Re: Tape drive replacement

Yeah well, but i'm stuck in the past. Since the company i work for
gives support where IBM stops giving it (or it becomes very expensive
to keep it) i work with old stuff. Just now i might be getting Power6
hardware (and since those were AIX systems i dont know if i'll be able
to play with IBM i) so for me the IOP-less world is still far away...

Best Regards,


On Wed, May 16, 2012 at 10:56 AM, Jim Oberholtzer
<midrangel@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

They are, but there are still quite a number of systems out there with
IOPs   I'm guessing more with than without, however that number will
start to change in a hurry.

Jim Oberholtzer
Chief Technical Architect
Agile Technology Architects


On 5/16/2012 8:54 AM, rob@xxxxxxxxx wrote:

But aren't IOP's becoming a thing of the past?  We're still Power 6 (for
now).


Rob Berendt
-- IBM Certified System Administrator - IBM i 6.1 Group Dekko Dept
1600 Mail to: 2505 Dekko Drive Garrett, IN 46738 Ship to: Dock 108
6928N 400E Kendallville, IN 46755 http://www.dekko.com From: Roberto
José Etcheverry Romero <yggdrasil.raiker@xxxxxxxxx> To: Midrange
Systems Technical Discussion <midrange-l@xxxxxxxxxxxx>, Date:
05/16/2012 09:39 AM Subject: Re: Tape drive replacement Sent by:
midrange-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxx I know I know! i did an IPL of the IOP
that controlled both the MAG TAPE IOA and the... ETHERNET IOA! i got
some serious cussing out of the people upstairs for that... Know when
i build a system i try to keep that IOA on it's own IOP... Best
Regards, On Wed, May 16, 2012 at 10:29 AM, Jim Oberholtzer
<midrangel@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

 The "Why" behind the IOP/IOA or IOA reset is in good to know as well.
 During the IPL sequence for the card, the card reports to LIC what types
 of devices are attached, and downloads the drivers needed for what is
 attached.  So, if you change the device, the IOA is almost certainly not
 going to have the correct drivers loaded, hence the IPL of the card.

 Note:  If you still have an IOP/IOA combination be really sure the IOP
 does not have something else attached to it, like DASD.  That'll ruin
 your day if you IPL and/or move that card.   (don't ask how I know.....)

 Jim Oberholtzer
 Chief Technical Architect
 Agile Technology Architects


 On 5/15/2012 3:09 PM, DrFranken wrote:

 Yeah that there's a good tip!  I call that one a "Land Mine" and you
 learned how to find them!

 Note that if you DLPAR the library among different partitions this

isn't

 an issue because you ARE IPLing the IOA (and IOP if needed) with each

move.

        - Larry "DrFranken" Bolhuis

 On 5/15/2012 3:31 PM,rob@xxxxxxxxx   wrote:

 >    *This message was transferred with a trial version of

CommuniGate(r) Pro*

 >    If you replace a tape drive within a tape library (and maybe even

just a

 >    regular tape drive too) it's a good idea to power cycle the card

which

 >    controls that tape drive.  Because if the serial number stored in
 >    WRKHDWRSC *STG for the drives (not the library) doesn't match the

new

 >    drive serial number your first tape operation will fail.

  Alternatively a

 >    CHKTAP "may" do it.  But when you have a library with multiple

drives

 >    shared by multiple lpars technically it could be months before a
 >    particular lpar hits a particular drive and getting the chktap to

hit all

 >    drives for each lpar is tough.  Easier to power cycle the card.

  Here was

 >    the memo I used internally.
 >
 >    Just to recap what we've found.
 >
 >    Last night a backup blew.  On the web based GUI for our TS3310 (aka

3576)

 >    I noticed that the serial number for the new drive is 1210419702.

  In

 >    WRKHDWRSC *STG.  I used "9=Work with resource" on the "Tape

Library". This

 >    displayed the drives associated with that library.  One of them did

not

 >    match the serial numbers of the drives associated with that

library.  It

 >    was the serial number of the old drive that was replaced.  I could

see

 >    that with "7=Display resource detail".  I went back to WRKHDWRSC

*STG and

 >    used option "7=Display resource detail" on the controller card for

that

 >    tape.  I wrote down the "Location".  So I varied off the library by

using

 >    WRKMLBSTS and option 2.  Then I went into STRSST, 1. Start a

service tool,

 >    7. Hardware service manager, 1.  Packaging hardware resources

(systems,

 >    frames, cards,...), and drilled down with "9=Hardware contained

within

 >    package".  Once I found that card I used "3=Concurrent maintenance"

to

 >    power the card off/on.  After that was done I got out of STRSST and

into

 >    WRKHDWRSC *STG again.  Now the serial number is correct.
 >    Verified for all lpars and power cycled card as necessary.  I had

to power

 >    cycle cards on two of the four lpars.  The third lpar aborted

during the

 >    CHKTAP when Mike was here.  The fourth lpar aborted during the

backup last

 >    night.
 >
 >    General rule:  Power cycle controller or IOA card after replacing

tape

 >    drive.  You'll have to vary off library before hand and on again
 >    afterwards.  Failure to do say may result in backup aborting with

strange

 >    dumps.
 >
 >
 >    Rob Berendt

 --

 --

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