-
- Chapter 9. chg-scsi
-Prev Part II. About Tapes and Changers Next
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-
-Chapter 9. chg-scsi
-
-
-Jason X (report real name to <sgw@amanda.org>)
-
-Original version
-
-Stefan G. Weichinger
-
-XML-conversion;Updates
-AMANDA Core Team
-<sgw@amanda.org>
-Table of Contents
-
-
- Command_line_options
-
- Notes_about_changer.conf
-
- Amanda's_actual_usage_of_chg-scsi
-
- Configuration_notes
-
- Hacking_notes
-
-Jason's new and improved chg-scsi documentation.
-This documentation will also include an occasional reference to the mtx suite
-as I have attempted to use chg-zd-mtx. I use mtx often as a fast query tool.
-Please also refer to Amanda_Tape_Changer_Support for additional details.
-My equipment list is as follows:
-
-* Redhat 7.0 machine
-*
- o Dual Processor P-III
- o Sony DDS3 tape drive
- o lots of hard disk space
-
-* Quantum/ATL L500 SCSI changer
-* DLT tape drive (three possible)
-* barcode reader fourteen tape slots
-
-I base this documentation on the following:
-
-* mtx version 1.2.16rel
-* Amanda version 2.4.3b3
-* SCSI2 specification: X3T9.2/375R revision 10L
-* Quantum/ATL Field Service Manual 6321101-03 Ver.3, rel.0
-* Quantum DLT800 Tape system product manual 02 April, 2001 81-60118-04
-* the SCSI bus and IDE interface 2nd ed by Friedhelm Schmidt pub: Addison-
- Wesley 1998
-
-Note that Quantum/ATL's L-series changers follow the SCSI command set, and do
-not use any proprietary commands. Thus, it was fairly simple to make this work.
-I had to install Amanda --with-suffixes and setup my server's client side of
-things using Amanda-2.4.2p2 --with-suffixes.
-Please note that my usage of "barcode" and "barcode reader" throughout this
-document really refers to "physical tape identification system". for example:
-the EEPROM in the AIT cartridge.
-
- Command line options
-
-chg-scsi's command line options:
-
- -slot <param>
- -info
- -reset
- -eject
- -clean
- -label <param>
- -search <param>
- -status <param>
- -trace <param>
- -inventory
- -dumpdb
- -scan
- -genconf
-
-Note that chg-scsi is called by Amanda in the context of whatever Amanda
-configuration Amanda is currently using. In short, to call chg-scsi by hand,
-change to your Amanda configuration directory, then run chg-scsi.
--slot <param> command:
-this command takes either a slot number, or any one of the following: current,
-next, prev, first, last, advance
-It then loads the appropriate tape into the drive.
-Note that if the tape is already loaded, no changer motion will happen. No
-reading of the tape is done here.
--info command:
-four numbers are printed: <slot# loaded> <number of slots> <reversable>
-<searchable>
-with chg-scsi, the reversable number is always 1. Searchable is set based on if
-a barcode reader is available and working correctly.
--reset command:
-Tape is unloaded, and slot 0 is loaded. No actual reset command is sent to the
-changer.
--eject command:
-Tape is unloaded, and put back into its original slot.
--clean command:
-Cleaning tape (if configured) is loaded into the tape. It is probably unloaded
-when done. I haven't looked closely at this yet.
--label <param> command:
-This appears to take the currently loaded tape's barcode and write it to the
-labelfile with the given parameter as it's tape header. I have not tested this.
--search <param> command:
-this only should be used if a barcode reader is present, or emulate barcode is
-turned on.
-the required parameter is an Amanda tape label. The label searched in the
-labelfile. If a barcode is found, then that tape is loaded directly.
-I believe the fallback is to search the entire magazine.
--status command:
-The tape changer is queried, and the results are printed out. Values printed
-are what slots exist, are they full or empty, and what volume labels (barcodes)
-they are.
-Q. what about changers that don't retain current slot? A. this is what the
-"statfile" is for.
--trace command:
-present only for a particular type of changer.
--inventory: (this takes a LONG time to do)
-unloads tape back to its slot issues command to changer to do an inventory of
-itself (read all barcodes...)
-loads each tape, retrieves the barcode, and reads the Amanda
-label off of the tape itself stores/updates the label database file
--dumpdb:
-prints out in human readable form the label database contents from the
-labelfile.
--scan: (aka scanbus)
-scans the SCSI generic interfaces (eg: linux sg), and prints out the device
-name and the device types. I found that linux didn't classify either of my tape
-devices as generic, but this facility did.
-USE THIS FOR FINDING VALUE OF SCSItapedev. Be certain though you have the
-correct tape drive: I came close to wreaking havoc with my DDS3 drive while it
-was flushing Amanda data...and my changer has a DLT drive! Please refer to my
-configuration notes below.
--genconf:
-prints out a SAMPLE changer.conf file. Note that I said sample. except for that
-it also does a scanbus. if you have more than one tape drive, please be certain
-it is correct as chg-scsi uses the first one it finds.
-Please refer to my configuration notes below.
-
- Notes about changer.conf
-
-Here, I try to be a bit more clear on what these config values mean.
-"number_configs" MUST be the first entry (not counting comments)
-"emubarcode" will set this value in chg-scsi regardless of the value you try to
-assign it. If you don't want "emubarcode" set, don't list it!
