problem with SureStore DAT40 in RH7.2 ---Part2

[Carlos Rosero]

Hi, I posted this problem before and I think it was solve. but I still having problems.

* The first message:

Hi, I am using RH 7.2 with kernel 2.4.18-3 and using a Tekram scsi card - scsi0 : sym53c8xx-1.7.3c-20010512. and I have a HP SureStore dds DAT40.
When I type dmesg at bottom says:
st0: Write not multiple of tape block size.
sym53c875-0-<3,*>: FAST-20 WIDE SCSI 40.0 MB/s (50.0 ns, offset 16)
sym53c875-0-<3,*>: FAST-20 WIDE SCSI 40.0 MB/s (50.0 ns, offset 16)
The problem is: when I use mt -f /dev/st0 status-rewind-eject etc. I works, but when I try to TAR some file or directory, it gives me the following error:
tar: /dev/st0: Wrote only 0 of 10240 bytes
tar: Error is not recoverable: exiting now

* The Solve by masanari:

That time, # mt -f /dev/st0 setblk 0 solved the problem.
But I can advice some more.
1) scsi driver....
There are 2 types of driver ; sym53c8xx and sym53c8xx_2.
Can you change the driver and try?
2) The default setting of the scsi driver, it uses SCSI Tagged Command Queue ON. Can you adjust the queue depth or disable it?
You need to change the value using make menuconfig or make xconfig, then re-compile the kernel.
3) Confirm scsi termination.

* I think this solve the problem because the TAR start doing his job but about 20 minutes left this give me this error:
tar: /dev/st0: Wrote only 0 of 10240 bytes
tar: Error is not recoverable: exiting now

* I try to mount the tape and give this error:
# mount /dev/st0 /mnt/tape
mount: /dev/st0 is not a block device

* when I try to erase the tape, in the console and in the /var/log/message give me this message:
Jul 18 12:02:31 samson kernel: st0: Error with sense data: Current st09:00: sense key Unit Attention
Jul 18 13:58:11 samson kernel: st0: Error with sense data: Current st09:00: sense key Unit Attention

Well, thanks for some advice.
Carlos.

[Alan McNeil]

RE: mount: /dev/st0 is not a block device

I get the same error because tapes are not random access block devices. Try ls.
# ls -l /dev/hda /dev/st0
brw-rw---- 1 root disk 3, 0 Jul 29 2000 /dev/hda
crw-rw---- 1 root disk 9, 0 Jul 29 2000 /dev/st0
The c at the start of the line means character device. Note the b on the disk drive for block device.

I had some problems similar to yours. I also had to reflash the tape drive (in my case a Colorado 8Gig). It just wouldn't write until I did.

You might try using 'dd' to do a test write to the tape. If 'dd' can write it then something is wrong. Try "dd if=/etc/mtab of=/dev/st0".

I ended up using "taper" instead of tar. Taper is available at http://taper.sourceforge.net/

[Craig Kelley]

You mention that it happens after 20 minutes; are you certain that you're not at the end of the tape at that point? Remember that a DAT40 really only has 20GB of storage space, and the other 20 is (hopefully) made-up for with compression.

[Carlos Rosero]

Thanks friends for your help.

I am reading that tar do not support files > 1GB, I am trying to use Star but compiling get me some errors, So, I am using taper, and right now the backup is doing fine.
Thanks I will post if I have more problems or if not.
Have a nice day!
Carlos

[Stuart Browne]

> I am reading that tar do not support files > 1GB

*blink* it doesn't?

Then how do you explain (on a RH6.2 box) a file that's 1703411712 (that's 1.58GB) going onto a tape every night (along with about 70GB+ of 'other' stuff) whilst using the default version of 'tar' (tar (GNU tar) 1.13.17)?

[I_M]

Hello again,

Have you checked your tape firmware?

Good luck

[Carlos Rosero]

Thanks.

How can I see the firmware of the tapa and how i can upgrade the firmware.

thanks again.
Carlos

[I_M]

Hi,

You can find the firmware version in your "dmesg" or #cat /proc/scsi/scsi output.
See "Rev. ".

How do you update the firmware?
You go to
http://www.hp.com/cposupport/eschome.html

then input your DDS driver type.
You will get the firmware file & also tool to download the firmware. The tool is called "LTT" (Library and Tape Tools".
But this tools runs only on Win or HP-UX.

Good luck

[Carlos Rosero]

Hi friends.
I think that there is no problem with tape drive, driver or scsi card!
the problem is that the tape seems to be full. I formatted the tape. but it can accept backups bigger than 36037 blocks, all my backup is about 10GB. how can I format the tape to accept this capacity.

this is the error message.

star: No space left on device. Error writing '/dev/st0'.
star: 36037 blocks + 0 bytes (total of 369018880 bytes = 360370.00k).

I am using taper too but it needs more than 3 tapes.

I use:
mt -f /dev/st0 rewind
mt -f /dev/st0 retension
mt -f /dev/st0 compress on
tar/star cvf /dev/st0 /home

data to backup:
/home = 3.7GB (3871692 blocks)
/data = 2.5GB (2532820 blocks)

thanks for your help.
Carlos.

[Carlos Rosero]

Hi friends.
I think that there is no problem with tape drive, driver or scsi card!
the problem is that the tape seems to be full. I formatted the tape. but it can't accept backups bigger than 36037 blocks, all my backup is about 10GB. how can I format the tape to accept this capacity.

this is the error message.

star: No space left on device. Error writing '/dev/st0'.
star: 36037 blocks + 0 bytes (total of 369018880 bytes = 360370.00k).

I am using taper too but it needs more than 3 tapes.

I use:
mt -f /dev/st0 rewind
mt -f /dev/st0 retension
mt -f /dev/st0 compress on
tar/star cvf /dev/st0 /home

data to backup:
/home = 3.7GB (3871692 blocks)
/data = 2.5GB (2532820 blocks)

thanks for your help.
Carlos.

[Stuart Browne]

What kind of tape are you using? Don't assume. Give us the length, and whatever 'DDS' writing is on the casing.

[Carlos Rosero]

OK, thanks.
the media is a VERBATIM Datalife DDS 4.

the firmware of the tape drive is :
Host: scsi0 Channel: 00 Id: 03 Lun: 00
Vendor: HP Model: C5683A Rev: C104
Type: Sequential-Access ANSI SCSI revision: 02

Thanks.
Carlos