6/60 RMC connection

[Steve Inman_1]

The RMC on my 6/60 tape library has two connectors. One is a network connection and the other appears to be an RS-232 connection. Can I use the RS-232 connection? If so, what cable is needed, straight thru, null modem? The manual shows the connector in it's pictures but never does it reference this port? What is it used for?

[Kurt Beyers.]

Steve,

You must use the network connection for the RMC.

The serial connection is used to upgrade the firmware of the library (the serial cable was delivered with your library) by using the software MSLUTIL.

best regards,
Kurt

[David Ruska · Accepted solution]

Steve, I suspect you are referring to the Surestore 6/60 tape library, not the MSL that Kurt mentions.

The RS232 connection on the RMC card was intended for factory use only, which is why it is not documented in the manual. The only supported interface is the ethernet port.

[Steve Inman_1]

Thank you...and yes, it is a Surestore 6/60 library. I was looking for a way to upgrade firmware and ended up using host based LTT tools to upgrade the library firmware and host based STM to update all the drives. I'm good, now but will continue to research further how to use the LTT tools from my PC via the LAN to upgrade the firmware in the future.

Any manuals or cookbooks out there on how to use LTT tools from a PC to upgrade firmware via the ethernet connection? What I've found so far doesn't explain this very well.

Steve

[Nashford Ramdeen]

In addition to using LTT you can use ftp to upgrade the firmware :

From a command prompt type:

prompt> ftp
Connected to
220 VxWorks (5.3.1) FTP server ready
User : download
331 Password required
Password :
230 User logged in
ftp> bin
200 Type set to I, binary mode
ftp> put /firmware/
200 Port set okay
150 Opening BINARY mode data connection
226 Tranfer complete
XXXXX bytes sent in #### time
ftp> bye
221 Bye...see you later
prompt>

The value should be "chunker" for library firmware downloads and "drives" for drive firmware downloads. Do not include the quotation marks.

Only the HP LTO drives with revisions greater that E22V can be downloaded with direct FTP.

Your FTP connection will end, and the library will reboot.

Both types of downloads (library and drive) may take several minutes to complete.

After the library reboots and the RMC comes back up, the new firmware revision(s) will display on the library front panel, and the Identity and Report web pages.

NOTE: It is important to set the transfer mode to binary via the bin step so the data transfers correctly to the RMC.

[David Ruska]

> I'm good, now but will continue to research further how to use the LTT tools from my PC via the LAN to upgrade the firmware in the future.

LTT currently supports only the in-band data path (e.g. SCSI or fibre channel) to the library and drives.

Usually the network interfaces have their own GUI (i.e. browser-based interface) and/or an ftp method for firmware updating.

> Any manuals or cookbooks out there on how to use LTT tools from a PC to upgrade firmware via the ethernet connection? What I've found so far doesn't explain this very well.

There is the end-user manual, which I assume you have already found. The LTT team is currently investigating the creation of an "LTT support guide" that would provide further information on the most common uses of LTT.

Let us know what type of information you think would be appropriate for a "cookbook" type of manual.