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Hi all,

I have been scratching my head on this for a week now (hair is gone) and now
I'm turning to this community.

We sell (not engineer) an archiving software that talks to optical jukeboxes
over scsi.
The platform in question is a p5 LPAR, AIX 5.2 ML6, 5712 dual channel SCSI
Adapter, HP 1900ux LVD SCSI jukebox

When looking at the system the 4 odm devices are created.

A configuration utility of ours (that installes special drivers) does NOT
see the devices. What this utility does is scan through all SCSI busses
sending a TUR (test unit ready). Interestingly this returns errno 19 (No
such device) for SCSI Ids that have no devices attached, which is correct,

This utility returns errno 5 (IO error) for those SCSI Ids that have devices
attached (4drives and 1 robotic arm).

To make a long story short I'm looking for strategies to narrow down the
faulty component. I have a few ideas for the HW, but would also like to
eliminate the config utility as a source of problem.

I'm looking for a program that allows me to send SCSI commands to a specific
address of a SCSI bus. I browsed/googled for hours, but it seems only
vendors of backup software (like Legato or NSR) provide such tools with
their software (like scsi_command)

Does anyone have such a utility or code they would like to share? I looked
and maybe it will take me a few days to wade through the SCSI structures and
use ioctl to do it myself, but why re-invent the wheel?

Thanks for any help for the desparate,

/Gerold

"Gerold Krommer" <g.krommer@doremove.fns.co.at> wrote in message
news:1126099972.699796@newsmaster-03.atnet.at...
> Hi all,
>
> I have been scratching my head on this for a week now (hair is gone) and
now
> I'm turning to this community.
>
> We sell (not engineer) an archiving software that talks to optical
jukeboxes
> over scsi.
> The platform in question is a p5 LPAR, AIX 5.2 ML6, 5712 dual channel SCSI
> Adapter, HP 1900ux LVD SCSI jukebox
>
> When looking at the system the 4 odm devices are created.

I can't help with a low-level SCSI-2 command processor for AIX as I'm a
newbie only just starting with AIX and RS/6000s, but I am writing an OS/2
"SCSI-2 Changer" device driver for use with Pioneer DRM-6nnXs, DRM-1804Xs
(actual, if subset, SCSI-2 Changer Device implementation) CD-ROM changers
and, eventually *all* SCSI-2 Changer Devices no matter how many Storage
Elements, Data-Transfer Elements (of any of the WORM, CD-ROM and OPTICAL
Device Types) Import/Export Elements and Transport Elements are implemented.
As a result, perhaps I can give you some insight into what may go wrong
after POST, when attempting to initialise a Changer plus Data Transfer
Element(s) combination:

1) after SCSI bus reset or power-on, all Elements are uninitialised,
especially the Data Transfer Elements (CD-ROM, LDP, WORM etc.) which will
have "contingent status" pending and be "Not Ready - No Medium Present" or
similar status (e.g. "Not Ready - Initialisation Command Required" until the
Changer has been setup (obtain and process Page Codes 0x1F, 0x1E and 0x1D
and, optionally, "Read Element Status" for the Data Transfer Element(s) to
correlate the Changer's SCSI Bus, PUN and LUN with those of the CD-ROM, LDP,
WORM and/or Optical Device(s)) and (an) "Initialise Element Status(es)"
has/have been issued to the Changer Device and completed set an Indefinite
or >5minutes timeout for this command's completion.
2) you should *not* attempt to TUR the Data Transfer Element(s) until after
completion of 1) above. You may still receive a "pending status" of "Media
Changed - Import/Export Element Accessed" or "No Medium Present" even after
the Changer Device has been initialised, which you may then handle as you
wish, as long as the status is cleared. Basic setup/Initialisation is now
complete.
--
Regards,
Tim Clarke (a.k.a. WBST)

Tim Clarke wrote:
> "Gerold Krommer" <g.krommer@doremove.fns.co.at> wrote in message
> news:1126099972.699796@newsmaster-03.atnet.at...
>
>>Hi all,
>>
>>I have been scratching my head on this for a week now (hair is gone) and
>
> now
>
>>I'm turning to this community.
>>
>>We sell (not engineer) an archiving software that talks to optical
>
> jukeboxes
>
>>over scsi.
>>The platform in question is a p5 LPAR, AIX 5.2 ML6, 5712 dual channel SCSI
>>Adapter, HP 1900ux LVD SCSI jukebox
>>
>>When looking at the system the 4 odm devices are created.
>
>
> I can't help with a low-level SCSI-2 command processor for AIX as I'm a
> newbie only just starting with AIX and RS/6000s, but I am writing an OS/2
> "SCSI-2 Changer" device driver for use with Pioneer DRM-6nnXs, DRM-1804Xs
> (actual, if subset, SCSI-2 Changer Device implementation) CD-ROM changers
> and, eventually *all* SCSI-2 Changer Devices no matter how many Storage
> Elements, Data-Transfer Elements (of any of the WORM, CD-ROM and OPTICAL
> Device Types) Import/Export Elements and Transport Elements are implemented.
> As a result, perhaps I can give you some insight into what may go wrong
> after POST, when attempting to initialise a Changer plus Data Transfer
> Element(s) combination:
>
> 1) after SCSI bus reset or power-on, all Elements are uninitialised,
> especially the Data Transfer Elements (CD-ROM, LDP, WORM etc.) which will
> have "contingent status" pending and be "Not Ready - No Medium Present" or
> similar status (e.g. "Not Ready - Initialisation Command Required" until the
> Changer has been setup (obtain and process Page Codes 0x1F, 0x1E and 0x1D
> and, optionally, "Read Element Status" for the Data Transfer Element(s) to
> correlate the Changer's SCSI Bus, PUN and LUN with those of the CD-ROM, LDP,
> WORM and/or Optical Device(s)) and (an) "Initialise Element Status(es)"
> has/have been issued to the Changer Device and completed set an Indefinite
> or >5minutes timeout for this command's completion.
> 2) you should *not* attempt to TUR the Data Transfer Element(s) until after
> completion of 1) above. You may still receive a "pending status" of "Media
> Changed - Import/Export Element Accessed" or "No Medium Present" even after
> the Changer Device has been initialised, which you may then handle as you
> wish, as long as the status is cleared. Basic setup/Initialisation is now
> complete.