-"havebarcode" have barcode is tempered by what devices chg-scsi is aware of. if
-chg-scsi doesn't know about your changer explicitly, it will default to a
-default changer. the default changer has no barcode reader.
-In a patch I plan to post, I have added a generic changer that does use a
-barcode. set "changerident" to "genericbarcode" to use this.
-"sleep" number of seconds for chg-scsi to wait for a "tape drive ready" command
-after loading a new tape. Mine is 140 as I have a DLT tape drive, and my tape
-drive manual reports a max of 133 seconds to be ready.
-"config" this is a header telling chg-scsi that all values following, up to the
-next "config" line apply to this drive number. It is this number that is
-refered to in your amanda.conf file as line tapedev
-"drivenum" this is the tape drive number in your changer. For a single tape
-drive, this is zero. Mine can handle up to three, so I expect I could make this
-0, 1, or 2.
-"dev" the SCSI device of your tape drive. under linux, in my case it is /dev/
-nst1. This MUST be defined.
-"SCSItapedev" The generic SCSI device of your tape drive. this is simply the
-generic interface to the device "dev" above. This entry is optional. In my
-case, it is /dev/sg2. If this entry exists and is legitimate, then SCSI
-commands are formed directly instead of using ioctl commands.
-"startuse" "enduse" The start and end slots of your changer. Note that these
-also start with zero.
-"eject" chg-scsi tells the tape changer to eject. You might need to explicitly
-tell the tape drive to unload first. That's what this setting is for. Have you
-ever removed a loaded VCR tape by hand?
-"changerident" chg-scsi will first read the changer's identification from the
-return of the SCSI "inquiry" command. If changerident is set in the
-configuration file, the SCSI inquiry's value is overridden. chg-scsi will
-attempt to match the value with its built-in changertypes.
-"generic" is what the chg-scsi will default to "genericbarcode" is a hack of
-mine that forces the changer's barcode reader to work. Note that if your
-changer uses a superset of the SCSI command set, this probably won't work.
-"L500" is another addition of mine that will enable a quantum/atl L500 to work
-correctly. It might even work with an L200.
-other values are (taken from the code)
-
-* C1553A (HP Auto Loader)
-* EXB-10e, EXB-120 (Exabyte Robot)
-* EXB-85058HE-0000 (Exabyte Tape)
-* TDS 1420 (Tandberg Robot)
-* VLS DLT, VLS SDX (ADIC VLS DLT Library)
-* FastStor DLT (ADIC FastStor DLT Library)
-* Scalar DLT 448 (ADIC DLT 448)
-* 215 (Spectra Logic TreeFrog)
-* Quad 7 (Breece Hill)
-* DLT7000, DLT4000 (DLT Tape)
-
-"debuglevel" setting this to "9:0" is very informative.
-"statfile" stores which "slot" that the tape in the drive came from
-"labelfile" binary file that stores the tape header and barcode information
-cleanmax cleancart cleanfile I have my changer set to autoclean, and the slot
-the cleaning cartridge is in is not available for any other use.
-
- Amanda's actual usage of chg-scsi
-
-this should be brief: Amanda really only issues "slot next" type commands.
-Currently Amanda doesn't ask chg-scsi to load "tape x with label Daily_set023".
-the chg-scsi mechanism is there for use, and functions quite well for the user
-to load a particular tape. I understand they (the Amanda team) are working on
-this.
-
- Configuration notes
-
-(assuming one changer with one tape drive!)
-in amanda.conf:
-set tpchanger to chg-scsi set changerfile to <pathname>/changer.conf set
-tapedev to 0 set changerdev to /dev/<changer generic device>
-
-* this value is usually listed in the system boot messages or will be printed
- via syslog when the appropriate kernel module is loaded. eg: linux modprobe
- sg
-
-in changer.conf: set number_configs to 1 set dev to <non-rewinding tape device
-eg: /dev/nst1> set debug to 9:0
-run "chg-scsi -scan" from your Amanda configuration directory I get: name /dev/
-sg0 Tape Count 1 name /dev/sg1 Changer Count 2 name /dev/sg2 Tape Count 3
-I set SCSItapedev to /dev/sg0 to test with, then ran chg-scsi -info. Check the
-chg-scsi debug file for tapeidentification details. This is where I discoverd
-that "sg0" was not the correct tape!
-set SCSItapedev to "/dev/<generic device>"
-if you have no barcode, try "changerident generic" if you have a barcode reader
-try "changerident genericbarcode"
-
- Hacking notes
-
-My hacks are:
-
-* adding printout of "emubarcode" values in the debug file
-* added dlt8000 tape drive to ChangerIO[], and SenseType[]
-* added genericbarcode to ChangerIO[], and SenseType[]
-* added L500 to ChangerIO[], and SenseType[]
-* added a couple of basic sensecodes listed in the SCSI specs for the generic
- and genericbarcode tape changers.
-
-My desires are:
-
-* modify the sensecode code such that all SCSI devices inherit the standard
- SCSI codes and may override or append to them as needed.
-
-
-* modify the configuration reading code and the inquiry command to allow
- spaces. eg: my changer displays the following ident data: "L500 6320000" but
- I had to create a type called "L500" or else the spaces would throw off the
- comparisons.
-
-
-Note
-
-Refer to http://www.amanda.org/docs/chgscsi.html for the current version of
-this document.
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