Tape drive paths change...

[Coolmar]

I have an HP-UX box connected to IBM 3580 library via SAN. Everytime the library is taken offline for maintenance or anything, the hardware paths change. Not all of them, but some of them. We then have to jump through hoops to change the device path so backups will work. Does anyone have any idea why the path would change after a reset of the library or tape drive?

Thanks,
SD

[melvyn burnard]

firmware on the tape library?
SAN configurations not stable?

[Steven E. Protter · Accepted solution]

Shalom,

The path would change because from the point of view of the system something changed and the system is being deceived into believing there is a new device.

I would check for instability on the SAN and make sure the system is up to date on fiber channel and such patches.

SEP

[Coolmar]

But when a disk goes, it is replaced and the path is still the same. It just seems to be with the tape devices...and not all of them. We have 25 tape devices and it is always random ones change paths.

[Sp4admin]

We also had the same problem. The way we got around it was changing /dev/rmt/36mnb to /dev/rmt/c44t0d0BESTnb. now the tape device don't change. We use Veritas Netbackup and make the change in tpconfig.