[Info-vax] Direct FC connection between IA64/OpenVMS and HP 1/8 Tape Loader with LTO-5?

[richard.l.dyson at gmail.com]

On Sunday, February 25, 2018 at 2:37:33 PM UTC-6, Rick Dyson wrote:
> I had a couple of these HP autoloader tape libraries connected to my rx2660 and rx3600 IA64/OpenVMS v8.1-1H1 servers.  But in their 2nd life, we don't have any SAN switches available so I assumed I could simply direct connect a tape library to one of the pair of HBAs I have in each server.
> 
> They just generate errors on the FBx0 device and an error when trying to use Sysman IO Autoconfig.
> 
> I even tried swapping the two FC fibers on one end to swap TX & RX (cross-over?)
> No joy!
> 
> Does anyone else have any suggestions?  Previously, a SAN storage team with lots of money and expertise set everything up for me and just made the libraries and EMC storage appear, so I'm out of scope for knowledge.
> 
> Thanks,
> Rick

Thank you all for the responses.  All good suggestions.  I have been finding 2nd hand stuff.  I found an HP SAN switch 4 GB refurb for $95 shipped.  Officially this group has no funds at this time, but I'm looking at the recreational value of getting it to work and will try some of these suggestions.  Don't really want to learn SAN protocols, but was reading that for a basic, closed system it can be essentially plug and play.

Rick