I have been given the job of getting a tape backup solution in place for our NT Server.

Due to various historical reasons I *have* to use an IBM Magstar 3570 B series tape autoloader.

I cannot get this to work under NT. The drive requires an Adaptec 2944UW Differential SCSI card, which I have duly bought & fitted.

The tape drive is a HVD (high voltage differential) device, thus the 2944card using a 18 metre cable. (well within limits)

As the system boots up, the SCSI bios on the card detects the two drives inside the tape drive, senses their ID's of 1 & 2 respectively, tells me what the model numbers of the drives are etc....all hunky dory. However when the PC boots into NT, the adapter is there with the driver started ok - but the devices can no longer be detected on the SCSI bus.

Heeeelllllllppppp!

I have tried everything.....drivers, aspi layers the works.....what really bugs me is the fact that you can see the devices as it boots up, and by going into SCSI select, you can interrogate the devices etc - all fine.....but not in NT.

I have also tried it in a win2K machine - same.

Any ideas?

 

Is it terminated correctly ?

If you change the ID on the drives does that make any difference?

Jeff

 

Have you also tried another SCSI cable (maybe a shorter one)?

Stefan

 

stupid question, but are you using easy scsi software under nt to scan the bus???

and yes, terminate it 18m or 1.8m??

can you try another scsi device (scanner or hdd)

process of elimination...

BB

 

beemerboy - yes EASI SCSI as supplied with the adaptec card, but even the SCSI icon in control panel doesnt show any devices.

The cable IS 18 metres (eighteen) long - HVD supports up to 25mtrs

Unfortunately we don't have any other HVD devices to test - you cannot plug in std scsi stuff (lvd) as the hvd is higher voltage and blows it up!

Thanks for the help...I will double check the termination - although the card is set to AUTO and the tape drive has a plug in terminating block in the last port.

Unfortunately I dont have another cable either - but if the cable was duff it wouldnt see the devices on boot (maybe)

 

Why do yo have to use the old library. Do you want to use a newer one?

 

HA HA HA HA.....I've had a breakthrough (nearly a breakdown!)
I resorted to changing every single setting in the bios of the adaptec card and rebooting each time to see if it made any difference....finally found the one which made it work - SCSI Parity Checking - enabled by default - says in the instruction book which came from Adaptec that virtually every SCSI device made uses parity and to only change this setting as a last resort........ guess what

And you would have thought a tape backup library would have scsi parity enabled - to check for data integrity:rolleye:

So thanks for all the answers chaps........much appreciated...I can put this one down to experience!