My Sony SDT-9000 scsi tape drive is on a Adaptec PCI scsi controller, and it doesn't work. It is using the ide-scsi mod instead of the st drivers? What is happening?

Running RH7.3 atm...

Anyone help?

I'm not to sure about the ide-scsi mod, but I have been using the st drivers successfully with an HP DDS-3 External Drive. The following commands may help you along...

1. Create the appropriate devices. By default, scsi tape devices start at major device 9. To protect your devices from malicious users, I would secure them in a separate directory other than /dev.
- mkdir /dev/stape
- mknod -m 660 /dev/stape/tape c 9 128
- mknod -m 660 /dev/stape/tape-rewind c 9 0

2. Insert a tape into the drive and check the status.
- mt -f /dev/stape/tape status

2.1. It should output "ONLINE"

3. I have a perl script set to create a file that lists every file I want to stream to the tape drive. This gives me the option to manipulate the file to change what gets backed up, without change my commands. Then I was able to put my commands in a nice perl script.
- cat /tmp/bu.log | cpio -oc | gzip -c > /dev/stape/tape

4. To view the Table of Contents of the device to verify what has been written on to it, I use the following.
- < /dev/stape/tape gunzip -dc | cpio -ivt

Notes:
- I would study the manpages for st, mt, cpio, and gzip for more help.

No, tried your commands but no good.

The st drivers don't seem to be loaded at all. I just don't think the tape unit is installed properly.

The closest i get when I run mt -f /dev/st status is:

Inappropriate ioctl for device.

Otherwise, with any other device variation - "no such device"

Can anyone explain the steps and what should happen at each step when you install a DDS drive into a box running RH7.3

I have been through ALL the manpages for st, cpio etc etc and always end up with the above error. The st drivers show up as "Unused", withe ide-scsi mod showing "1" device.

Any clues out there?

Are all of the SCSI modules being loaded? Don't remember all of them of hand.

Well, good question.

I have just found a decent sized SCSI how-to - maybe that will tell me if st is loading or not.

I'm sure it is loading, but I'm relatively new to Linux, thats why I was hoping for a step by step explanation of how to install the drive...

It seems the ide-scsi mod grabs it first?

Okay,

Here is what dmesg says:

SCSI subsystem driver Revision: 1.00
scsi0 : SCSI host adapter emulation for IDE ATAPI devices
Vendor: TDK Model: CDRW161040X Rev: 5.30
Type: CD-ROM ANSI SCSI revision: 02
hdd: DMA disabled
scsi1 : Adaptec AIC7XXX EISA/VLB/PCI SCSI HBA DRIVER, Rev 6.2.5
<Adaptec 2902/04/10/15/20/30C SCSI adapter>
aic7850: Single Channel A, SCSI Id=7, 3/253 SCBs

Vendor: SONY Model: SDT-9000 Rev: 0400
Type: Sequential-Access ANSI SCSI revision: 02
scsi : 1 host left.
parport0: PC-style at 0x378 [PCSPP,TRISTATE]
PCI: Enabling device 00:0b.0 (0006 -> 0007)
scsi1 : Adaptec AIC7XXX EISA/VLB/PCI SCSI HBA DRIVER, Rev 6.2.5
<Adaptec 2902/04/10/15/20/30C SCSI adapter>
aic7850: Single Channel A, SCSI Id=7, 3/253 SCBs

Vendor: SONY Model: SDT-9000 Rev: 0400
Type: Sequential-Access ANSI SCSI revision: 02
scsi : 1 host left.
natsemi.c:v1.07 1/9/2001 Written by Donald Becker <becker@scyld.com>
http://www.scyld.com/network/natsemi.html
(unofficial 2.4.x kernel port, version 1.07+LK1.0.14, Nov 27, 2001 Jeff Garzik, Tjeerd Mulder)
eth0: NatSemi DP8381[56] at 0xe091b000, 00:a0:cc:78:f0:f9, IRQ 5.
eth0: link up.
eth0: Setting full-duplex based on negotiated link capability.
Attached scsi CD-ROM sr0 at scsi0, channel 0, id 0, lun 0
sr0: scsi3-mmc drive: 40x/40x writer cd/rw xa/form2 cdda tray
Uniform CD-ROM driver Revision: 3.12
ISO 9660 Extensions: Microsoft Joliet Level 1


Notice that the Adapter is there AND it knows the SDT-900 is there. BUT, Strangely the CD Burner is Attached to a SCSI Id - BUT IT IS AN IDE DRIVE ATTACHED TO THE SECONDARY IDE BUS!!!!

The SDT-9000 IS NOT ATTACHED TO A DRIVER???

Any clue??

GOT IT!!!


This is so simple its paethetic.

I just went:

# modprobe aic7xxx


And there you go.

It seems the OS had done everything except that. Once I ran that command the devices /dev/st0 and dev/nst0 reported correctly and I was able to write to the DDS!!!

Now how can I get the OS to do that at boot time??


cheers