Topic: Seagate STT220000A Drive

[Dan Williams]

Every day this is in the logs,

Mar  1 02:00:03 merlin kernel: st0: Error with sense data: [valid=0] Info fld=0x0,
Current st09:00: sense key Illegal Request

I have seen where others have the same questions about this, but no answers.
Can anyone offer advice as to what they have done about this same problem on their machines.

[blakeh]

I get the same messages.  I remember seeing a post from Charlie Brady saying that it might be an issue with the ide-scsi interface and to try going straight ide, but didn't really say how and I've never bothered digging into it more. I know this probably doesn't help much.

[Dan Williams]

Hi,
I have talked directly with Seagate about this, the following is reply from Seagate, I have not tried this yet. Again, this is not my advice, it is Seagate reply. Maybe Charlie or somebody in the know will see this, and reply?

+++Seagate Reply++++
Log into Root.
Depending on the modules running try this.
Type    rmmod ide-tape and enter.
Type    rmmod ide-scsi and enter.
Type    insmod ide-scsi and enter.
Type    insmod sg and enter.
Insert a tape into the drive wait till it stops moving.
Now type      tar -cvf /dev/st0 /etc       and enter.
+++End Seagate Reply+++

+++Dan Question+++
BEFORE I do any of this, it will not mess my system up will it?
+++End Dan Question+++

+++Seagate Reply++++
No.
Linux needs an IDE tape drive to emulate SCSI.
If the IDE-TAPE and IDE-SCSI modules are both loaded, IDE-TAPE causes issues.
So we unload both modules then load IDE-SCSI which will have the tape  drive emulate a SCSI drive making its device name st0.
It is a known issue.
+++End Seagate Reply+++

+++Dan Question+++
Do you have to do the commands every time the server is restarted?
+++End Dan Question+++

+++Seagate Reply++++
If the system is booted it will load the modules wrong again.
Do this.

Add the following lines to the modules.conf file located in the /etc
directory

alias ide-tape off
below st ide-scsi

The "alias ide-tape off" line will turn off the ide-tape module at boot.
The "below st ide-scsi" will load the ide-scsi module after st has loaded,
at boot.
+++End Seagate Reply+++