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HP command view TL, tape assure and MSL (4048)

 
Tom O'Toole
Respected Contributor

HP command view TL, tape assure and MSL (4048)

I have set up an m$-erver to run commandview TL to get tape assure information from severl MSL 4048 libraries. All was basically working (well, some data I was expecting was not being collected). But I've received no new reports since DEC 28. Everything was working, and now it isn't. the library config appears to be correct and unchanged, the server can communicate with the libraries, and the CVTL appears to be correct and unchanged - it's the latest version (2.7.00), and has been since installation.

I have no clue of what could be happening. The drives are very active and should be sending reports.

Anybody else doing what I'm doing?

Thanks!
Can you imagine if we used PCs to manage our enterprise systems? ... oops.
7 REPLIES 7
Curtis Ballard
Honored Contributor

Re: HP command view TL, tape assure and MSL (4048)

What version of firmware do you have in your 4048? There was a version that we later found out would quite sending TapeAssure information after it had been running for a long time. The only workaround was to reboot the 4048 and then it would work for several more weeks.
Tom O'Toole
Respected Contributor

Re: HP command view TL, tape assure and MSL (4048)


Hi Curtis, the tape drives and libraries are all at (what I think is) the latest REV, which is 7.30 for the libraries, and H58W (kind of old, but has been the latest for a while). I believe the drives have been rebooted recently, but I'll do it again today for good measure.

I just tried to check at

ftp://ftp.hp.com/pub/information_storage/software/ltt/firmware/

and this site that I've used forever appears to have no files.Sure hope that's not "going away"....

Thank you for your help.
Can you imagine if we used PCs to manage our enterprise systems? ... oops.
Tom O'Toole
Respected Contributor

Re: HP command view TL, tape assure and MSL (4048)


Now I see the files there at the ltt site, must have been a temporary outage, whew...
Can you imagine if we used PCs to manage our enterprise systems? ... oops.
Tom O'Toole
Respected Contributor

Re: HP command view TL, tape assure and MSL (4048)


There seems to be an update (H61W) for the drives, but...:

It's strange (in a bad way) the way they are naming all these updates. There are too many different devices identifying themselves differently. My MSL4048 FC lto4 drives identify themselves as "Ultrium 4-SCSI", but there is only an H61W update for "LTO 1840" for the MSL G3 series.


There is an update (B59W) for "Ultrium 4-SCSI" for MSL (non g3 - I have a 6030 which can use this update)... and another "Ultrium 4-SCSI" update to H61W for ESL, but no MSL g3 series H61W for this drive.

Hope this isn't too rambling, and this info is useful for others managing these drives...

Can you imagine if we used PCs to manage our enterprise systems? ... oops.
Curtis Ballard
Honored Contributor

Re: HP command view TL, tape assure and MSL (4048)

Simple HP tape drive firmware revisions primer:

First Letter - Specific to drive hardware
Middle 2 numbers or letters - a revision number
Last Letter - Specific to library interface

Within a drive generation every drive will report the same inquiry string to applications and operating systems as from the perspective of an application or OS all drives for a given generation work the same.

Different hardware requires different firmware however so the drive brick itself can be parallel SCSI or FC or SAS or Full Height or Half Height. Each hardware difference requires a different set of firmware modules for the appropriate hardware.

The first letter of the firmware will be the same for all drives with the same hardware. Full Height LTO-4 FC drives are "H", full height LTO-4 pSCSI drives are "B" and there are lots of other codes for various other hardware variants.

The middle two numbers are the revision number. If two different revisions have the same middle two digits they are virtually identical except as required for the hardware differences. For example the made up revisions B89W and H89W would be the same build but for FH pSCSI LTO-4 and FH FC LTO-4.

The middle two numbers can be slightly different but be the same basic revision if some tweak that was interface specific had to be made so a B88W might be the latest pSCSI revision while there is an H89W for FC. The FC firmware is not necessarily better just because the number is higher.

The last letter or number identifies subtle differences in the way a library and drive communicate. So for example HP tape libraries use mostly "W" but some use "S".
Tom O'Toole
Respected Contributor

Re: HP command view TL, tape assure and MSL (4048)


Thank you Curtis -- yes the b59w and h61w appear to be basically the same generation of update. It turns out the lto4 81840 was recognized by the "Ultrium 4-scsi" drives and I did the update. I guess that's my complaint - too any different id strings, and some are apparently the same thing... Oh well...

In any case, the drives are sending reports again since I rebooted them - we'll see if they suddenly stop again.
Can you imagine if we used PCs to manage our enterprise systems? ... oops.
Dennis Handly
Acclaimed Contributor

Re: HP command view TL, tape assure and MSL (4048)

>anneparker: My hp laptop battery is not working good,

This is the wrong forum for laptops. You could try here:
http://h30499.www3.hp.com/t5/Mobile-Products/ct-p/bsc-407
Or better yet in this other forum:
http://h30499.www3.hp.com/t5/Mobile-Products/ct-p/bsc-407