tape device goes offline when executing second backup

[Jesper]

We have a problem since we bought the BE 11d software (in april).

We are a small company with one single server and a travan tape as backup system, we do a daily full backup to an USB disk that is always working and a weekly full backup to tape that causes problems.

we can do successful backups and we can schedule them, but almost every time we try to do something more (after one successful backup) we get failed with errors, for example: ATAPI The device, \Device\Ide\IdePort0 , did not respond within the timeout period. and eventally the tape device goes offline. If we look in the device manager its not present anymore, but we can do a search for new hardware and restart BE and do a new manual successful backup.

I have ofcourse been in contact with my hardware supplier (Dell) and we have tested the hardware and updated the software several times. I can quote their comments here later on...

Please give me some tips on how I can proceed?!

[Jesper]

I post the summary from Dell right away, so you get the full picture:

(And we have replaced the tape and IDE cables one time)

The customers situation with his ‘Dell IDE Travan 40’ is this.

When customer is trying to do a backup in Backup Exec 11d, no matter the size or if it’s a scheduled or new manual created job, it works with one backup successfully. If one then tries to do a additional backup or operation, example a inventory the TBU drops offline. The message we get in System Event log or the Alert logs in Backup Exec: "\Device\Ide\IdePort0, did not respond within the timeout period", then we get an additional error message, screenshots provided. Customer also explains that when the TBU drops offline the Device itself disappears in Device manager. To get the TBU and Device back, one just search for new Hardware using the OS wizard and also restarts BE's services. The TBU appears again and also can be run but with the same amount of tries until it drops offline again.

What has been done to try fix the problem:

1. We have tried to reinstall the TBU using tapeinst.exe, choosing the BE drivers only. = No success.

2. We have tried to use NT Backup, doing backups. = Success

3. We have tried to uninstall BE 11d, reboot the system, reinstall the application again and then reinstall the TBU using symantec drivers only. = No success.

4. We have also tried to uninstall the TBU and having the OS and BE11d refind and install the TBU. = No success.

5. We have run diagnostics outside the operating system, using Dell´s 32 Bit diagnostic with several operations in a row. = Success

6. We have tried to jumper the TBU and CDROM on which the both devices share the same IDE channel in different ways. Also tried to have the TBU only on the IDE channel. = No success.

7. Customer has also tried service packs for the 11d. = No success.

[Amruta_Bhide]

Hi,

This looks more of a SCSI card Issue than the Device Issue. Please get your SCSI Card checked / changed.

Let us know what happens.

Regards

Amruta

[Jesper]

Thanks for looking at my problem.

We have a travan IDE tapedrive and the IDE controller seems to be working in all the tests i've done so far.

(Daily use and the Dell Diagnostics)

Do you have any specific tests i can do to test the IDE controller?

[Greg_Meister]

Jesper,

Have you tried removing the CD-ROM from the IDE bus being used by the Travan drive? At least for testing purposes, that would confirm or eliminate the IDE bus itself as a suspect. You also state (from the Dell notes) that NTBackup is successful. Have you tried Backup Exec using the OEM drivers for the tape drive? If so, was there any change in behavior?

Regards,

Greg

[Jesper]

Hi Greg,

I have tried removing the cd and also switched positions with the same result.

The OEM drivers? Do you mean the drivers from dell? I think I had that from the beginning

but everywhere i get the advise to only use symantecs drivers so I am not 100% sure.

If you think it could make a difference I will try to download and install that until tomorrow.

Regards,

Jesper

[527410847]

I also have the same problem with my Travan 40 IDE drive.  I have done all the steps you have and have even replaced the drive with other spares that I have here.  I get the same problem where the first job runs but the second one does not because the drive goes offline.

[Jesper]

Interesting that there is one more with the same problem, please let me know if you are having some progress.

I have now downloaded the latest travan40 drivers I could find at dells website (win2000drivers) from 2002.

i used tapeinst.exe to uninstall all symantec drivers and restarted the server. I then manually changed driver at the device to the new ones. I then made some succesful backups until it hung (as usual) and i had to restart all services to end the backup. The only difference is that when i tried to "redetect" the device i found that also the "backup-to-disk" folder was offline and i couldnt use the server. No taskbar and Explorer had stopped responding and I coulnt even end it in task manager. I logged of and waited about 10min until i could logon again. And now isnt the tapedevice present, as usual after that kind of "crash".

Ok, so it seems to me as there is some kind of driver issue, as the problems were still there but slightly different. Do you have a link for some other driver i could try ?

[Jesper]

I have noticed 2 new things that might be important:

When the backup get halted and I get the first alert message "ideport0 not responding" I check the device in system manager its still there (as usual and until I have I have restarted all BE services) BUT its not the same tabs anymore. (I had 5-6tabs and now there were only 3-4) Could It be that BE automaticly forces a driver update?

I also have read something about a function to "enable drive backup exec" in the properties of the device In BE, but I dont have that and it has have never been there with any driver. (It may have existed just in earlier versions, but i dont know...?.)

And as described in the post above so have I already tested to reinstall BE and tested both without any updates and with fully updated BE.

[Jesper]

Does anyone have any more tips?

I have now uninstalled BE (build 6235) and reinstalled it with build 7170, with the same result.

And just be sure, I also reenabled and scheduled Ntbackup for a couple of backups without any errors.

When im loosing connection with the device, I am also getting the errormessage about removable storage (which i have already  tried both enabled and disabled):

RSM cannot manage library Tape0. The database is corrupt.

From what i can see is it (BE?)  trying to use the service despite its disabled, why?

and  have found some more threads that have about the same problems , like this one.

(But unfortunatly I cant find any good answers there either.)

https://forums.symantec.com/syment/board/message?board.id=115&thread.id=10581&view=by_date_ascending...