[Info-vax] Alpha SCSI disks won't mount on integrity

[Rich Jordan]

On Wednesday, December 22, 2021 at 9:41:23 AM UTC-6, Robert A. Brooks wrote:
> On 12/21/2021 9:28 PM, Rich Jordan wrote: 
> 
> > I connected a tabletop shelf of U320 Universal 300GB disks in a cabinet to 
> > the KZPEA controller in the Alpha, (HP V8.4), initialized them as ODS5 with 
> > default settings, created several test backups to different disks, shut down 
> > and moved the disks to our test Integrity box here (same model and SCSI 
> > controller as will be added to the real system). The Integrity is running 
> > VSI V8.4-2L1, SCSI controller IDs as LSI Logic 1030 U320, and is an HP 
> > branded and supported card.
> > but doing a normal mount fails. No errors reported.
> What's the exact error message -- if the mount fails, there's got 
> to be a -F- in there somewhere. 
> 
> Contact VSI support and verify that adapter is supported by VMS on IA64. 
> 
> The output of sys$etc:scsi_info might be interesting. 
> 
> -- 
> -- Rob

Rob,
     going to have to wait for more details; dev is  using the itanium for some emergency test builds for a year-end problem they just found.  I'll try to get error log info later but the reported error looks just like trying to mount a tape that is not loaded:

$ MOUNT/SYSTEM   ALTI64$DKB500: TALPHASYS
%MOUNT-I-OPRQST, medium is offline
%MOUNT-I-OPRQST, Please mount volume TALPHASYS in drive _ALTI64$DKB500

If I mount the drive foreign, it mounts and can see the volume name.

I tried wiping the drive and re-initializing it on the Alpha per Hoff's suggestion above, put some data on it, then moving it back to the RX server.
Interestingly the drive mounted, once.  Generated two errors.  I ran a backup to it from the RX, and that succeeded but generated error counts on the bus and the drive.
Dismount and try to remount and we're back to the medium is offline but a foreign mount is still fine, and generates  no errors when dumping blocks (didn't try a write).

Unfortunately I got booted at that point; had to remove the disks and reboot the RX from the dev system disk and probably won't get access again until next week.

I moved the disk shelf back to the Alpha and it and the specific test drive are working completely error free.

Both our test RX server and the customer's have that SCSI card to attach a tape drive (our drive is long dead).  They're sending me their spare so I can plug it into our test box to confirm the drive and the HBA are functional, just in case that is the problem, but that is also next week.

Thanks for responses!

Rich