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MSL 2024 Ultrium Poor Performance

 

MSL 2024 Ultrium Poor Performance

We have a HP MSL 2024 Ultrium 960 directly attached to a GL580 G4 through SCSI.
Two problems:
1.) After it backs up 250 GB, the library will use the second tape to continue the backup. It is not 400GB as HP's specs indicated.
2.) The performace is extremely slow. It will take 13.5 hr to back up 268GB date with no SW and HW compression.
The output file from HP L&TT is attached. Any help is appreciated.
2 REPLIES 2
Ralf Loehmann_2
Valued Contributor

Re: MSL 2024 Ultrium Poor Performance

Please check the tape drive with L&TT.
http://h18006.www1.hp.com/products/storageworks/ltt/index.html
But I think it is a configuration issue, because you do not get a LTO Tape drive with standard programs into streaming. There might might be a backup application needed, but maybe it is the way the data is stored on the system itself. Let the customer check his system with this, this performance troubleshooting flow will help to get closer to the bottlenecks:
http://h20000.www2.hp.com/bizsupport/TechSupport/Document.jsp?objectID=lpg50460#A2

LTO tape drives need a minimum performance to work correct and a backup time of 13.5 Hr will kill tape drive heads and tape media.
If more help is needed contact Local HP representive, because performance issues are consulting.
Hope this help,
Ralf.
Richard Bickers
Trusted Contributor

Re: MSL 2024 Ultrium Poor Performance

I took a look at your ticket and your drive is struggling to write - it is giving warnings in the drive health section.

This will slow the drive down (not to mention risk your backups) though not to the level that you are finding.

I'd try two things:
1) Clean the drive. Maybe do it a few times though I see it has been cleaned in the past.
2) Check the backup data source can be read at the desired speed - as Ralf is also suggesting. Use the LTT backup pre-test for that (via the Dev Perf button).

My guess is it's your backup data source that's slowing you down but I'm also worried that your write margin is so low. It's probably not helped by the lack of streaming though this sort of thing is not *so* critical as it used to be with older technologies.

It's a good idea to use new media from time to time as well as that is slighty more abrasive and does a good job of cleaning your drive - though the cleaning tape is more thorough and triggers the use of the internal brush.

All your write heads have dropped equally so that suggests possible contamination. You shoould check your local environmnent - no nearby printers, walkways, construction, smoking (!) etc. Wipe your finger over the font panel of the drive - is it dirty? 'Normal' dust is OK but construction dust, for instance, can be very abrasive.

Hope this gives you a few things to try.
It's more interesting when it's gone wrong