Well, first techhie job at new company and its proving to be a f**ker..

Got a new server - HP DL360 G5

It has a PCI-X Smartarray 6400 installed on it with 2 external channels.. one channel is using a MSA20 storage device (its a peripheral SATA array enclosure that is on a scsi host-ie it doesnt use the raid features on the card) and a Storageworks 920 Ultrium3 drive on the other channel..

the MSA is working fine, but im having intermittant problems with the tapedrive.. when writing to it its fine, when reading back from it its usually fine, but occasionally spits the dummy.. when it does theres a couple of errors that appear in the eventlog:

Event Type: Error

Event Source: cpqcissm

Event Category: None

Event ID: 117

Date: 06/06/2007

Time: 14:30:53

User: N/A

Computer: GMSCDL03

Description:

The driver for device \Device\Scsi\cpqcissm1 detected a port timeout due to prolonged inactivity. All associated busses were reset in an effort to clear the condition.

For more information, see Help and Support Center at Events And Errors Message Center: Basic Search.

Data:

0000: 00 00 00 00 01 00 5a 00 ......Z.

0008: 00 00 00 00 75 00 04 c0 ....u..

The last time I had simillar problems with an SDLT drive, it turned out the tape drive was faulty. I tried everything before eventually getting the drive swapped out. New scsi cables, different controller etc.

The last time I had simillar problems with an SDLT drive, it turned out the tape drive was faulty. I tried everything before eventually getting the drive swapped out. New scsi cables, different controller etc.

Ok. i shall bear that in mind.. although the backup did work last night (800gb+verify) the ACU still reports nothing connected to the controller.

theres a couple of vaugely related posts on HPs support forums, although for older SA controllers, the answer is always upgrade the firmware..

Another random question... in this modern day and age, do U320 scsi devices still need to be terminated??

I don't suppose you guys have a SCSI analyser do you where you can get a command dump?

If you can get a SCSI dump there will be a good chance I can tell you what the error actually is and possibly what is wrong.

I don't suppose you guys have a SCSI analyser do you where you can get a command dump?

If you can get a SCSI dump there will be a good chance I can tell you what the error actually is and possibly what is wrong.

Im thinking more that its a HP driver problem than anything else...

ive now managed to back up 2tb of data without hitch, and at a rate of 2.5gb/min so its performing well.. im going to move the tape drive to a PCIe LSI controller ive got spare next weekend and jump on the overtime bandwagon

Another random question... in this modern day and age, do U320 scsi devices still need to be terminated??

They certainly do. Some tape drives do have built in termination, but it needs to be there. Your problem sounds very cable/terminator related to me.

When you swap the controller, I'd make sure you fit a SCSI terminator at the drive end, and check over the cable for peculiarities.

Phil

As above, the U320 devices really really need terminators, but most internal cables come with one hard fixed on the end.

The reason I was asking for a SCSI trace is that that way you can tell if the command actually went out, if it did what the reply is any was etc etc so can pinpoint the problem area very quickly.

Hope you got it sorted since i've been away for a while anyway

Neo

Is there an internal controller on the DL360 G5 (I'm still using G2s here)? If so, take the tape device off the Smart Array controller and connect it to one of the external ports that is available on the internal controller.

I've found that with the earlier generations of DLs, you cannot connect a tape device to the Smart Arrays.

Neo

Is there an internal controller on the DL360 G5 (I'm still using G2s here)? If so, take the tape device off the Smart Array controller and connect it to one of the external ports that is available on the internal controller.

I've found that with the earlier generations of DLs, you cannot connect a tape device to the Smart Arrays.

The 360's dont have external scsi ports for the internal controller.. ideally the server should have been a dl380, but i didnt spec it...

Backup seems to be working fine now ive put a terminator on it..

It's generally not advised to hang tape drives off RAID controllers. Bung a dedicated boggo SCSI HBA in and hang the tape drive off that.

