Libraries and Tape Drives for TSM on AIX

Question

Often, issues with Tivoli Storage Manager Server in AIX connecting to tape libraries and/or drives can be resolved by checking some basics. The first things to do when addressing hardware issues are provided in the steps below.

Answer

Questions to answer:

For details on how to answer the questions, see the sections below.

1) AIX: Does AIX have the correct device driver for the library and/or tape drives?

2) AIX: Does AIX list the library and/or tape drives as Available?

If 6.x, does the db2 instance owner account have read/write access?

3) Tivoli Storage Manager: Does Tivoli Storage Manager list the drives as online?

4) Tivoli Storage Manager: Does Tivoli Storage Manager list the paths as online and using the correct device name?

5) AIX: Can you test the library and/or drives from device utilities in AIX?

6) Tivoli Storage Manager: Does reconfiguring the library and/or drives in AIX and Tivoli Storage Manager resolve the issue?

1) Verify that AIX has the correct device driver for the library and/or tape drives

IBM tape drives and libraries typically use Atape or atldd (for IBM 3494 tape libraries), though there are a few exceptions that use tsmscsi. Non-IBM tape drives and libraries typically use the tsmscsi device driver (at exactly the same version as the Tivoli Storage Manager Server version, to 4 digits) that comes packaged with Tivoli Storage Manager Server and Storage Agent, though there are a few exceptions that use other device drivers. A non-IBM library that uses IBM tape drives will typically use tsmscsi for the library and IBMtape for the drives.

Check the Tivoli Storage Manager supported device list for which device driver is needed for supported tape libraries and drives


Check current versions installed with:

lslpp -l Atape.*

lslpp -l atldd.* (for IBM 3494 libraries)

lslpp -l tivoli.tsm.devices.* (for non-IBM libraries)

Atape and atldd (for IBM 3494 libraries) are available for download at FixCentral here:


Product Group: Storage Systems
Product Family: Tape Systems
Product Type: Tape device drivers and software
Product: Tape device drivers
Platform (select one)

Hit Continue

Browse for fixes (the default)
Hit Continue

Download: Atape/IBMtape

Also download
* IBM Tape Device Drivers Installation and User's Guide
* Product: Tape Diagnostic Tool (ITDT)
This replaces former tapeutil (ntutil, IBMtapeutil)


To install and commit the Atape driver, uninstall the older version:
installp -u Atape.driver

Then install the new version. For example, if you downloaded the file to /tmp/Atape.11.7.7.0.engr.bin:
installp -acXd /tmp/Atape.11.7.7.0.engr.bin all

Configure the tape device:
cfgmgr -v
(-v is not required but will show where it hangs if it does)

Verify the new devices are Available:
lsdev -Cc tape

For details, see Technote # 1174910: Upgrading Atape device driver in AIX




For details on configuring non-IBM library and/or tape drives to use tsmscsi in AIX, see Tivoli Storage Manager Server manual section on "Configuring Tivoli Storage Manager Device Drivers for Tape or Optical Drives"

%20Tivoli%20Storage%20Manager%20device%20drivers%20for%20tape%20or%20optical%20drives%20aix?scope=SSGSG7

The instructions are substantially the same at 6.x (Links Below)

2) Verify that AIX lists the library and/or tape drives

From AIX, run:

• For tape devices using Atape or atldd

# lsdev -Cc tape

• For tape devices using tsmscsi

# lsdev -Cc adsm

Tape devices should be listed as Available.

AIX device names:

• Tape drives that use tsmsci*

/dev/mtx (for example: /dev/mt0)

• Tape libraries that use tsmsci*

/dev/lbx (for example: /dev/lb0)

• IBM 3575, 3581, 3583, 3584 libraries

/dev/smcx (for example: /dev/smc0)

• IBM? 349X libraries

/dev/lmcpx (for example: dev/lmcp0)

* tsmsci: Tivoli Storage Manager device driver, packaged with Tivoli Storage Manager Server

Reference: Tivoli Storage Manager Server manual

For Tivoli Storage Manager Server 6.1, does the db2 instance owner account have read/write access?

# ls -l /dev

For example:
# ls -l rmt[0-9]
crw-rw-rwT 1 root system 40,192 Mar 08 14:02 rmt1
crw-rw-rwT 1 root system 40,256 Mar 08 14:02 rmt2

3) Confirm whether Tivoli Storage Manager Server drives are online:

From a Tivoli Storage Manager server command line run
q drive

If drive(s) are not online, update them with:

update drive online=yes


4) Confirm whether the Tivoli Storage Manager Server paths are online and using the correct device name

From a Tivoli Storage Manager server command line run:

q path f=d


If path(s) are not online or are using the wrong device device name (for example /dev/smc0 or /dev/rmt0), update them with the following (if device names are correct, you don't need to include the device parm):

Library (for example, using smc0):

update path srct=server destt=libr device=/dev/smc0 online=yes

Tape drive (for example, using rmt0):

update path srct=server destt=drive libr= device=/dev/rmt0 online=yes


5) Check for hardware issues from AIX

From an AIX command prompt window, use itdt (or tapeutil) (for devices using IBMtape) or lbtest or mttest (located in /usr/tivoli/tsm/devices/bin, for devices using tsmsci) to test the library or drives.

5a) lbtest, for libraries using tsmscsi

From AIX, run:
lbtest

Go into manual test and open the library
1: Manual test

1: set device special file
Enter device special file name:
For example: /dev/smc0 [enter]
6: open

Get library inventory
8: ioctl return element count
10: ioctl return library inventory

Move a tape from a tape slot to a drive
11: ioctl move medium
transport element address: XX
source address moving from: YY
destination address moving to: ZZ

Move the tape back to where it came from
11: ioctl move medium
transport element address: XX
source address moving from: ZZ
destination address moving to: XX

Close the device and exit lbtest
7: close
99: return to main menu
9: exit lbtest


Reference: Technote # 1326205: LBTEST - Practical Examples to Test Functionality




5b) mttest, for tape drives using tsmscsi

From AIX, run:
mttest

Go into manual test and open the drive
1: Manual test

1: set device special file
Enter device special file name:
For example: /dev/rmt0 [enter]
20: open

Check basic functionality:
 22. read
 60. write block to "block.out"

Note: You will get an error stating that only 80 bytes could be read out of 1024. This is normal and can be ignored

Close the device and exit mttest
21: close
99: return to main menu
9: exit mttest



5c) itdt (or tapeutil), for libraries and tape drives using IBMtape

itdt (or tapeutil) operates basically the same as lbtest and mttest, except that you access both the library and the drives from itdt.

A good basic test for tape drives in Base Mode is
6: test unit ready


6) Delete and redefine paths, drive, and library, and checkin scratch tapes, then private

Sometimes deleting and redefining everything works to reconnect Tivoli Storage Manager Server to the devices correctly.

Historical Number

1406601