Can not connect to Compaq StorageWorks SSL2020 Minilibrary

[Arackhaen]

Hi,

We have StorageWorks SSL2020 minilibrary, but can not contact it with any host. It has been connected with several different SCSI cables and to different hosts with different OSes. It is stated to support Win2k, but win2k either does not see this device.
I have tried HP LTT on Windows and on Linux, but neither did not see this library by any means.
I have checked from library's documentation, that SCSI connections (for single drive) are correctly set. For correct cable I can not be sure, but I think I saw in some documentation that current configuration of VHDCI - HD68 cable should work. I have also changed SCSI settings in minilibrary (drive bus id, library bus id, SCSI type).

Does someone have some idea what to do?

Br,
Arackhaen

[thomasr]

Have you rebooted the server? Parallel SCSI is not usually hot-pluggable. *Sometimes* I've gotten Windows to hot-add a pSCSI tape device by removing the HBA from Windows Device Manager, and then re-discovering it... but this is not a guarantee.

Give me specific details of one or two systems you're trying to connect it to: OS, Server vendor and model number, SCSI HBA, what other devices are attached to this SCSI card.

Do you have a SCSI terminator installed on the library? It needs one, if I recall correctly.

Since you've changed the settings on the library and we don't necessarily know what's been changed, I suggest you go back and set things to "factory defaults".

Answer the questions above, and we'll see where we are.

[Arackhaen]

thomasr wrote:
Have you rebooted the server? Parallel SCSI is not usually hot-pluggable. *Sometimes* I've gotten Windows to hot-add a pSCSI tape device by removing the HBA from Windows Device Manager, and then re-discovering it... but this is not a guarantee.

Give me specific details of one or two systems you're trying to connect it to: OS, Server vendor and model number, SCSI HBA, what other devices are attached to this SCSI card.

Do you have a SCSI terminator installed on the library? It needs one, if I recall correctly.

Since you've changed the settings on the library and we don't necessarily know what's been changed, I suggest you go back and set things to "factory defaults".

Answer the questions above, and we'll see where we are.
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Answers:

1. I have rebooted servers over 20 times while trying to get in touch with library

2. 2 HBAs were added to server1 while trying to connect to library. These are a) symc8xx (if I remember correctly it is sym53c875 (or ...845)) (connected "diff A" port from card to library with VHDCI - 68 cable),
b) old Adaptec 2940AH (or something like that), where 54pin scsi connector connected to library (with 54 - 68 scsi cable). And HBA is in Server2, c) which is Adaptec 79XX.

Also server1's own 68pin scsi connector at the back of server, has been tried by connecting it to library with 68-68 scsi cable, but then StorageArray controller complains about Port1 ("internal and external port can not both be connected at same time"), though disks do still work in this config and server will boot from those disks.

3. OS: Server 1) Windows 2000 Server SP 3&4 and Linux 2.4.33.3,
server 2) Linux 2.4.6.XX

System: Server 1) HP DL380 (r01),
Server 2) Our own server product (very recent hardware)

SCSI HBAs are noted in answer 2.

There are no other SCSI devices connected to HBAs a, b or c.

And HP DLT VS80 was tested in Server1 with HBA b (connected with 54-pin to 68-pin SCSI cable) and worked fine (tested with Linux OS).

Like stated above, HP LTT does not see this library by any means, in any configuration of these two servers.

4. Two SCSI terminators have been tried at the upper (library) SCSI port, like library's user guide suggests (I double checked this couple times).

5. I already listed changed parameters in original post. Library has not been brought to us with default settings, so changing to default factory settings is possible, but I presume problem is still somewhere else. But as I have made very little changes to settings, when compared to settings that it was brought to us with, I can list those changes here:
- library bus id changed from 0 to 4
- SCSI bus type changed from SCSI-3 to SCSI-2 and then changed back to SCSI-3 when did not help (so always tested with SCSI-3 first)
- in frustration at the end, changed SCSI parity to disabled from enabled.

Nothing of these configuration changes made any difference.

When library was connected to Adaptec AHA2940UH card, library once saw something from scsi cable, as it displayed "SCSI gross..." error and server could not proceed from Adaptec loading in boot time. When changed library's bus id to 4 from 0, Adaptec was able to proceed in boot again and error vanished.


Arackhaen