Backup Exec 9.1 Detects Wrong Media Type

[Paul_Biggs]

I have an Certance Ultrium LTO-3 tape drive that is part of an autoloader that is being detected incorrectly within Backup Exec 9.1. The autoloader and tape drive are detected correctly under Windows but, Backup Exec shows the media type as HIC instead of LTO. I am not familiar with the HIC media so, I am not sure how close they are. However, does anyone know why an LTO drive would show up as a HIC instead of LTO? More importantly, how can I get it to see it as LTO instead of HIC?

A little history... I was backing up to tape on this unit before never realizing that it was set to HIC. Down the road when I needed to do a restore, I noticed that my catalogs were in poor shape. It started out fine but, later on I only had a handful of days per month that I could restore from. When I tried to catalog from the tapes, I would get block and inconsistency errors.

I now have a new autoloader (same make and model - the drive went bad and is under warranty) hooked up to a new server (going through a server upgrade process) with a fresh install of Windows 2003 SP1 and Backup Exec 9.1. No other applications are loaded. It still shows as HIC instead of LTO.

I ran the updated drivers from Veritas through this link:

http://seer.support.veritas.com/docs/273853.htm

That didn't change anything. I'm not certain if the wrong media type is the cause for the block and inconsistency errors but, it is something that should be fixed anyway. It would be nice to rule it out also. I have checked this forum as well as Google and couldn't find anything that was close to this. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[Deepali_Badave]

Hello,

Please refer the following technote:

http://support.veritas.com/docs/206843

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[Paul_Biggs]

Not sure how partitioning the library has anything to do with detecting the correct media type. However, I tried it anyway and wound up with two partitions like the document said I would. It still shows up as HIC for the media type instead of LTO. Any other suggestions?

[Ashutosh_Tamhan]

Does the device support bar code rules?

Have you enabled and configured the bar code rules in Backup Exec?



Regards,
Ashutosh

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[Ashutosh_Tamhan]

Does the device support bar code rules?

Have you enabled and configured the bar code rules in Backup Exec?

Check : http://seer.support.veritas.com/docs/259444.htm

Regards,
Ashutosh

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[Paul_Biggs]

The unit is a Gateway� 823 LTO-3 Autoloader and does not support/use barcodes. I figured I would try the suggestion on your link just for the sake of doing it. It didn't work. I am figuring that it is because it needs to detect the correct media type before it knows what bar code rules to apply. So, I am not sure how adding bar code rules would change the media type even if the autoloader did support bar codes.

I also deleted the tape drive and library, shut the services down, quit the app, restarted the services, restarted the app and it detected the library/drive again as a media type of HIC.

Any other suggestions?

[Deepali_Badave]

Hello,

Have you performed an inventory?

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[Paul_Biggs]

Yes I have performed an inventory. No offense but, do you know what the problem is here? Backup Exec thinks I have a different type of tape drive hooked up to it than I actually do. It thinks my tape drive is HIC instead of LTO. I think this may be the reason why I was receiving block and consitency errors when I tried to catalog my tapes before.

This has been an issue for two weeks and I have not received one suggested fix that is in any way related to my problem. Can someone take another look at what the problem is and provide a suggestion worth trying? The only thing that makes sense is that it is a driver issue. Perhaps there is more updated set of drivers besides what was used in this link http://seer.support.veritas.com/docs/273853.htm

Thank you

[Joshua_Small]

Hi Paul,

I feel your frustration.
I do know that Service Pack 4a automatically installs the drivers that it was shipped with. Perhaps try:

1. Run tapeinst.exe and remove the installed device
2. Install SP4a
3. Reboot
4. Run tapeinst.exe and install the approriate device

[Paul_Biggs]

Thank you very much for your help Joshua. I just tried that and still no luck. It's refreshing to have a suggestion that makes sense though. Do you know if there is a way to tell Backup Exec what the drive is instead of it auto detecting it? Either that, or manually change the media type? Haven't found any options like that. Every time I delete it and reinstall it, it auto detects. It doesn't let me specify.

Thanks again for your help.

[Ken_Putnam]

Have you tried manufacturer drivers? I know that Veritas harps on using their drivers, but that don't always work

Run TAPEINST and tell it to remove all existing drivers
Load the manufacturer drivers
verify that Device Manager sees the drive OK
Run the Hardware wizard and tell it to use existing drivers.

[Paul_Biggs]

Thanks for the suggestion Ken. Tried that and same thing. It makes a lot of sense that it is a driver issue but, I don't know why the manufacturer and Veritas's drivers don't get recognized properly. It is on the hardware compatability list too.

Again, I don't know if HIC is similar to LTO. Maybe it's like using a HP Laserjet 4 driver for a HP Laserjet 4200. They both work. The only issue that I have with that is I received block and inconsistency errors when I tried to catalog/restore. No errors on backup, just restore... when I needed them most.

Again, thanks for the suggestion. Any others... anyone... anyone? :)

[Ken_Putnam]

This is down to grasping at straws here, but

Are you current on firmware for the tape drive?
Are you current on firmware and drivers for the SCSI card?
Have you tried new cables and terminators?

Do you have any manufacturer diags you can run against the drive?

[Thomas_Bianco]

Windows also has a tendency to store some device information with the parent device. it might be a good idea to remove the scsi card that provides the bus for your tape drive from the Windows device manager and force Windows to redetect the entire hardware tree.

also, try using MSBackup.exe and see if the drive shows as LTO or HIC, at least this will clearly separate a driver issue from a BEserver issue.

