Quantum tape drive

[Warren Block]

On Wed, 28 Jan 2009, Jaime wrote:

> On Wed, Jan 28, 2009 at 4:51 PM, Wojciech Puchar
> <wojtek at wojtek.tensor.gdynia.pl> wrote:
>>> When reading from the tape using tar (bsdtar from FreeBSD 6.2 -- and,
>>> yes, I'm preparing a cvsup as I write this :) ) the tape drive's Alarm
>>> and Fault LEDs are lit up and then camcontrol devlist no longer shows
>>> the tape drive.
>>
>> TERMINATION PROBLEM
>
> I was thinking of that...  I shut down the server and checked the
> usual suspects (terminator on the cable, SCSI IDs, etc.) but didn't
> find anything out of place.  Also, the same command in Knoppix (Linux)
> using /dev/st0 (the Linux equivalent of /dev/sa0) appeared to write to
> the tape and then list the items on that tape.  I didn't see how long
> it would take, though.  In retrospect, maybe I should have let that
> run longer.  :(
>
> How certain are you that its a termination problem?

It could just be a bad drive or tape, but termination was the first 
thing that came to mind for me also.  The drive giving a fault on a read 
like that suggests it.  Pardon the obvious, but remember that 
termination is needed at both ends of the SCSI bus, and only at the 
ends.

There's also the issue of terminator power, which may have been supplied 
by the old drive but not by the new one.

-Warren Block * Rapid City, South Dakota USA