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Problmes using ontape with an IBM TS2900 changer

Posted in 2014

Summary

Javier hit an ontape failure on RHEL 5.5 / IDS 11.70.FC7 with an IBM TS2900 LTO5 changer: backups of a 230GB instance stopped around 20% with "Read/Write End Of Medium enabled ... errno = 5" and prompted for tape 2, even though the 1.5TB tapes weren't full. Several replies suggested checking/setting TAPESIZE to 0, but he confirmed TAPESIZE was already 0 (TAPEBLK tried from 512 to 4096 with no change). Marcus noted errno 5 is a kernel/driver I/O error and suggested testing a full write with tar/cpio; Javier said he'd test overnight. No resolution is recorded in the thread.

Auto-generated by DrWatson from the posts below — may be imperfect; read the full thread.

Topics: Backup & Restore, Logging & Checkpoints, Platform-Specific Issues

JAVIER — — source: IIUG Forums & Mailing Lists

We are using Informix 11.70 FC7 and we are having problems to make tape back-up's, the set up is as follow: Hardware: IBM HS22 Blade Server with 16GB RAM, Storage is handled by an IBM DS3524 Disk array thru the SAS connectivity module. The Tape drive is an IBM TS2900 Tape changer with LTO5 drive and tapes. Software: Red Hat EL 5.5 x86_64 Informix 11.70 FC7 We have 4 instances running just fine and on 3 we do the back up to a shared folder cause the size permits but in the last one we have a database of aprox 230GB and we want to use the tape changer but we are having problems to do so, every time we do an ontape we get the following response: [informix@inrserver ~]$ ontape -s Please enter the level of archive to be performed (0, 1, or 2) 0 Please mount tape 1 on /dev/IBMtape0 and press Return to continue ... 10 percent done. 20 percent done. Read/Write End Of Medium enabled: blocks = 123039 errno = 5 Tape is full ... Please label this tape as number 1 in the arc tape sequence. This tape contains the following logical logs: 1373 Please mount tape 2 on /dev/IBMtape0 and press Return to continue ... The tapes we are using are IBM branded LTO5 so they have a capacity of 1.5 TB. Does anyone have experience using this tape changer that can shed some light in the issue? Thanks in advance for your time. Javier Hernández

↪ replying to JAVIER
Marcus — — source: IIUG Forums & Mailing Lists

TAPESIZE in onconfig ? Marcus Haarmann ----- Ursprüngliche Mail ----- Von: "JAVIER HERNáNDEZ" <javier_hdzt@yahoo.com.mx> An: ids@iiug.org Gesendet: Mittwoch, 29. Januar 2014 16:25:33 Betreff: Problmes using ontape with an IBM TS2900 changer [32376] We are using Informix 11.70 FC7 and we are having problems to make tape back-up's, the set up is as follow: Hardware: IBM HS22 Blade Server with 16GB RAM, Storage is handled by an IBM DS3524 Disk array thru the SAS connectivity module. The Tape drive is an IBM TS2900 Tape changer with LTO5 drive and tapes. Software: Red Hat EL 5.5 x86_64 Informix 11.70 FC7 We have 4 instances running just fine and on 3 we do the back up to a shared folder cause the size permits but in the last one we have a database of aprox 230GB and we want to use the tape changer but we are having problems to do so, every time we do an ontape we get the following response: [informix@inrserver ~]$ ontape -s Please enter the level of archive to be performed (0, 1, or 2) 0 Please mount tape 1 on /dev/IBMtape0 and press Return to continue ... 10 percent done. 20 percent done. Read/Write End Of Medium enabled: blocks = 123039 errno = 5 Tape is full ... Please label this tape as number 1 in the arc tape sequence. This tape contains the following logical logs: 1373 Please mount tape 2 on /dev/IBMtape0 and press Return to continue ... The tapes we are using are IBM branded LTO5 so they have a capacity of 1.5 TB. Does anyone have experience using this tape changer that can shed some light in the issue? Thanks in advance for your time. Javier Hernández ******************************************************************************* Forum Note: Use "Reply" to post a response in the discussion forum.

