Ultrium 1740 performance

[NoiK00]

hi all, 

i updated the driver through Windows, it installed a "LSI Adapter, SAS 3000 series, 8-port with 1068E" again, with version 1.28.3.52. The L&TT install check now states another error: 

"

Drive Read/Write Test :

Read/Write test version: V15.04.2015
Drive Read/Write test failed.
Dataset not in file: LTT:WRITBACK
Write Back data written to device at path
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Drive Performance Test :

Drive Performance test failed. It could be that the media is faulty. Try another cartridge. If the problem persists the following resources are available:
Drive Performance test aborted, drive failed to load the media. HPE Library and Tape Tools from the CD or from www.hpe.com/support/tapetools. Run the device analysis test.

"

Were using the same test tapes we used before, that were new tapes fresh out of the plastic. 

After exploring the HPE L&TT program i saw we were using an older firmware version. The Check says we could update tot Revision U64D. I am not sure if this will fix it...But why does a a new drive(2017) still needs a firmware from 2011?! Was it on the shelf all the time?! Too bad i haven't got a support contract with HPE so i couldn't update it...Any ideas if this will do anything for us?!

Thank you, Kees

[tapelibraryfixr]

its looks like either a drive or sas card problem. just have to go through a process of elimination.

[Curtis_Ballard]

I think that the errors you got from LTT are mostly an example of poor messaging.  I've provided feedback to that theam several times that their messaging is poor.  In this case there is the statement "drive failed to load the media" which suggests that there was a problem before the real test even started.  The test does give you good advice though, manually load a tape then use LTT and run the "Device Assessment Test" - that will do a lot of read/write and other activities along with low level log analysis and is a pretty good test for drive/media problems.  Sometimes it has to be run twice if it detects problems that could be either the drive or the media.

I looked at the logs you posted but they weren't conclusive.  The Install Check just doesn't do enough read/write activity to get good log data but there were some things in the logs that looked like the drive may be having trouble writing. The rate of putting data onto the tape after the data was in the internal buffer was low but there wasn't enough data written to be able to cover for the normal mechanical start/stop time that has to occur at the start of writing.

I reviewed the Windows system log files briefly, I didn't spend a lot of time digging but ran a quick filter and the viewer reported that there weren't any LSISAS entried in the event log so if the controller is having trouble it isn't logging anything.

I think the Device Assessment Test inside L&TT is your best option.

You asked about the firmware, the drive logs show that the drive is running U64D so I don't know where an indication that the firmware should be updated might have come from.  There was one build after U64D but I reviewed the change list and nothing would help you.  The primary reason for the later build was specific to tape libraries so that drive firmware likely was never released for standalone drives.