Lost tape drive in Windows 2003 after reboot ESL library..

[Curtis Ballard]

This is a problem with the way Windows plug and play works. When it scans the bus and finds a FC target then it asks what LUNs are available. If none are available it removes all devices that were previously at that target from it's map assuming that those devices are gone and it never looks again unless you force it. On HP-UX or Linux you shouldn't ever see this problem.

During the reboot the interface controllers come up before the drives and so if Windows finds the controllers before the controllers have completed discovery it will decide that the devices behind the controller are gone.

On the FC to SCSI and external routers there is a setting that will force the router to "sleep" for quite a while before coming online so that you avoid this but it causes a huge delay in system response on every reboot. With the FC to FC routers the routers aren't able to do that right now.

There are currently two work-arounds.

A script on the Windows systems that will run a rescan or manually initiating the rescan.

Or if you are at the library you can unplug the fibre link for a minimum of 5 seconds and plug it back in. If the link is down long enough for Windows to detect the link down then it will automatically rescan.

A better long term solution is being investigated.

[Niels Moesgaard]

Thanks Curtis
This explain a lot, I am not sure if both library are FC-FC. But I will try to find the document with the change of timing issue.
Thanks to all for there input.

Regards
Niels