I/O error when trying to write to tape drive

[Anthony deRito]

We had to replace a tape drive on our T500 production server. When we removed
the old tape drive and attached the new drive (same model - Fujitsu M2481B
with M1016B SCSI controller) the system did not create device files. I ran the
command:

insf -H 2/24.4.0 and the device files were created. Here is the output of
ioscan:


cxixhp3 # ioscan -nfH 2/24.4.0
Class I H/W Path Driver S/W State H/W Type Description
==============================================================
tape 1 2/24.4.0 tape2 CLAIMED DEVICE FUJITSU M1016B M2481B
/dev/diag/rmt/c32t4d0 /dev/rmt/1mn /dev/rmt/
c32t4d0BESTb
/dev/rmt/1m /dev/rmt/1mnb /dev/rmt/
c32t4d0BESTn
/dev/rmt/1mb /dev/rmt/c32t4d0BEST /dev/rmt/
c32t4d0BESTnb

Now when I try and load a tape and run the mt command I get the following
error message:

# mt -t /dev/rmt/1mnb rew
/dev/rmt/1mnb: I/O error

Any ideas would be appreciated!

Tony

[Chris Watkins_1]

OK.
Simple things first... just to be sure:

Conflicting scsi address?
Bent pin in the scsi connector?
Do you have a known good tape in the drive?

You might try to rmsf the device files, ioscan and insf again,
but I don't hold any strong hopes that it will solve anything.

It could be that you simply received a bad "new" drive.
(It happens often enough to be a distinct possibility)

[Steven E. Protter]

ioscan -fnC tape

Claimed or not?

Was the SCSI ID set correctly? Cables okay?

try insf -e snd see if another tape drive gets picked up.

SEP

[Patrick Wallek]

Are you sure the new tape drive is good? I know, I know, it's new. But I've had bad new components.

Are you absolutely sure that the SCSI ID on the new drive was set the same as the old one? What do you get if you do 'ioscan -fnC tape'? If everything was set the same, you wouldn't necessarily see the device files get recreated. Since it's at the same address it should use the same device files.

If somehow the tape drive is at a different address, you might have to do an 'insf -e' to get the new device files built.

The I/O error seems to indicate a problem with the SCSI chain or the tape unit itself.

[A. Clay Stephenson]

The fact that the new drive was not "seen" automatically is troubling. In fact, assuming you did not do a rmsf, nothing should have been necessary. Assuming that you kept the same SCSI ID settings, the old devive nodes should have worked. The first thing that occurs to me is that there may have been nothing wrong with the old tape drive; your problems could instead be the controller, terminator, termination power, or cabling.

[Anthony deRito]

thanks for all the responses.... gives me something to chew on.

Tony