SureStore 24x6e and Linux

[Michael Armbrecht]

Hi all,
recently I got my hands on a SureStore 24x6e tape library and managed to hook it up to a Linux box (Debian). I installed the HP tape and library tools and they show that the library is connected as /dev/sg1 (Drive #1) and /dev/sg2 (the library). I also managed to do a firmware upgrade on the library.

The only problem now -- I cannot read from and write to the device. If I do a cpio > /dev/sg1 I get a "Out of memory" error. Any ideas where I'm being stupid?

Thanks
Mick

[Steven E. Protter]

I don't think that hardware is certified for Linux. If it is, you'll need drivers specifically for it, not what Linux picks up on the hardware scan.

SEP

[Stuart Browne]

The tape drive should be showng up as /dev/st1 (or nst1), and the 'st' module should be installed.

Using the 'mtx' utility should be all that's needed to swap tapes etc.

I've not used one of these myself, but I remember reading accounts of others who have used them.

[Michael Armbrecht]

Hi Stuart,

thanks for your reply, "mtx" definitely pointed me in the right direction. Using it as a search term on the hp.com website, I managed to dig out this document which describes the usage of HP Tape Libraries with Linux: http://h20015.www2.hp.com/en/document.jhtml?lc=en&docName=lpg51060

The "mtx" utility is available for Debian Linux, so I am now able to make backups using cpio ... > /dev/st0. HAPPY_CAMPER_MODE=ON :-) So you can add this story to your list of accounts who sucessfully used a SureStore with Linux...