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Inserted tapes are not showing up in Backup Exec 9.1

RitchieT
Level 2

Hi there,

I have been using an internal Dell backup tape drive for some time with Backup Exec 9.1 without any issues. The drive became faulty and it has now been replaced with an HP Storageworks DAT72 internal drive. Since replacing the drive Backup Exec sees no tapes in the drive. The drive is recognized by Backup Exec but after inserting lots of new backup tapes the drive will always show as empty. When trying to label the media the job just runs for days any nothing happens and needs to be cancelled.

I have used the most up to date tape drive drivers from HP. Also I have updated the drivers for the SCSI card, which is a LSI Logic PCI-X Ultra320 SCSI Host Adapter. According to device manager this is working fine. I have applied all the Backup Exec 9.1 updates. I have also checked that the drive is on the Backup Exec 9.1 HCL.

Since installing the drive the following error message shows up in event log after the server reboots:

Source: symmpi
Event ID: 9

The device, \Device\Scsi\symmpi1, did not respond within the timeout period.

For more information, see Help and Support Center at http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/events.asp.


We are using Windows Server 2003 Small Business.

Any thoughts or suggestions would be most appreciated.

Many thanks,
Ritchie 

 

1 ACCEPTED SOLUTION

Accepted Solutions

pkh
Moderator
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If the L&TT utility cannot access the tape drive, then it is a hardware problem.  You would have to consult HP to resolve the problem

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8 REPLIES 8

Colin_Weaver
Moderator
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Employee Accredited Certified

Is DAT72 on the 9.1. Hardware Compatibility List - I would not have expected that level of technology to exist when 9.1 was fully supported.?

EDIT: Just checked the HCL and it looks like DAT72 was supported back then - so answered that bit for you (might depend on exact model and inquiry string though)

CraigV
Moderator
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Partner    VIP    Accredited

Hi Ritchie,

 

I'd suggest you upgrade the firmware on the SCSI card and the tape drive.

Do that, run the driver installation through Symantec again, and then see if this works.

Also make sure Removable Storage service is stopped and disabled, as this tends to cause issues with BE.

 

Thanks!

pkh
Moderator
Moderator
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!) Stop all your BE services

2) run the HP L&TT utility against the tape drive and make sure that you select the write test.

The above will detect whether there is any hardware problem with the tape drive.

RitchieT
Level 2

Thank you for the replies!

I can confirm that I Removable Storage service is stopped.

I have not been able to update the firmware for the SCSI card just yet as I am only able to work remotely until I next visit site and it requires a bootable floppy.

I was also unable to update the firmware for the HP drive also as this needs to be done using L&TT to apply the update (next comment will explain why this was not possible).

I stopped all services associated with the tape drive and ran L&TT. After doing the scan the HP drive was detected but with a red cross through it. When clicking it I receive the following information in the device details tab:

This device is not responding to commands from the host machine.

There are several potential causes:

 - the device could be switched off,

 - the device could be disconnected from the bus,

 - the device could be a wide device co-located with narrow devices on the same bus (some scenarios).

 

 If the device has not been disconnected from the bus then check the following:

 - confirm that the device powered on - check the power LED on the front panel of the device.

 - ensure that the SCSI connectors are fully engaged and retaining clips are in place.


The device definitely has power and is definitely connected. The tape drive is also the only SCSI device connected to the card.

If the above were true then surely backup exec would not be able to see the drive at all, nor would it be visible in device manager?

Does this give any clues?
 

Thanks again,
Ritchie

Colin_Weaver
Moderator
Moderator
Employee Accredited Certified

OK before running L&TT - use Tapeinst.exe to remove the symantec/veritas driver so that the OEM driver can be used - as sometimes the Symantec driver is not copmatible with L&TT

So to update the firmware temporarily go back to the OEM driver - if you then still get the error this might explain why Backup Exec has a problem  i.e. your tape device or the connection to it has a problem.

 

RitchieT
Level 2

I have just removed the symantec/veritas drivers using Tapeinst.exe as suggested. I still get the same results from L&TT.

I will have to schedule a visit to the site before I can check the connections, but I put this in myself and I remember plugging everything in correctly. There is most definitely power to the device as the lights are on and I can insert and eject tapes using the buttons on the front. Backup Exec would not see the device nor would device manager surely if the SCSI cable was not attached properly?

Thanks,
Ritchie

pkh
Moderator
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If the L&TT utility cannot access the tape drive, then it is a hardware problem.  You would have to consult HP to resolve the problem

topokin
Level 3

You should be able to update the firmware without L&TT, there is normaly an .exe file which is also availabe on HP download that you can use.