[Original Post]
I am working with a new LaCie branded SONY AIT SDX-300C tape drive.
This drive is an AIT-1 drive with the new Version 0400 firmware upgrade
that allows writing to longer media with 35GB uncompressed and 70GB
compressed capacity. When I insert one of these tapes (Sony SDX2-36C with
memory in cassette feature), the drive detects the tape as write-protected
when it is not.
The system to which it is attached is running DU4.0B. The
/etc/ddr.dbase file contained an entry for TZS20 (Compaq-branded AIT
drives). Using this information, I added a new entry in the file
modifying the "Name" specification to reflect SONY as the vendor and
SDX-300C as the product-id, then recompiled the database. This did not
solve the problem before or after a reboot.
Listed below is drive status output and my current ddr.dbase entry.
Would appreciate any leads on what might be wrong or where to go next.
[Resolution]
Not much response on this other than a suggestion from one person to
contact the vendor, which I was doing. It turned out that the vendor had
sent me the wrong tapes, but even after receiving the right ones I still
could not write to the drive in compressed mode. So, for the general
benefit, here are some things I learned along the way.
The original AIT drive takes one size tape (25GB native/50GB
compressed) with part number SDX-T3C (SDX-T3N w/o the embedded chip).
The AIT-1 drive is simply the original drive with a firmware upgrade
(Version 0400) that allows for the use of a longer tape with 35GB
native/70GB compressed capacity. Sony has also released the second
generation AIT-2 drive which will handle first generation media and its
own new, higher capacity media. AIT-2 media are not backwardly compatible
with AIT and AIT-1 drives, which accounted for my initial problem, as I
was sent AIT-2 media. [AIT-2 media are physically different, the most
obvious difference being that the read/write switch goes up and down
instead of side to side.] Sony AIT media categorize as follows:
Part Number
Description With Chip W/O Chip
=========== ========= ========
AIT-1 170m 25GB native/50GB compressed* SDX1-25C SDX1-25N
AIT-1 230m 35GB native/70GB compressed SDX1-35C SDX1-35N
AIT-2 170m 36GB native/72GB compressed SDX2-36C SDX2-36N
AIT-2 230m 50GB native/100GB compressed SDX2-50C SDX2-50N
* The AIT-1 170m tapes are, I believe, renumbered versions of SDX-T3C and
SDX-T3N, as they are still listed by several suppliers.
Sony is having real problems at this point meeting demand for media and
the higher capacity AIT-1 tapes seem only to exist as a part number at
this point, which negates the value of the firmware upgrade. A Sony
regional sales representative told me that some media should start to
become available later in the summer.
After getting appropriate media, I still could not write with hardware
compression. This turned out to be a dip switch setting problem, with
which LaCie was not very helpful.
The best source of information concerning configuration of AIT drives
for UNIX was Sony's FAX on Demand Service at (800) 883-7669. Publication
5781 covers SDX-300 jumper and switch settings. Publication 5788 is a
tape backup UNIX Configuration Guide with specific instructions for
several UNIX variants including Compaq/Digital v3.x and v4.x systems.
--
+-[Bob Jackson]------------[Email: bobj_at_soc.duke.edu] ---------------------+
| Phone: (919) 660-5601 Fax: (919) 660-5623 |
| Affiliations: Department of Sociology & |
| Office of Information Technology |
| Office: 140A Sociology/Psychology Building |
| Postal Address: Department of Sociology, Box 90088, |
| Duke University, Durham, NC 27708-0088 |
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Received on Mon Aug 02 1999 - 18:09:15 NZST