Just a thought - have you tried using the utilities provided with diag?
As root, run:diag -> task selection -> run excercisers (select
device/follow prompts)

or diag -> task selection -> scroll down for 3 SCSI related utilities
one of which will assist you in analyzing what's going on in a
particular scsi bus/channel.

HTH (if at all)...it's help me in the past.

PS
p.s. Of course you have to know how to identify the controller and the
devices that adapter "sees" first (if you have multiple scsi
adapters/controllers in the system <G>)....PMS

Hi Gerold,
the tivoli.tsm.devices.aix5.rte contains tools for testung
changer/robotor and tapes They are called lbtest(64) and mttest(64).

Ttry to get a trial & buy Version of TSM Server and install or just
extract the tools. I think these tools are working also with non-TSM
Devices.

Also check if you could find the Atape.devices fileset for Standard IBM
Devices which should also contain the tools mentioned above.

hth
Hajo



Example of the command list for mttape

manual test menu:
=================
1: set device special file 2: display symbols
3: set block size 4: set byte/block count
5: set return error when fail 6: set product id
7: set exit on unexpected result 8: set block id
9: set load display control 10: set load display content
11: set 3480/3490 compatibility
20: open 21: close
22: read 23: write
30: ioctl write filemark(s) 31: ioctl rewind
32: ioctl forward filemark(s) 33: ioctl eject
34: ioctl reverse filemark(s) 35: ioctl erase
36: ioctl return_error 37: ioctl Xinquiry
38: ioctl forward record(s) 39: ioctl flush
40: ioctl reverse record(s) 41: ioctl load
42: ioctl get IOCINFO 43: ioctl set mode
44: ioctl read block id 45: ioctl locate block id
46: ioctl get device information 47: ioctl retension
48: ioctl get medium information 49: ioctl load-compcode
50: ioctl load display 51: ioctl 3494/3495 device info
52: ioctl write setmark(s) 53: ioctl space end-of-data
54: ioctl forward setmark(s) 55: ioctl reverse setmark(s)
56: ioctl reserve control
57: ioctl return sense 58: ioctl read log sense page
59: ioctl log sense read/write errors
60: write block to "block.out" 61: dump blocks to tape
62: ioctl prevent medium_removal 63: ioctl allow medium removal
64: ioctl Get TapeAlerts
67: ioctl mode sense
70: system command
88: trace menu
99: return to main menu

Just for the records and benefit of others:

The problem was/is the 5712 adapter who has big problems talking to some
SCSI devices.
The supplier of the archiving software has pulled support for this adapter
and is actively working with IBM to resolve the issues.
Meanwhile we use a 6203 and it works like a charm.

Thanks for all the input, I leared quite a bit.

/gerold

"Gerold Krommer" <g.krommer@doremove.fns.co.at> schrieb im Newsbeitrag
news:1126099972.699796@newsmaster-03.atnet.at...
> Hi all,
>
> I have been scratching my head on this for a week now (hair is gone) and
> now I'm turning to this community.
>
> We sell (not engineer) an archiving software that talks to optical
> jukeboxes over scsi.
> The platform in question is a p5 LPAR, AIX 5.2 ML6, 5712 dual channel SCSI
> Adapter, HP 1900ux LVD SCSI jukebox
>
> When looking at the system the 4 odm devices are created.
>
> A configuration utility of ours (that installes special drivers) does NOT
> see the devices. What this utility does is scan through all SCSI busses
> sending a TUR (test unit ready). Interestingly this returns errno 19 (No
> such device) for SCSI Ids that have no devices attached, which is correct,
>
> This utility returns errno 5 (IO error) for those SCSI Ids that have
> devices attached (4drives and 1 robotic arm).
>
> To make a long story short I'm looking for strategies to narrow down the
> faulty component. I have a few ideas for the HW, but would also like to
> eliminate the config utility as a source of problem.
>
> I'm looking for a program that allows me to send SCSI commands to a
> specific address of a SCSI bus. I browsed/googled for hours, but it seems
> only vendors of backup software (like Legato or NSR) provide such tools
> with their software (like scsi_command)
>
> Does anyone have such a utility or code they would like to share? I looked
> and maybe it will take me a few days to wade through the SCSI structures
> and use ioctl to do it myself, but why re-invent the wheel?
>
> Thanks for any help for the desparate,
>
> /Gerold
>