SAN-Attached Libraries - Troubleshoot

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Unable to detect devices in Solaris

Job Failures in Solaris MediaAgents using Native Drivers

Backup Jobs from Windows 2003 Computers Fail in the SAN Environment

ScsiCmd Tool

Drive validation with Native Drivers on Solaris

Unable to Detect the Devices in Solaris

To attach the wa drivers when the library is attached to QLOGIC FC HBA by SUN

  1. Ensure that the tape devices are visible to the Solaris kernel.

    You can do this using the following commands:

    Run cfgadm -al

    grep/look for type as tape devices

    If (cfgadm -al) displays all the devices configured on system, look for the word tape to identify tape devices.

    For example, the output of the cfgadm -al command may be as follows:

    Ap_Id  Type Receptacle Occupant Condition
    c0 scsi-bus connected configured unknown
    c0::dsk/c0t0d0 disk connected configured unknown
    c0::dsk/c0t10d0 disk connected configured unknown
    c0::dsk/c0t6d0 CD-ROM connected configured unknown
    c0::dsk/c0t8d0 disk connected configured unknown
    c0::dsk/c0t9d0 disk connected configured unknown
    c3 scsi-bus connected unconfigured unknown
    c6 fc-fabric connected configured unknown
    c6::100000d08000167d tape connected configured unknown
    c6::100000d080001986 tape connected configured unknown
    c6::100000e00221b69 array-ctrl connected unconfigured unknown
    c6::100000e00221d909 disk connected unconfigured unknown
    c6::2100002037194c51 disk connected configured unknown
    c6::210000203719599e disk connected configured unknown
    c7 fc connected unconfigured unknown
    c8 fc connected unconfigured unknown

    If you do not see the devices as shown in the above example, make sure that the devices are visible to the Solaris kernel before proceeding any further.

  2. If you see the tape devices, as shown in the above example, run the following script:

    <software installation path>/WA/wa_sunqlc_add

    After running the script, you will be able detect the devices from the Library and Drive Configuration window.

To attach the wa drivers when the library is attached to QLOGIC FC HBA by SUN with a storage router

  1. Ensure that the tape devices are visible to the Solaris kernel.

    You can do this using the following commands:

    Run cfgadm -al

    grep/look for type as array-ctrl

    For example, the output of the cfgadm -al command would be as follows:

    c6::100000e00221b691 array-ctrl  connected    unconfigured  unknown

    If you do not see the devices as shown in the above example, make sure that the devices are visible to the Solaris kernel before proceeding any further.

  2. If you see the array-ctrl as shown in the above example, you will have to add the necessary information in the following file:

    /usr/kernel/drv/wa.conf

  3. Add the necessary entries using the following pattern to add each device.

    name="wa" parent="fp" target=16 lun=0 fc-port-wwn="WWPN"

    Using the above example, it will be as follows:

    name="wa" parent="fp" target=16 lun=0 fc-portwwn="100000e00221b691"

    Add 8 entries from lun=0-7

    Example:

    name="wa" parent="fp" target=16 lun=0 fc-port-wwn="100000e00221b691";
    name="wa" parent="fp" target=16 lun=1 fc-port-wwn="100000e00221b691";
    name="wa" parent="fp" target=16 lun=2 fc-port-wwn="100000e00221b691";
    name="wa" parent="fp" target=16 lun=3 fc-port-wwn="100000e00221b691";
    name="wa" parent="fp" target=16 lun=4 fc-port-wwn="100000e00221b691";
    name="wa" parent="fp" target=16 lun=5 fc-port-wwn="100000e00221b691";
    name="wa" parent="fp" target=16 lun=6 fc-port-wwn="100000e00221b691";
    name="wa" parent="fp" target=16 lun=7 fc-port-wwn="100000e00221b691";
  4. Save the changes.
  5. Stop the services in the MediaAgent in which the entries were added.
  6. Execute the following commands to create the device nodes:

    rem_drv wa

    add_drv wa

  7. Start the services in the MediaAgent in which the entries were added.

    You will now be able detect the devices from the Library and Drive Configuration window.

