User manual TANDBERG PRODMAN VXA320

[. . . ] VXA-320 (VXA-3) TAPE DRIVE PRODUCT MANUAL I COPYRIGHT Copyright 2006 by Tandberg Data. This item and the information contained herein are the property of Tandberg Data. No part of this document may be reproduced, transmitted, transcribed, stored in a retrieval system, or translated into any language or computer language in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, magnetic, optical, chemical, manual, or otherwise, without the express written permission of Tandberg Data ASA, Kjelsåsveien 161, P. O. Box 134 Kjelsås, N-0411 Oslo, Norway. Tandberg Data makes no representation or warranties with respect to the contents of this document and specifically disclaims any implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for any particular purpose. [. . . ] Technical Support can examine the log to determine the nature of the reported error. Refer to "Capturing a Diagnostic Log" on page 31 for instructions. OCTOBER 2006 VXA-320 TAPE DRIVE 29 CHAPTER 4 TROUBLESHOOTING Failure by the tape drive to write or read data If your backup application reports a media error, one of the following situations may have occurred: The tape drive needs cleaning (see "Cleaning the Tape Drive" on page 23). Always try cleaning the tape drive before you assume the cartridge is bad. Try using a different cartridge for the backup, making sure that the tape is not written in VXA-1 format. If you notice that the same cartridge results in multiple failures, it may be time to replace the cartridge. The backup application has attempted to append data to a cartridge that previously failed. If a write media error previously occurred on the tape, the tape drive cannot append data at the point where the write media error occurred. You can attempt to overwrite the tape, but any attempt to append data will fail. If you are trying to write data, the cartridge may be write-protected. Check the switch on the edge of the cartridge (see Figure 3-3 on page 22). If the switch does not cover the opening, the tape is write-protected. If you used an application other than your normal backup application to write data to the tape, your backup application may report that it does not recognize the tape. For example, if you have used VXATool to write and read test data, the test tape will not be "recognized" by your backup application. Perform a tape erase using either VXATool or your backup application. Backup Application configuration issues If you suspect an issue with the backup application configuration, use VXATool to first confirm that the hardware is working properly. Run a VXATool Write/Read test to verify that the tape drive is communicating over the SCSI bus and that it can perform write and read operations. The readme file that accompanies the program (or the online help for the Windows version) provides instructions for using VXATool. For any questions regarding software configuration, contact your software provider. 30 PRODUCT MANUAL 433689-01 TROUBLESHOOTING WITH VXATOOL TROUBLESHOOTING WITH VXATOOL To troubleshoot problems with the tape drive, you can use the VXATool diagnostic software. This program allows you to conduct diagnostic testing and update the firmware. Download VXATool free of charge from the Support section of Tandberg Data's web site at www. tandberg. com. The readme file that accompanies the program (or the online help for the Windows version) provides instructions for using VXATool. ! Important Always check Tandberg Data's web site to make sure that you have the most current version of VXATool. GETTING STARTED (IMPORTANT FIRST STEP) Before running VXATool--completely shut down your backup application and any services it may be running. The backup application may prevent communications with the tape drive or may interrupt VXATool functions resulting in their failure. PERFORMING A WRITE/READ TEST Use VXATool to perform a Write/Read test of the tape drive. The Write/Read test verifies that the tape drive is communicating over the SCSI bus and that it can perform write and read operations. [. . . ] The host typically acts as the initiator of commands. L LED Light Emitting Diode. Low Voltage Differential (LVD) A differential SCSI interface that allows bus lengths up to 12 meters, transfer rates up to 160 MB/sec. , and allows single-ended devices to co-exist on the bus. M msec Millisecond; one-thousandth of a second. Mean Time Between Failures (MTBF) A quantitative measure used to specify the reliability of a tape drive's mechanics and electronics as a whole under specific environmental conditions, cleanings, and duty cycle. Megabyte One million bytes. N Noise Any kind of magnetic or electric interference detected by the electronics. O OverScan Operation (OSO) The VXA technique for reading data packets independently of track shape or geometry. [. . . ]