HP DLT/80 tar/dd backup I/O Errors

[Robert Meyer]

--- Darin Perusich <darinper at cognigencorp.com> wrote:
> have you done any searching on HP's site or google for related issues? 
> it sounds to me like you might be at that point where you need to call 
> HP. the fact that the tapes are not portable would cause me to return 
> the drive.
> 
> amanda uses the systems native dump and/or tar for backup so there's no 
> need to be concerned about propritory data formats. you don't even need 
> the amanda binaries to restore files from tape, you can simple use dd 
> and dump/tar. i've had instances where i've had to do bad metal restores 
> so i just boot off cd into single use, hookup the tape, and go. try 
> doing that will veritas, legato, or bru.

Actually, when I was working with Sun workstations, we had a network boot
set up that had just enough in it to be able to connect to a Legato server
and restore the filesystems.  The only information that I needed to keep
was the partition map for the system.  It worked well and I restored 
several servers that way.  In the Intel/AMD/whatever environment, I would
consider making a boot CD that has that stuff in it or put boot roms in
the NICs in the machines so that I could net boot.  It's possible that a
single boot disk might be able to do it, too.

I have a problem with a machine that I'm trying to get a DLT connected to.
The machine is a Compaq DL-3xx box with an external DLT.  It has one cciss
SCSI interface for handling the RAID and a sym 53c896 based SCSI controller
that has the tape connected to it.  When I try to load the driver, I get:

kmod: failed to exec /sbin/modprobe -s -k scsi_hostadapter, errno = 2
PCI: Enabling device 05:04.0 (0000 -> 0003)
PCI: No IRQ known for interrupt pin A of device 05:04.0. Please try using
pci=biosirq.
sym53c8xx: at PCI bus 5, device 4, function 0
sym53c8xx: setting PCI_COMMAND_MASTER PCI_COMMAND_PARITY...(fix-up)
sym53c8xx: changing PCI_LATENCY_TIMER from 0 to 80.
sym53c8xx: 53c896 detected 
PCI: Enabling device 05:04.1 (0000 -> 0003)
PCI: No IRQ known for interrupt pin B of device 05:04.1. Please try using
pci=biosirq.
sym53c8xx: at PCI bus 5, device 4, function 1
sym53c8xx: setting PCI_COMMAND_MASTER PCI_COMMAND_PARITY...(fix-up)
sym53c8xx: changing PCI_LATENCY_TIMER from 0 to 80.
sym53c8xx: 53c896 detected 
sym53c896-0: rev 0x7 on pci bus 5 device 4 function 0 irq 0
sym53c896-0: ID 7, Fast-40, Parity Checking
CACHE TEST FAILED: reg dstat-sstat2 readback ffffffff.
CACHE INCORRECTLY CONFIGURED.
sym53c896-0: giving up ...
sym53c896-0: rev 0x7 on pci bus 5 device 4 function 1 irq 0
sym53c896-0: ID 7, Fast-40, Parity Checking
CACHE TEST FAILED: reg dstat-sstat2 readback ffffffff.
CACHE INCORRECTLY CONFIGURED.
sym53c896-0: giving up ...


This is annoying and I haven't found any answers on the web.  Lots
of reports of this problem but no answers.  Note that this is not
the 'SCRIPT FAILED' error that occurred with older versions of the
driver that I've found a zillion references to.

Anybody with any ideas???

Cheers!

Bob

=====
Bob Meyer
Knightwing Communications, Inc.
36 Cayuga Blvd
Depew, NY 14043
Phone: 716-308-8931 or 716-681-0076
Meyer_RM at Yahoo.com

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