topic io lock error on tape drive unit in Operating System - OpenVMS

io lock error on tape drive unit

LYDIA_4 — Tue, 14 Dec 2004 16:17:48 GMT

I was attempting to mount a tape on a drive. The session in which this was taking place got disconnected. The device now shows up as online alloc. When I attempt to stop the pid associated with it, I get the process is non-existent. I get the device already allocated error if I try to mount the device. Is there anyway I can reslove this without rebooting the server?

Re: io lock error on tape drive unit

Bojan Nemec — Tue, 14 Dec 2004 16:25:10 GMT

Lydia,

Welcome to the VMS forum!

Try to do a DISMOUNT/ABORT command on the tape. You need the SHARE privilege to do this.

Bojan

Re: io lock error on tape drive unit

Ian Miller. — Tue, 14 Dec 2004 17:17:07 GMT

Lydia,
Welcome to the itrc vms forum. The class of "tape drive allocated to non-existant process" problems is many and varied. What version of VMS? If you do SHOW SYSTEM does the process that had the tape drive allocated still exist?
(commands can report non-existant process just becuase a process is marked for delete).

What is the value of the system parameter TAPE_MVTIMEOUT?

Re: io lock error on tape drive unit

LYDIA_4 — Wed, 15 Dec 2004 06:22:24 GMT

I got the same message "%SYSTEM-W-DEVALLOC, device already allocated to another user" with the dismount/abort

Re: io lock error on tape drive unit

Kris Clippeleyr — Wed, 15 Dec 2004 07:13:14 GMT

Lydia,

Check out this thread
http://forums1.itrc.hp.com/service/forums/questionanswer.do?threadId=750598

and this one
http://forums1.itrc.hp.com/service/forums/questionanswer.do?threadId=738204
especially the answer of John.

But I'm afraid it's reboot time to clear the tape unit.

Greetz,

Kris (aka Qkcl)

Re: io lock error on tape drive unit

LYDIA_4 — Wed, 15 Dec 2004 07:13:41 GMT

Ian,
The TAPE_MVTIMEOUT parameter is 600.
Vms vERSION 7.3-1. I do not see the process in the show system

Re: io lock error on tape drive unit

Jan van den Ende — Wed, 15 Dec 2004 07:22:02 GMT

Lydia,

as far as I know, Kris is right.

If you NEED that tapeunit, I am afraid you will have to plan a reboot soon.
If you CAN continue your operations without having to use THIS unit, there are no issues with just waiting for a more convenient reboot time.

Only you can make that decision.

Sorry, no better help.

Proost.

Have one on me.

Jan

Re: io lock error on tape drive unit

Ian Miller. — Wed, 15 Dec 2004 08:37:41 GMT

if its a scsi tape drive then you can workaround having to reboot by changing the scsi id of the tape drive to an ID not currently in use on that scsi bus. Then you do MCR SYSMAN IO AUTOCONFIG to pick up the new MKxnnn device and you can contine using that.

Re: io lock error on tape drive unit

Jan van den Ende — Wed, 15 Dec 2004 09:09:52 GMT

Of course Ian is right!

What you will be doing is remove the physical disk drive. VMS will still think it is there, albeit unaccessible.
Then you take the drive, and tell VMS it is a "new" drive. So effectively you will be adding another drive.
Make VERY sure to NOT use a SCSI-ID number that is already in use by the (or in a SCSI cluster, any) system, nor by any disk.

Proost.

Have one on me.

Jan

Re: io lock error on tape drive unit

Stanley F Quayle — Wed, 15 Dec 2004 11:31:19 GMT

When deciding on the new SCSI ID, don't forget the controller. It's usually on ID 6 on VMS systems (ID 7 on PC's).

If a "$ SHOW DEV MK" shows a whole bunch of the same tape device, you'll know that you've chosen a duplicate ID.

By then, you've probably messed up the bus for the disks already. Time to reboot.

Re: io lock error on tape drive unit

Stanley F Quayle — Tue, 30 Aug 2005 07:20:32 GMT

How about assigning some points to the responses?

Pointer to help on points:
http://forums1.itrc.hp.com/service/forums/helptips.do?#33

Thanks in advance.