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April 2003, Week 4

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From:
Michael Berkowitz <[log in to unmask]>
Reply To:
Michael Berkowitz <[log in to unmask]>
Date:
Mon, 28 Apr 2003 08:49:55 -0700
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Al Nizzardini writes

-----Original Message-----
From: Nizzardini, Al [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
Sent: Friday, April 25, 2003 5:41 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: FLT 1009


Seams the problem was I was using a 90 meter tape. The install process let
you create the CSLT on a 90 but would not reboot. The 90 past a checkslt so
for a while I looked else where. Problem solved using a 120 meter.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
This item was posted two years ago about the same situation, I don't know if the DDS-3 firmware has yet been upgraded.

From: [log in to unmask] [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
Sent: Thursday, July 26, 2001 3:42 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: DDS-3 Tapes, DDS-3 Tape Drives and SLT tapes


The problem is firmware and has been fixed within the past few weeks.If
anyone wants any more details on this please Email me.

I can vouch that this can be a real problem as I was on a custoer site
backing out of a 6.5 update and all their SLTs were on 90m tapes.I somehow
conned the machine into thinking it had a 125m tape in the drive when it
was a 90m tape.
Mount any 125 tape,take the machine down while down dismount the 125 and
replace with the 90m CSLT and it worked.Cannot guarantee that this will
always be succesful.

----------

There is an open SR on this (SR 8606105598, ITRC doc KBRC00004686), but it
doesn't appear to be a resolved issue yet. I believe it's actually a
combination of the firmware and the code that loads the tape, but it's a
lot
of C code, and I get lost after the first 4 or 5 sets of parentheses ;)

After having dealt with this issue quite a few times, I've seen how
regular
and how intermittent the problem can be. Quite a few times the customer
has
been "saved" simply by trying BO ALT 3 or 4 times. One of those times
might
just make it past the code, and everything runs smoothly from there (once
you're past the problem, you're past it).

However, many times we haven't been able to ever boot off the tape, so the
workaround is usually to boot back up PRI, then either recreate the tape
(rerun AUTOINST, AUTOPAT, or PATCHIX) using a 125m tape, or some people
have
been able to use SLTCOPY and just copy the tape. TCPY might work there,
also.

Bottom line, tapes <125m MAY have a problem booting.

Matt


> If you are going to use a DDS-3 drive to create an SLT then you need to
use
> a DDS-3 tape, I have yet to have  a system boot from a DDS-2 tape that
was
> created on a DDS-3 drive. Really doesn't have anything to do with the
O/S
> version as I have experienced this on 5.5, 6.0, and 6.5.

I have also seen this phenomenon. Does anyone know what the reason for
this
is?

It obviously has something to do with the creating of the SLT on DDS2
media
by a DDS3 drive (as opposed to a problem with a DDS3 drive reading a DDS2
SLT.) I conclude this for several reasons. First, we have created many
DDS2
SLTs that have been used to load on DDS3 drives. Second, the factory SLTs
are still delivered on DDS1 60 meter tapes. Consequently DDS3 drives have
no
inherent difficulties reading non-DDS3 SLTs. The only problem appears to
be
reading a non DDS3 tape specifically created on a DDS3 drive.

It appears to me that this is somewhat of a time-bomb waiting to go off on
an unsuspecting system manager who creates his/her SLTs in this manner. Do
we know what the problem is? Is it a SYSGEN problem? A firmware issue on
the
DDS3 drives? Is it going to be fixed?

Doug.

Mike Berkowitz
Guess? Inc.

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