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Re: HP storageworks autoloader 1/8

 
Masda74
Occasional Advisor

HP storageworks autoloader 1/8

Hi guys. I was wondering if you guys could help please. I have just started at a new job and have pretty much been thrown in the deep end.
The robotic library was working earlier on in the year, but then they had to remove the scsi cable for another site. Now that i have a cable i am unable to get the backups to work.

The customer has an IBM blade server Xseries 345. They have a scsi card installed which is a IBM ServeRaid 6I Controller. I have no idea what drive is in there. i know that the media that is being used is 400gb tapes. I know it has the following written on the front. Ultrium LTO2

At first the HP storageworks library and tape tool detected the robotic library and drive. As Veritas backup did not run correctly, it kept saying that the device is paused or unavailable. I decided to uninstall the hp drivers and install the veritas backup exec drivers. That installed and i restarted the server.

I ran veritas and it showed the same error when running a job. Device paused, device is offline, unavailble or not detected.
I uninstalled the Veritas backup exec drivers and now windows does not see the library or the drive.

I have run the HP Storageworks library and tape tool and it does not detect the library or the drive at all. It is as if it has dissappeared. I have restarted the server various times with no success.

I do not have a manual for the device. I have tried to download it from the website support without success as the page can not be found.
I have sent feedback to HP asking that the manual be made available with no reply as yet.

If i could get some help that would be great.
13 REPLIES 13
Ruslan
Respected Contributor

Re: HP storageworks autoloader 1/8

Hi!

At first, x345 is the rack-mounted server, not blade. ServeRAID6i - ZERO-channel raid controller WITHOUT internal or external SCSI connectors (uses the server's onboard SCSI).
I advise you to order any compatibility with x345 SCSI controller like this http://www-132.ibm.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?productId=8782457&storeId=1&langId=-1&catalogId=-840
Masda74
Occasional Advisor

Re: HP storageworks autoloader 1/8

Ruslan

Hi. You are correct. I need to choose my words correctly. It is a rack mounted server. It has a PCI-x, I think, scsi card. There is an external scsi connector. The library is connected to the SCSI card via a cable. I don't believe it is connected to the onboard scsi connector. I am under the impression that there is a pci card there. not sure what the pci-X stands for. I am unable to open the server to look.

I would like to order another card, but i believe this was working previously and now for some reason it is not working. The customer does not want to order any more parts.
I am not sure if i have the wrong drivers for the scsi card, or if i have the wrong configuration or something. Windows 2003 is not recognising the robotic library unfortunately.
Marian_13
Advisor

Re: HP storageworks autoloader 1/8

Hi Masda74,

You can NOT connect Autoloader or Library to Raid controller. You have to connect your autoloader to separate SCSI controller (for example PN: 374654-B21)

Marian
David Ruska
Honored Contributor

Re: HP storageworks autoloader 1/8

Masda,

I noticed the 1/8 autoloader users guide link is broke as you mention. If you send your email address to ltt_team@hp.com with my name in the subject, I can email you the manual.

Can to tell me which 1/8 LTO2 autoloader you have? there is the 1/8 460 and the (newer) 1/8 448. The easiest way to tell is the 1/8 448 has an external black fan module on the rear of the unit.

The difference is important as the 1/8 460 uses 2 SCSI IDs and the 1/8 448 uses 1 SCSI ID with Lun 0 (Drive) and Lun 1 (Autoloader). You will not see the autoloader on the 1/8 448 if your HBA does nto support LUN mode addressing (most RAID controllers do not).

Dave Ruska
HP Engineering
The journey IS the reward.
Masda74
Occasional Advisor

Re: HP storageworks autoloader 1/8

Marian

As far as i know, this device was working before. For some reason it was sent of and returned. I started working at the customer just after it got back and I had to set it up. I have connected everything and yet it is not recognised in windows. So i am just trying to find a way of getting this to work.

I believe the server has a pci scsi card in it. It is a IBM ServeRaid 6I Controller to which i connect the robotic library to. I don't believe that the IBM ServeRaid 6I Controller is a scsi controller on the motherboard.

In regards to what autoloader it is, i have no idea. As far as i am aware, it uses 400gb media. There is no external fan on the autoloader. I will look at some pics tomorrow just to confirm.

It must be the 1/8 460. I do not believe the device is new. It has been there since the begining of the year or so.

The problem i have now is that i don't see either the drive nor the autoloader. It use to show both. Where would i get drivers for the drive and autoloader?
David Ruska
Honored Contributor

Re: HP storageworks autoloader 1/8

Masda,

I sent you the most recent 1/8 user/service manual (covers all the 1/8 products).

It sounds like you have the older 1/8 460. The newer 1/8 448 just started shipping 3-4 months ago.

> The problem i have now is that i don't see either the drive nor the autoloader. It use to show both. Where would i get drivers for the drive and autoloader?

Since the 460 uses SCSI IDs, you should not have a problem due to non support of LUNs on a raid controller. However, the only raid controller with limited support for the 1/8 autoloaders is the Proliant smart array 5i. The IBM controller would not be tested supported, however that doesn't mean it won't work.

Does the adapter have a boot BIOS? If so, does it banner with any devices found? If it doesn't get seen there, then there's no use looking at the OS.

Even without drivers, windows should see the drive and autoloader in device manager, and HP LTT should discover them (it uses the native SCSI miniport driver).

The drivers needed depend on the backup application being used. Most provide their own drivers.
The journey IS the reward.
Basil Vizgin
Honored Contributor

Re: HP storageworks autoloader 1/8

As I remember, serveraid supports autoloaders only on non-RAID channel.
David, I never heard before, that 5i supports autoloaders (device with 2 scsi ID). Where I can find info about this?
David Ruska
Honored Contributor

Re: HP storageworks autoloader 1/8


> David, I never heard before, that 5i supports autoloaders (device with 2 scsi ID). Where I can find info about this?

It's only the HP 5i smart array controller in an HP Proliant.

Look at the legacy compatibility matrix at www.hp.com/go/ebs:

http://h18000.www1.hp.com/products/storageworks/ebslegacymatrices.html

In the Nov 05 matrix:
* Integrated Smart Array 5i/5i Plus

With the footnote:
1) Supported only with Enterprise and Mid-Range Libraries, SSL1016 Ultrium 460, 1/8 Ultrium 460, 1/8 SDLT320, and 1/8 Ultrium 230 tape autoloaders. Does not support devices with multiple LUNs behind a single SCSI ID.

The December matrix no longer lists support, since nearly all the current 1/8 models require multiple LUNs.
The journey IS the reward.
Masda74
Occasional Advisor

Re: HP storageworks autoloader 1/8

Hi Guys, okay I found out what the problem was.
As the customer is at a mine site, and they are like 900km away, I can't just check and see what the problem is. I actually asked one of the administration guys onsite, to check the cabling. He said that it looked like someone had been tidying the cables there and that the scsi cable was lifted up a bit. I asked him to give the cable some slack and allow the connector to be at a right angle to the server.
I can now detect the robotic library and the drive. I have run the HP autoloader and drive tool and it picks up both device.
When i run the connectivity test for the tape drive, there is an error. I have attached an image showing what happens.

I still am having problems running backups with veritas backup exec. It keeps saying that the device is Paused. Even though it is not paused at all. I suspect this happens because of the IO error.

Thanks for all the help so far.