DAT DRIVE NOT BEING DISCOVERED
DEAR ALL:
I have a SUN Server: E450 running Solaris 5.8 [I think this must be Solaris 8.0]. I've added an external DAT drive, and its not being picked up by the system:
i've tried the following:
a) boot -r [result does nothing]
b) devfsadm [result: with -C with -v options does nothing]
c) probe-scsi-all [does nothing, in fact command doesnt exist]
I've tried devfsadm -c tape - this does nothing.
the /dev/rmt/ directory is TOTALLY empty. I need to populate it. The DAT device being added is a SUN DDS-3 DAT drive.
I desperately require some assistance, and have no one to ask. I've tried everything from rebooting, to changing the DAT drive to different ports on the E450, and nothing seems to work.
Thanks all in advance,
[1007 byte] By [
Vassilios] at [2007-11-25 22:39:13]
# 1
The various probe commands are run from the OBP prompt, not from within the OS. If the machine is not active/busy, press Stop-A to get to the OBP prompt (it will say ok). You can then use the probe commands - issue go to get back to the OS.
# 2
Sorry Simon, but I had to jump in on that.
You are correct that they'll need to probe from OBP, however...
jumping down from an active OS will leave much in various bus registers and they'll lock up the entire system when a probe is done that way.They'll have to power-cycle the chassis to recover.
Vassilios,
When you have the chance for testing this system, bring the chassis down to the OBP level. ( init 0 is acceptable ) then do:
OK setenv auto-boot? false <enter>
OK reset-all <enter>
The chassis will cycle and automatically stop at the OK prompt, with empty bus registers, and you can probe all you wish.
The peripheral MUST be seen at the hardware level before an OS can dream of manipulating it.
-
But, if I may ask...
You attached the tape peripheral to where?
(the integrated onboard SCSI connector or to an add-on card?)
Is it a Single-Ended SCSI device, a HVD SCSI device, or a LVD SCSI device?
If your cable is attached to an appropriate add-on card, do you need to install any packages for that card?
Bill at 2007-7-5 14:11:07 >
# 3
Hi Bill,
I really appreciate your input.
Actually, I'm not sure of the card type i attached the DAT drive to on the Sun Server. It was the only slot that had the right number of pins to accept the cable coming from the DAT drive. All the other cards on the DAT drive had different port sizes.
OK. I'll try what you've recommended right now, and get back to all of you.
Thanks Bill and Simon.
# 4
OK,
Now, we're discussing an E450, here.
The internal disk bay can hold as many as 20 SCSI drives.
-- The first, bottom four disks are connected to the systemboard. (controller #0 while the internal CDROM and any 4mm drive are on controller #1)
-- the next, optional 8-disk backplane is connected to a dual-SCSI card installed to one of the PCI slots. (often as controller #3 and #4, four disks each)
-- the top eight disks are connected to yet another dual-SCSI PCI card. (commonly seen as controller #5 and #6, four disks each)
There are internal ribbon cables for all those additional disks, and those PCI cards have internal connectors for those ribbon cables.
They happen to have externally visible connectors.
<b><i>Those SCSI cards CANNOT be connected to the internal disks and to any external devices at the same time.</i></b>
It's an either/or situation.
I'm beginning to think that you need an additional SCSI card for your tape preipheral.
Bill at 2007-7-5 14:11:07 >
# 5
Hi Bill,
My face is red, and i'm laughing a lot because, I just came back from the lab, and discovered that its an E3500 server. I don't know if that changes anything? But, in any case, I followed the following procedure:
a) init 0
b) setevnv auto-boot? false
c) reset-all
d) probe-scsi-all
All that probe-scsi-all found was a TOSHIBA CD ROM. It came up with 2 other entries, but neither of them had the word "DAT" in there. Its a SUN DAT (DDS3) drive, so what should i expect scsi-probe-all to respond with?
What other commands do i need to input here to get the system to see and install the correct DAT drivers?
Although unix admin isnt my job, Im much better with writing shell scripts and awk, so if you or anyone need any help in that domain, i'll be there for you.
Thanks again,
# 6
Let me take off my E450 hat and replace it with my Enterprise Server System hat.
<img src="images/smiley_icons/icon_smile.gif" border=0 alt="Smile">
probe-scsi-all on an E3500 will present you with a list of every SCSI controller and then a roster of drives for each controller.
It will not give you any information for the internal FCAL disks.
I/O board #1 has an integrated controller and that chipset must be present for the internal CDROM/DVD drive to function.
So far, so good.
Back to basics-where did you connect the cable?
Try to describe board numbers.
You will se the clockboard then 1,3,5,7,9 as you count
from right to left on the rear of the chassis.
Was the cable connection to an integrated fitting or was it to an add-on card?
I'm proceeding on the assumption that this is a simple DDS drive in an external Unipak, with its own power cord and on/off switch.
We may have to momentarily boot back to the OS and capture the complete output from:
<b># /usr/platform/sun4u/sbin/prtdiag -v</b>
Bill at 2007-7-5 14:11:07 >
# 7
Bill,
I got the SUN BOX to rebuild all the drivers in the /dev/rmt. I did this by changing the cable of the DAT drive. I put it into another slot., and then I ran a devfsadm -v. Then i ran a devfsadm -c tape -v (because it looks more sophisticated - no just kidding - it was posted on here somewhere that its a command you should run!!).
Anyway, I just have another question:
what is the device driver for a SUN DDS 3?
I have /dev/rmt/0 /dev/rmt/0c /dev/rmt/0cn dev/rmt/0b ?
Which one should i chose?
How comes it created all of these?
# 8
I'm not very glib with storage, and haven't used a tape device since the last day of my Solaris 9 (part #1) training class.
Each of those device instances will represent a different usage.
For example with or without compression,
with or without rewind BEFORE writing,
with or without rewind AFTER writing,
with or without data verify,
and so on and so on...
They're used when you address the tape drive from the command-line.
Generally, if your hope is to use an application such as NetBackup, don't be concerned.
It will give you a GUI interface for it all.
I cannot find that classbook at the moment,
so I'm going to ask that others give us a pointer on them.
Bill at 2007-7-5 14:11:07 >
# 9
The 'usual suspects' will be /dev/rmt/0 (normal use) /dev/rmt/0n (norem use, no rewind after close of device - i.e., it leaves the tape positioned where it is allowing files to be appended). Netbackup tends (must?) use the cbn drive, thus if this is the case for you, it will be /dev/rmt/0cbn (the c means hardware compression, and the b refers to a Berkley standard for something!)