↪ replying to JAVIER
Mueller, — — source: IIUG Forums & Mailing Lists

Try setting your TAPESIZE parameter to 0. -----Original Message----- From: ids-bounces@iiug.org [mailto:ids-bounces@iiug.org] On Behalf Of JAVIER HERNáNDEZ Sent: Wednesday, January 29, 2014 10:26 AM To: ids@iiug.org Subject: Problmes using ontape with an IBM TS2900 changer [32376] We are using Informix 11.70 FC7 and we are having problems to make tape back-up's, the set up is as follow: Hardware: IBM HS22 Blade Server with 16GB RAM, Storage is handled by an IBM DS3524 Disk array thru the SAS connectivity module. The Tape drive is an IBM TS2900 Tape changer with LTO5 drive and tapes. Software: Red Hat EL 5.5 x86_64 Informix 11.70 FC7 We have 4 instances running just fine and on 3 we do the back up to a shared folder cause the size permits but in the last one we have a database of aprox 230GB and we want to use the tape changer but we are having problems to do so, every time we do an ontape we get the following response: [informix@inrserver ~]$ ontape -s Please enter the level of archive to be performed (0, 1, or 2) 0 Please mount tape 1 on /dev/IBMtape0 and press Return to continue ... 10 percent done. 20 percent done. Read/Write End Of Medium enabled: blocks = 123039 errno = 5 Tape is full ... Please label this tape as number 1 in the arc tape sequence. This tape contains the following logical logs: 1373 Please mount tape 2 on /dev/IBMtape0 and press Return to continue ... The tapes we are using are IBM branded LTO5 so they have a capacity of 1.5 TB. Does anyone have experience using this tape changer that can shed some light in the issue? Thanks in advance for your time. Javier Hernández ******************************************************************************* Forum Note: Use "Reply" to post a response in the discussion forum.

↪ replying to JAVIER
Art Kagel — — source: IIUG Forums & Mailing Lists

What is TAPESIZE set to in your ONCONFIG file? You should set it to zero (0) meaning that ontape should detect end-of-tape and just keep writing until it finds the end or runs out of data. Art Art S. Kagel, Principal Consultant ASK Database Management Blog: http://informix-myview.blogspot.com/ Disclaimer: Please keep in mind that my own opinions are my own opinions and do not reflect on the IIUG, nor any other organization with which I am associated either explicitly, implicitly, or by inference. Neither do those opinions reflect those of other individuals affiliated with any entity with which I am affiliated nor those of the entities themselves. On Wed, Jan 29, 2014 at 10:25 AM, JAVIER HERNáNDEZ <javier_hdzt@yahoo.com.mx > wrote: > We are using Informix 11.70 FC7 and we are having problems to make tape > back-up's, the set up is as follow: > > Hardware: > IBM HS22 Blade Server with 16GB RAM, Storage is handled by an IBM DS3524 > Disk > array thru the SAS connectivity module. > The Tape drive is an IBM TS2900 Tape changer with LTO5 drive and tapes. > > Software: > Red Hat EL 5.5 x86_64 > Informix 11.70 FC7 > > We have 4 instances running just fine and on 3 we do the back up to a > shared > folder cause the size permits but in the last one we have a database of > aprox > 230GB and we want to use the tape changer but we are having problems to do > so, > every time we do an ontape we get the following response: > > [informix@inrserver ~]$ ontape -s > > Please enter the level of archive to be performed (0, 1, or 2) 0 > > Please mount tape 1 on /dev/IBMtape0 and press Return to continue ... > > 10 percent done. > > 20 percent done. > > Read/Write End Of Medium enabled: blocks = 123039 errno = 5 > > Tape is full ... > > Please label this tape as number 1 in the arc tape sequence. > > This tape contains the following logical logs: > > 1373 > > Please mount tape 2 on /dev/IBMtape0 and press Return to continue ... > > The tapes we are using are IBM branded LTO5 so they have a capacity of 1.5 > TB. > > Does anyone have experience using this tape changer that can shed some > light > in the issue? > > Thanks in advance for your time. > > Javier Hernández > > > > ******************************************************************************* > Forum Note: Use "Reply" to post a response in the discussion forum. > > --001a11c3759ce6fd9404f11df24c

↪ replying to Art Kagel
JAVIER — — source: IIUG Forums & Mailing Lists

The TAPEDEV section in the onconfig is as follow: TAPEDEV /dev/IBMTape0 TAPEBLK 512 TAPESIZE 0 We have played with the TAPEBLK from 512 to 4096 to no avail.

↪ replying to JAVIER
Marcus — — source: IIUG Forums & Mailing Lists

Hmm, errno = 5 is I/O error, comes from kernel/device driver. Can you write to tape with tar/cpio up to the end? Marcus Haarmann ----- Ursprüngliche Mail ----- Von: "JAVIER HERNáNDEZ" <javier_hdzt@yahoo.com.mx> An: ids@iiug.org Gesendet: Mittwoch, 29. Januar 2014 17:35:02 Betreff: Re: Problmes using ontape with an IBM TS2900 chang [32381] The TAPEDEV section in the onconfig is as follow: TAPEDEV /dev/IBMTape0 TAPEBLK 512 TAPESIZE 0 We have played with the TAPEBLK from 512 to 4096 to no avail. ******************************************************************************* Forum Note: Use "Reply" to post a response in the discussion forum.

↪ replying to Marcus
JAVIER — — source: IIUG Forums & Mailing Lists

I will make a test this night once the user demand lowers, will post results ASAP.

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