Backups started failing

[Stacey Akerstrom]

A Class, 11i
Up until just a few days ago, backups were running fine.
I'm seeing this error:
fbackup(3038): output file /dev/rmt/0m is not a valid device file for backup

If I do an ls -l on /dev/rmt, 0m indeed listed, and permissions are 666.
Any ideas?

Thanks!
Stace

[Stefan Farrelly]

This error usually indicates that HP-UX has got confused or at some point lost its connection to your tape device.

Things to try are;

1. powering off then on the tape device (if you can - ie. its an external unit)
2. running tar to see if it can write to the device (just tar /tmp to /dev/rmt/0m)
3. do a full ioscan; ioscan -f
4. run a fbackup during the day - just a small one of say /tmp to see if its can write to the tape. If it works then it should work overnight fine.
5. Its possible some other overnight job is doing heavy i/o at the time your backup starts. Try changing the time of your backup.

[Helen French]

Two possible solutions:

1) Install patch PHKL_28217 (stape cumulative patch 11.11)

2) Check if the media (tape) is mounted properly. Check device status with ioscan, check cables, try another backup with tar etc.

[Robert-Jan Goossens]

Hi Stace,

Is it possible that someone has overwritten the device file ?

# file /dev/rmt/0m
0m: character special (205/12288)

Robert-Jan.

[Hai Nguyen_1]

Stacey,

# ioscan -fnC tape

Is the S/W State still shown as "CLAIMED"? Otherwise, the tape device's connection has become loose.

Hai

[doug mielke]

I'd check the device file 0m.
if it has a size rather than major / minor numbers, it has been overwritten, and needs to be recreated.

In the meantime, you should be able to get away with using one of the other /dev/rmt/0xxx

[Elena Leontieva]

Stace,

You may be getting fbackup (3038) error because there is no tape in your tape drive.

Elena.

[Tim Sanko]

Stace,

I would bet that either someone did an ovewrite on the device, but I would a
check major/minor numbers.

Mine looks like this from my A class:

crw-rw-rw- 2 bin bin 205 0x003000 Sep 10 2001 0m

I would bet that if that isn't the case,
go into SAM and remove tape and devices, and rebuild them. I would then recreate them. If they don't create correctly, Call hardware service if all cables are on securely and the power is on.

Tim

[Stacey Akerstrom]

I tried/verified all of the above suggestions, and nothing works.
I even disconnected the tape drive and redid insf -e.
Still no 0m visible via SAM.
I have another tape drive in the same array attached to another box, so I swapped and tried to use that drive, and that won't work either. Ran cleaning tape as well, just to be safe.

[Helen French]

Did you try a test backup using "tar" command? Do you have all latest patches installed on the system including fbackup/frecover patches?

[Stacey Akerstrom]

tar does not work.
How can I find out what the latest frecover/fbackup patches are?
I did verify that the one mentioned earlier is present.

[doug mielke]

You could try the most basic of I/O tests.

cat filename > /dev/rmt/0m

( does the drive have an activity light to see if data gets sent?)

[Stacey Akerstrom]

# cat server1.test > /dev/rmt/0m
sh: /dev/rmt/0m: Cannot create the specified file.

[Helen French]

If tar doesn't work either, then it won't be a problem of fbackup patches. what's the major and minor numbers of the device (ls -al /dev/rmt/0m)? Is that points to the right device?

Also, do you have another tape device (DLT, DDS) connected to the system? Is that working? Is your tape device listed here:

# ioscan -fnC tape

Check proper SCSI termination and cable connections too.

[Hai Nguyen_1]

Stacey,

Can you post the output of the commands below:

# ll /dev/rmt

# ioscan -fknC tape

# diskinfo -v /dev/rmt/0m

Hai

[doug mielke]

Look for other /dev/rmt/0xx and try the cat > test.

if it still fails......
This looks like recreate the tape time.

check that the tape drive exists w/
ioscan -fnC tape

[Stacey Akerstrom]

I got it to work by using c0t1d0DDS. It's not what I want, but it works.