To Scan Devices with LUNs greater than 7

By default the MediaAgent scans for devices with LUNs 0-7. If the devices are over these values they will not be detected. Perform the following steps to correct this problem:

  1. Edit the following file:

    /usr/kernel/drv/wa.conf

  2. Add an additional line across all targets to add a specific LUN. For example, to add LUN 8 and assuming that you have one target - Target 0 - you need the following line:

    name="wa" class="scsi" target=0 lun=8;

Job Failures in Solaris MediaAgents Using Native Drivers

Use the following steps if you find Data Protection Operation failing on Solaris MediaAgents when Native Drivers are enabled.

To configure native tape drive support on Solaris the native ST device nodes should be added to /kernel/drv/st.conf and bound to all the tape drive LUNs which are to be used.

For example:

Add the following lines in /kernel/drv/st.conf to bind tape drives having Target 0 and Lun 1, and Target 0 and Lun 2 with native driver:

name="st" class="scsi" target=0 lun=1;

name="st" class="scsi" target=0 lun=2;

 

Also make sure to reload the ST drivers using the following commands:

rem_drv st

add_drv st

Backup Jobs from Windows 2003 Computers Fail in the SAN Environment

Solution:

Create the AutoRunAlwaysDisable registry key on all Windows 2003 computers that have access to the library in the SAN environment. For a detailed description of this problem and the registry key refer to the following article published in the Microsoft web site:

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;842411&Product=w

ScsiCmd Tool

The ScsiCmd Tool is used to test whether the hardware supports SCSI-3 reservation. (SCSI-3 reservation is used when you enable the Use SCSI Reserve for contention resolution option in the Library Properties dialog box.) This tool is installed along with the MediaAgent software and available on all the MediaAgent computers.

For comprehensive information on using ScsiCmd Tool, see ScsiCmd Tool.

Drive Validation With Native Drivers on Solaris

By default, tape driver on Solaris, st, uses SCSI-2 reserve/release. When enabled, this conflicts with the SCSI-3 reserve/release done by the MediaAgent and the data protection operations wait indefinitely with the following message in the log file. (dmWriter.log or cvd.log) 
 
1832 17 06/13 12:51:08 64  [] [DM_BASE    ] 43-41 Trying to create archive file : afileId = 52, ArchiveFileSeqNo = 0,FirstChunkSeqNo= 0, logical_offset = 0, physical_offset = 0
1832 17 06/13 12:51:09 64  [] [DM_BASE    ] 43-41 The size of the chunk will be around 4096 MB
1832 17 06/13 12:51:09 64  [] [DM_BASE    ] 43-41 Creating new chunk chunk id 102 VolId= 6 after setting the volume id for the chunk in the database
1832 17 06/13 12:51:10 64  [] [MEDIAFS    ] 43-41 Starting FM = 9. Hardware compression [1]
1832 17 06/13 12:51:10 64  [] [MEDIAFS    ] 43-41 Write Cached_filemark =9. Read Cached Filemarker [-1] Current_filemark = 9
1832 17 06/13 12:51:10 64  [] [MEDIAFS    ] 43-41 Trying to rewind two  filemarks behind the current position
 

To prevent this, SCSI-2 reserve/release must be turned off in the st driver. This can be done by adding a configuration entry tape-config-list in the st.conf (located under /kernel/drv directory).

For example:

If you have IBM ULTRIUM-TD3 drives connected to the Solaris system, the following line can be added to the tape-config-list entry in the st.conf file to prevent reserve/release from the st driver for the above drive type. If there is no tape-config-list, add it to the st.conf.

tape-config-list = "IBM ULTRIUM-TD3", "IBM ULTRIUM-TD3", "IBM-ULTRIUM-TD3";

IBM-ULTRIUM-TD3 = 2,0x3b,0,0x3865B,4,0x00,0x00,0x00,0x00,0,120,120,3600,3600,360 0,3600,3600;

For detailed information on the format of st.conf file, refer to man st(7D) or the st.conf file itself.