It's generally not advised to hang tape drives off RAID controllers. Bung a dedicated boggo SCSI HBA in and hang the tape drive off that.

I have recently passed my HP AIS certification and Best practice is to connect your tape drive to a SCSI port not the Smart Array. As ZootyRS say's get a SCSI card and put the tape unit onto that and your problems will solved.

Well it turns out that the tapedrive WAS originally connected to its own HBA when it was installed, but some kind soul in infrastructure decided to move the tapedrive to another server (where it is now)

ive put in a PCR for downtime to bung in a new card...

incedently the other server thats related also has problems relating to its RAID controller.. seems HP SA drivers and some ms hotfixes dont play nice together

The one thing im struggling to get used to in this place is the amount of paperwork to sort stuff out.. yesterday for instance the above server crashed... and i had to fill in a PCR to reboot it, which i then had to get signed by 3 people, which took all day to get permission to reboot the box, that had been hung since tuesday morning!

ive currently got a pile of paperwork to fill in, another PCR to update the scsi drivers on one box, a PCR to put in a scsi hba on the other, and another to request a change to move the backup start-time from 11pm to 9pm

all of the above have to be done by the CAB meeting at 2 today, for them to be approved for the next 5 days.

least its keeping me busy i guess

I have recently passed my HP AIS certification and Best practice is to connect your tape drive to a SCSI port not the Smart Array. As ZootyRS say's get a SCSI card and put the tape unit onto that and your problems will solved.

Out of interest.. what is the HP AIS thing, what does it involve and is it worth doing?? (we only use HP kit here)

The HP AIS certification is great for anyone to get an understanding of what HP is all about and what their servers do and how they work. If you go on a training course it is very much a sale's course but great for picking up knowledge. This certification is designed towards the small/medium business and is a great start even if you work in a larger environment.

This is a breif overview of what's discussed on the course and what you will learn

*Assessing business needs and planning for the implementation and growth of server-based IT infrastructure

*Understanding the HP ProLiant product line and choosing the right servers for any application

*Reviewing key server subsystem technologies: system boards, processors, memory, bus, chipsets, power, racks, and more

*The best practices for deploying servers using HP SmartStart and the Rapid Deployment Pack

*Managing servers using Insight Manager and Remote Insight Lights-Out Edition (RILOE)

*Planning, selecting, deploying, and managing storage for ProLiant server environments

*Installing and configuring Windows, Linux, and NetWare operating systems on ProLiant servers

*Integrating, optimizing, performance tuning, and troubleshooting ProLiant servers

*Configuring, optimizing, and troubleshooting HP Array controllers and RAID subsystems

The HP AIS certification is great for anyone to get an understanding of what HP is all about and what their servers do and how they work. If you go on a training course it is very much a sale's course but great for picking up knowledge. This certification is designed towards the small/medium business and is a great start even if you work in a larger environment.

This is a breif overview of what's discussed on the course and what you will learn

*Assessing business needs and planning for the implementation and growth of server-based IT infrastructure

*Understanding the HP ProLiant product line and choosing the right servers for any application

*Reviewing key server subsystem technologies: system boards, processors, memory, bus, chipsets, power, racks, and more

*The best practices for deploying servers using HP SmartStart and the Rapid Deployment Pack

*Managing servers using Insight Manager and Remote Insight Lights-Out Edition (RILOE)

*Planning, selecting, deploying, and managing storage for ProLiant server environments

*Installing and configuring Windows, Linux, and NetWare operating systems on ProLiant servers

*Integrating, optimizing, performance tuning, and troubleshooting ProLiant servers

*Configuring, optimizing, and troubleshooting HP Array controllers and RAID subsystems

Do you think its a worthwhile cert for someone like me to get?

Quick Answer, Yes. If you are advanced in your HP Skills you need to pass the AIS before you can move onto the ASE which is the next level up.

It's worth noting that testking does very good test exams in this field.