
I have used a similar library (2/20) in a SAN enviroment but with a Qlogic HBA. Qlogic has a SAN masking tool which makes it possible for the host to see the drives but not the robotics. I am sure there is a similar tool for Emulex HBA.
Cialowicz Witold
Occasional Contributor

Re: SureStore 4/60, SAN, Win2K - Somewhat Urgent

I am not sure that this is a problem in here. The robotic arm is being controlled by a different host and this is being managed at the NetBackup level.

After opening a call with HP for the re-discovery of the robotic arm after every re-boot, I've got the following answer: Sir, the recommended solution is to ignore the behavior - I find that amusing.

Can yo be more specific about the software/utility to block the visibility to the robotic arm?

Thank you,

Witold