Device files not created at reboot..

[Leif Halvarsson_2]

Hi,
If I am not wrong, default devicefiles for a new tape drive should be created automatic at reboot. This seems not to work on one of our systems . There are several tape drives connected to the system and visible with ioscan but no device files is created when rebooting.

Is there any config parameter, controlling device file creation or is there something wrong with my system.

The hardware is A400, OS is HP-UX 11.11, drives is DLT and Ultrium.

[Massimo Bianchi]

Sometimes i saw the same behaviour, with some non-HP hw.
In those cases, the manual installation worked.

Does the manual thing work weel in your server ?

insf -C tape -H ...........

Are the stape/tape2 drivers loaded in the kernel ?

Massimo

[RolandH]

Hi Leif,

was there Tape devices attached to that system before?
If not you have first add the driver to the kernel. Do it with sam (peripheral devices). Sam will automatical test if the driver is in the kernel. If not it ask you to add the driver and rebots the system with the new driver.

Chech if these two drivers are in your kernel
tape2, stape

# cat /stand/system |grep tape

If not add it and at next reboot the devidce files will be created.
( if you have still attached the tape )


HTH
Roland

[Leif Halvarsson_2]

Hi,
All drives has been used on this system before and all drivers is in the kernel. Manual device file creation works and also device file creation from SAM. "insf -C tape" don't work but I am not sure about this command, I have not used it before.

There has been a number of problems with drives and my idea was to begin with recreating all device files (and also remove some unnessesary files). So I removed all files in the /dev/rmt directory (except for stape_config) and rebooted the system.

I am sure about device files has been created automatic before. For about tree month ago I installed a number of HP-UX patches on the system, this may bee the reason.

[Helen French]

Did you try:

# insf -e

Are the devices show in ioscan -fn command? If yes, is it UNCLAIMED?

[Massimo Bianchi]

Hi,
i think to understand better now.

How did you remove the files, using the rm or ther rmfs ?

I suspect that you used rm, and not rmfs.

Then the system, in ioconfig, still thinks that the drives are there, and device files are not re-created automatically, because in its opinion are still there. THe fact that the device file are missing is a "human error" in this case.

Try re-creating the files, remove the special files using rmfs and then reboot again.

Or use, as suggested, "insf -e -C tape".
With this command the system will re-create eveng existing device files (like in your case!)

Massimo

[RolandH]

Have you used the rm command or the rmsf command for removing of files in /dev/rmt/ ?


Roland

[Leif Halvarsson_2]

Hi,

Shiju,
"insf -e" works, the default devicefiles is created again. What is strange to me is that this is not done at reboot.

Massimo and Roland,
You was correct, I used the rm command, not rmsf. I recreated the devicfiles with insf -e, deleted the files again (for one drive) with rmsf -H and rebooted. But do device files was created for the device.

When I first noticed this problem (for some weeks ago) it was with a new drive. I created the files manually at that time and hoped it was a temporary problem. And I am (nearly) sure I have removed devicefiles with rm before and get them recreated automatic.

The problem is not so much the missing devicefiles, it is possible to create manual. But I suspect there was some mismatch when I patched the system.

[Helen French]

You will get answers to your questions from these man pages:

# man ioconfig
# man ioinit

Also, if your tape drives are not directly connected (if attached through hubs or bridges) to the server, it is possible that the system won't create device files for it during boot time.

[Leif Halvarsson_2]

Hi,

There is no difference if the drives is local or SAN-attached, no device files is created for any of them. I have created the files manually and will see if my original problems remains.

[yogesh_4]

Dear Leif,

#insf -e -C tape should work for you. Hp systems automatically executes insf -e command at the time of booting and creates device files for new devices, provided driver present in the kernel. Even if you will give #insf -e command in live system nothing will happen it will recreate all device files.

[Tim D Fulford]

Hi

I've not taken the time to read the whole thread, so this may be a repeat. I had something very similar a while ago. What had happened was that new tape device was added (actualyy replaced, DLT for Ultrium) but the device files seemed to be missing. For some reason the OLD device files were left lying around, which blocked the creation of the new files. I knew this because the minor numbers were not right. What I did was a belt & braces approach, you can probably skip step 1!!
1 - removed ALL tape devices
# rmsf -H
2 - this left the dubious devices
rm
3 - install every thing
ioscan -f
insf -e
ioscan -f

& bingo everything back to normal. I know I can do the above more elagently. (ioscan -fCtape, insf -C tape,... or something similar)

Good luck

Regards

Tim

[Leif Halvarsson_2]

Hi,

yogesh,
"insf -e -C tape" works normal when executed manually. My problem seems to be that "insf -e" is not executed at bootup but the problem is not with the command itself (as it work if executed manually). When, in the startup phase, is the command executed (in a startup file or ?).

Tim,
I have seen the same problem as you, no files is created if there is old files that causes name conflicts. But this problem is different, no files is created at bootup, regardless if there is any old files or not.

[RolandH]

What is your result if you do:
# ioinit -i; echo $?


Roland

[Leif Halvarsson_2]

Hi,

# ioinit -i; echo $?
0

[RolandH]

Then, I'm at one wits end.

If it would be different than 0 then /etc/ioconfig would be corrupt. But it isn't. And if it is corrupt it prevent insf to create special files (sf) for new hw.

Perhaps, another has a good idea.

I have one more idea but it could be risky but this is it not worth, because you have sf even though you have to create them manually.

Sorry

Roland