How do I connect a HP autoloader 1/8 VS80 on a clustered environment with a SAN

[Nico Callens]

Dear,

How do I connect a HP autoloader 1/8 VS80 on a clustered environment? Windows 2000 cluster environment on 2 HP DL580 servers with a HP Storageworks smart array 1000. Do I use Y-cables and connect them to both of de DL580 servers or do I connect the tape library directly on to the SAN?

Actual status :
I installed and adaptec 29260 scsi card on the first server and then connected the HP autoloader to that card. In Windows I detected the device and installed the drivers. Veritas Backupexec 9 is installed for the cluster. In the Veritas interface I see the device appearing under the second server instead of the first. It is not possible to work with the tape-driver under Veritas. It appears but if I start an action on the tape-drive it can't connect to the device. If I move the scsi card to the second server and connect the tape library there. I get just the same. Under Veritas backupexec the tape-device appears then under the first server.

Thanks for any help,

Nico

[Bryan Johnston · Accepted solution]

Looking at the manual, the VS80 does not appear to support direct SAN attachment. The specs say it's a SCSI-only device. If you have a SCSI-FC bridge then it would probably work (never tried it myself).

To work properly with the clustered Backupexec I think you'll need it to be visible to both servers.

[David Ruska]

Regarding SAN connect, the 1/8 autoloader is not supported with any of our FC to SCSI routers, and the VS80 drive (in any autoloader) has never been supported on any of the routers, so I wouldn't even try it.

Also, connecting two hosts (BTW, you can't use Y- cables, on SCSI everything must be daisy-chained) is not a tested or supported configuration.

The way you typically backup two (or more) servers to a single tape device is by having one be the server, and the others being clients that are backed up by pulling the data across the network to the server, which then sends it off to the tape drive.