[Swati_Joshi]

Hi ,

The backup exec device drivers query the firmware of the device and displayes the output in Backup exec, if the firmware says its HIC backup exec will show as HIC.

Please get in touch with the vendor and check if the issue is with the device or the tape.

Thanks and regards,

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[Paul_Biggs]

Thanks for all of the suggestions. Here is where things are at:

As stated earlier, I had the entire autoloader replaced because it was under warranty and the tape drive was bad. At that time, I asked the Gateway tech and he stated that there was no firmware update available. So, I didn't think much along those lines. I have since went to their site and sure enough, there is not a firmware update listed. However, Certance (aka Quantum) does have a firmware update for the autoloader. I am currently working with Gateway again and they suggested giving it a shot as well as updating the tape drives firmware. I updated the firmware for the autoloader and the autoloader does look a little different. It shows BDT instead of Certance which is what Quantum said needs to be done in order for it to work with Backup Exec 9.1. However, the drive still shows HIC. Gateway suggested running the Device Driver Installer at:

http://seer.support.veritas.com/docs/273853.htm

Well, I let them know I already ran the DDI and flashed the firmware for the autoloader. However, there is no firmware on Quantum's site for the actual drive. They have a drive update utility but, no image for it. I searched for the stand alone LTO-3 drive and did find a firmware. In fact, they have the same exact Windows drivers on their site for the one that is part of the autoloader along with it. There is a warning there though that states not to use it on a drive that is part of an autoloader. So, I basically got permission from Gateway to run it anyway since I didn't want to void a warranty by running it on my own without permission since it had a warning like that. They said go ahead and I tried to do it. Unfortunately, the utility knows that the tape drive is part of a system provided by another vendor. It stated "Unable to continue. OEM specific firmware required." So, that's where I am at. I let Gateway know this and they are continuing to look into it on their end.

I would like to keep this post active as the issue is still not resolved. Since it is on the Hardware Compatability List for Backup Exec, I would think there would be documentation on it if it doesn't work right away from a fresh install. It's something Veritas should support if they put it on their HCL. At least, that's my opinion on the matter.

I do have a new cable and terminator. I need to double check the firmware on the controller itself. I don't believe there is an update for that last time I checked. I have still to try removing the controller in the Device Manager. I can't physically remove it since it is embedded and the only other card has the hard drives attached to it. MSBackup.exe does show LTO. It's something to do with how Backup Exec reads the information.

Thanks again. I'll post what else Gateway comes up with. I'll also research the controller firmware as well.

[Paul_Biggs]

Here's an update. Next thing I know, Gateway has shipped out another autoloader. They just decided to do it on their own and told me after the fact. I figured that it would not work since it appears to be more of a firmware/driver issue. I received the unit on Tuesday, installed it yesterday and same thing. I figured as much. So, I checked for firmware updates on the other hardware. The controller, chipset and everything was up to date except for the BIOS on the system board. Once again, that still didn't fix it. Every time I made a change, I would disable/delete the tape drive/autoloader, shut the services down, exit the app, restart the services, restart the app and it would redetect everything. Unfortunately, it would detect it as HIC still.

So, I decided to take it an extra step. I got another like server (same make/model) and did another fresh install of Server 2003 with SP1 and this time put on Backup Exec 10d. Same thing. I tried it with Windows and Veritas drivers. I ran SP1 for Backup Exec. I ran the device driver update for it as well. Still the same thing.

I am guessing that Backup Exec is looking for an exact match for the SCSI Inquiry String. According to the Hardware Compatability List, the autoloader that it supports is CLL 6400 which is what it is. It states that the inquiry string is BDT^^^^^ThinStor^AutoLdr for the autoloader and CERTANCEULTRIUM^3 for the tape drive.

I guess my question is, how do I find out what the string is? How do I know what Backup Exec is picking up? The device properties show different things in different places. On the general tab it shows "ThinStor AutoLdr" minus the quotes for the product ID. The help file shows Product ID The product ID from the SCSI Inquiry string. If that is the case, it is missing BDT. Also, does the carrot symbol (^) represent spaces or is it a character that is part of the string and has to be there? Now, if you look at the SCSI Information tab you will see "Inquiry: BDT ThinStor AutoLdrS442". Again, is the carrot symbol (^) necessary and does the fact that it shows S442 make it detect things improperly?

Same thing with the tape drive. The drive shows "ULTRIUM 3" for the product ID on the general tab. On the SCSI information tab it shows "CERTANCEULTRIUM 3 1770" where 1770 is the firmware revision.

So I guess I got three main questions:

1.) Where is Backup Exec pulling for the string? As seen above, the SCSI Inquiry String looks different depending on what tab you go to. Which one is right or does it pull from somewhere else?

2.) Are the minor differences enough to make a difference?

3.) How can I read the string from the autoloader/drive directly other than using Backup Exec? This way, I would know what it is and can tell if it matches the HCL.

Again, thank you all for your help. If anyone has anymore thoughts, that would be greatly appreciated.

[Jos__Zorrilla]

Hello Paul,

E-mail me at josez@hnoc.org. I have some information that might be helpful to you.

Jos�

[shweta_rege]

Hello Paul,



Could you please Update us on the current status of the issue...



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and would be moved to answered questions pool.

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[Paul_Biggs]

I have been working with Gateway and they said HIC is something that Veritas came up with to state it detects the media type as LTO but, does not know if it is LTO-1, LTO-2 or LTO-3. They got this information from you. I'm still working with them but, perhaps you can tell me why it can determine it is an LTO yet can't tell what type of LTO it is.

Thanks,


Paul