Topic: Problems installing Scsi Tape Drive.

[AndyCocker]

Hi,

I'm somewhat of a newbie, but am finding my way around SME Server slowly. However, I have come up against my first real problem that I cannot solve by following the excellent help on Contribs. Maybe somebody could help me.


I have just installed an Adaptec AHA-2930U Scsi controller card into my PC, and an HP SureStore Dat 24 drive.

I did not change any of the settings on the card or drive. Drive is using the default scsi channel of 3.

I rebooted, and went to the Server-Manager Backup Restore page hoping to see Tape Backup options, but it still said Tape backups are disabled

I tried the solution here http://forums.contribs.org/index.php?topic=23592.msg99300#msg99300
with the following results:
lsmod |grep aic showed nothing.
I ran modprobe aic7xxx then dmesg which seemed to recognise both the card and the drive.

On this page http://forums.contribs.org/index.php?topic=23592.msg99300#msg99300
it says

Now stop you backup service en restart.
Try to run a backup and see what happens.

I don't know how to restart the backup service, so I wasn't able to do that. I tried following the instructions from the previous page to add the command alias scsi_hostadaptor to the modules.conf file, which expanded correctly. After a reboot however, I appear to be back at square one.

A couple of things which may have a bearing on the problem:
I have done nothing to terminate the scsi chain. I was told when I purchased the gear that as the drive was internal, it would self-terminate. Is this true?
Secondly, when I view the dmesg output after performing the modprobe aic7xxx command, I see ahc_pci:0:7:0: Someone reset channel A. Is this because I removed my CD-R/W to make room for the Dat 24, and is it a problem?

Your advice and wisdom would be very much appreciated.
Please give basic instructions, as most things 'linux'      
are alien to me as yet.

Many thanks,

Andy Cocker

[mrjhb3]

Andy,

The default settings are for tape backups to be disabled.  You need to go to server-manager and enable it.  Once you do this, you should be able to run a test.  SSH or login to the console and run
/sbin/e-smith/do_backup.

JB

[AndyCocker]

Thanks for replying JB. I've checked in the online manual here http://mirror.contribs.org/smeserver/contribs/bobk/SME_Manual/chpt-10.1.html#10.1.4
 and see the reference to enabling tape backups, but where would I find that section in server_manager? I'm away from my server at the moment, so cannot look. All I get on the Backup and Restore page is what is shown in section 10.1 of the manual (same link as above)

Andy Cocker

[Boris]

Its one of the actions in the drop-down list.

[AndyCocker]

Guys. Thankyou! Can't believe I spent a whole afternoon messing with this thing, contemplating re-installing everything, when all I had to do was look in that drop down list! (Of course, I had looked in there many times, but not actually seen what all the options were)

It seems to be working now.

Once again, thankyou.

All the best,

Andy Cocker