AIX RISC S/6000 9trks 6250 bpi STK 2925
ITEM: RTA000068320
I try to add an old tape 9tracks 6250 bpi: STK 2925 to my RS6K.
This tape is currently connected to a SUN with a dedicated SCSI card.
The SUN command "probe-scsi-all" says that this tape unit is:
target 4 unit 0 removable tape STKL 2925 CS04
So I try
mkdev -c tape -t 'ost' -s 'scsi' -p 'scsi0' -w '40'
but I receive: 0514-047 Cannot access a device.
may be it's 04 instead of 40
This address is hard coded and I can't change it.
My questions: what is the correct address: 40 or 04 ?
Is there any special device driver required to use this STK tape?
Is it possible to describe this tape as : 9trk scsi ?
How can I address 1600 or 6250 bpi ?
ANSWER
I am not familiar with the SUN command or its usage. But, I would
tend to view the output in either of two ways, where the SCSI
Address is either 4 or 0. Chances are it is 4. You should use
the following command on the RISC System/6000 if the address is 4:
mkdev -c tape -t 'ost' -s 'scsi' -p 'scsi0' -w '04'
Less likely, but if the address is 0:
mkdev -c tape -t 'ost' -s 'scsi' -p 'scsi0' -w '00'
You may wish to check the tape drive documentation to verify the
information on the "hardcoded" SCSI address.
Usually the error 0514-047 is a hardware or configuration problem.
Did you "hot plug" the tape drive to the RISC System/6000? Meaning,
did you attach the drive to the system unit without shutting down
the system? Supported attachment method requires powering down the
RISC System/6000. When the system reboots, it may try to
autoconfigure the OEM tape drive, which would mean you would not
have to run the above commands, since the "cfgmgr" does that for you.
Also, is the tape drive powered up when it is being configured?
Is the tape drive SCSI id unique, that is, is it the only device
on the bus which has address "0" or "4" or whatever the Tape
Drive documentation states is the SCSI id. One last thing to
check, make sure that the device is properly terminated, and that
all SCSI cables are firmly attached to their connections.
Now, please understand that IBM does not support the STK 2925 Tape
drive on the RISC System/6000. However, AIX level 3.2 does provide
a generic device driver (OST, other SCSI tape) for the attachment
and use of OEM tape drives. However, this driver cannot be
guaranteed to provide the same functionality for OEM tape drives,
as it would for IBM supported tape devices. IBM does not guarantee
that this driver will work will all OEM SCSI tape devices. The
only way to verify that it will work is to test it. Otherwise,
your only other option is to contact the STK vendor, and try to
obtain a device driver for this tape drive.
Lastly, for your final questions, I have appended a response
from another item which you may find helpful in configuring your
OEM 9-Track tape drive.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
ADDING OEM TAPE DRIVES
----------------------
The parameters (Density setting) values depends entirely on the type
of tape drive being used. I am guessing that you have an OEM 1/2"
9-track tape drive from your statement about "1600/6250 density".
Therefore, I will provide the default parameters for IBM's 1/2"
9-track tape drive:
BLOCK size (0=variable length) 1024
Use DEVICE BUFFERS during writes yes
DENSITY setting #1 3
DENSITY setting #2 2
DENSITY SETTING 1: (high density)
------------------
Sets the density value, as provided by the MODE SELECT parameters of
the tape drive, that the tape drive will write when using special
files /dev/rmt*, /dev/rmt*.1, /dev/rmt*.2, and /dev/rmt*.3. This
value is one byte in length and is represented using decimal
notation. Refer to the specific tape drive SCSI specification to
obtain this value. For most SCSI tape drives, the default value for
this attribute is the value for the drive's high density setting.
Setting this value to 0 (zero) causes the drive to write with its
default density setting.
DENSITY SETTING 2: (low density)
------------------
Sets the density value, as provided by the MODE SELECT parameters of
the tape drive, that the tape drive will write when using special
files /dev/rmt*.4, /dev/rmt*.5, /dev/rmt*.6, and /dev/rmt*.7. This
value is one byte in length and is represented using decimal
notation. Refer to the specific tape drive SCSI specification to
obtain this value. For most SCSI tape drives, the default value for
this attribute is the value for the drive's low density setting.
Setting this value to 0 (zero) causes the drive to write with its
default density setting.
IMPORTANT NOTES:
----------------
1. The DENSITY value (bytes per inch) is ignored when using a
magnetic tape device that does not support multiple densities. (Such
as IBM's 1/2" 9-track, which has either LOW (1600 bpi) or HIGH
(6250 bpi) density. Thus, you should not need to alter the DENSITY
Settings once this OEM 1/2" 9-track tape drive is set up, since the
density will be switchable through the rmt special files.
Examples of commands used to perform a backup on an IBM 9-track
tape drive are listed below:
o To backup a directory to a 9-track tape drive with a density
of 1600 bpi, you would use the following command (| = pipe
symbol):
find . -print | backup -ivf /dev/rmt0.4
o To use the tape drive with the density set to 6250 bpi, you
would use this command:
find . -print | backup -iv /dev/rmt0
2. For tape drives that do support multiple densities:
o Density value only applies when writing to the tape. When
reading, the drive defaults to the density at which the tape
is written.
o DENSITY values can be altered in SMIT to permit different
definitions/formats of High (DENSITY setting 1) or Low
(DENSITY setting 2). For instance, the IBM 7207-012, or
the 7208-011 do support multiple densities.
3. Below is a listing of the RMT Special Files, and associated tape
drive activity:
+----------------------------+-------------------------------+
|Drive Activity Applied with | Drive Activity Applied with |
| DENSITY 1 | DENSITY 2 |
|----------------------------+-------------------------------|
| rmt0 no retension | rmt0.4 no retension |
| rewind | rewind |
|----------------------------+-------------------------------+
| rmt0.1 no retension | rmt0.5 no retension |
| no rewind | no rewind |
|----------------------------+-------------------------------+
| rmt0.2 retension | rmt0.6 retension |
| rewind | rewind |
|----------------------------+-------------------------------+
| rmt0.3 retension | rmt0.7 retension |
| no rewind | no rewind |
+----------------------------+-------------------------------+
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Thank you.
S e a r c h - k e y w o r d s:
9-TRACK OEM
WWQA: ITEM: RTA000068320 ITEM: RTA000068320
Dated: 05/1996 Category: ITSAI6000HW
This HTML file was generated 99/06/24~12:43:25
Comments or suggestions?
Contact us