HP VS160 Troubleshooting Manual

External drives - contents

Pre-Installation

Before you start page 3

Backup software and drivers page 5

Usage models page 7

Using the CD-ROM page 9

Installing the tape drive

Step 1: Check the SCSI connection page 11

Step 2: Check the drive’s SCSI ID page 13

Step 3: Attach SCSI cable page 15

Step 4: Attach power cable page 17

Step 5: Verify installation page 19

Using the tape drive

Your HP StorageWorks VS160 tape drive page 21

Use the correct media page 23

Register your tape drive page 25

Diagnostic tools page 26

Optimizing performance page 27

Troubleshooting page 29

Understanding the LEDs page 34

Problems with cartridges page 38

Other sources of information page 39

1

Copyright © 2004 by Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.

December 2004
Part Number: A7570-96001

Hewlett-Packard Company makes no warranty of any kind with regard to this material,
including, but not limited to, the implied warranties of merchantability and fitness for a
particular purpose. Hewlett-Packard shall not be liable for errors contained herein or for
incidental or consequential damages in connection with the furnishing, performance, or use
of this material.

This document contains proprietary information, which is protected by copyright. No part of
this document may be photocopied, reproduced, or translated to another language without
the prior written consent of Hewlett-Packard. The information contained in this document is
subject to change without notice.

Microsoft
registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation.

DLTtape, the DLTtape logo, Super DLTtape and the Super DLTtape logo are trademarks of
Quantum Corporation registered in the U.S.A. and other countries.

Hewlett-Packard Company shall not be liable for technical or editorial errors or omissions
contained herein. The information is provided ”as is” without warranty of any kind and is
subject to change without notice. The warranties for Hewlett-Packard Company products are
set forth in the express limited warranty statements for such products. Nothing herein should
be construed as constituting an additional warranty.

Printed in the U.K.

®, MS-DOS®, MS Windows®, Windows® and Windows NT® are U.S.

Product Details

Write your tape drive details here so you can find them easily if you need them. The model name is on the

front of the drive and the product and serial numbers are on a label on the bottom of the drive.

Model (type of drive):

Model (number):

Serial (number):

Date purchased/installed:

2

SCSI ID:

Before you start

The HP StorageWorks VS160 tape drive is a high-capacity, high-performance streaming tape
drive. Before starting to install your tape drive, you should consider the following.

Which operating systems are supported?

HP StorageWorks VS160 drives can be connected to servers running under Windows®.
Refer to the “HP StorageWorks Tape Software Compatibility” topic on our World Wide Web

www.hp.com/go/connect) for more information about the operating system versions

site (
that are supported.

How do I use the tape drive with my system?

Check the usage models on page 7. This shows how the HP StorageWorks VS160 tape drive
can be used in different system configurations; direct attach and network attach.

How do I connect the drive to my server?

Your tape drive is supplied with a 68-pin, wide, VHDCI-to-HD SCSI cable to attach to the host
server. You will need a properly installed and configured SCSI host bus adapter (HBA) or a
built-in SCSI controller on your server with a spare LVDS SCSI port with a 68-pin, very high
density (VHDCI), wide SCSI connector.

For optimum performance your tape drive should only be connected to an Ultra 160 or Ultra
320 host bus adapter or SCSI controller and it should be the only device on the SCSI bus. Do
not connect more than two tape drives per SCSI controller. Do not attach the drive to the same
SCSI bus as your disk drive or RAID controller, unless it is a ProLiant server with a Smart Array
6i RAID controller.

See also Table 1, “supported SCSI bus types,” on page 11.

Why is the SCSI bus type important?

The SCSI bus type determines the speed at which data can be transferred between devices on
the bus and the maximum length of cable that can be used. HP StorageWorks VS160 tape
drives are high performance Ultra 160 SCSI devices with a maximum burst transfer speed of
160 MB/second. To benefit from this level of performance, it is important to ensure that the
drives are connected to a SCSI bus of a similar or higher specification. This means that you
need:

• An Ultra 160 or Ultra 320 SCSI bus. Ultra 160 SCSI supports the maximum bus speed of

160 MB per second; Ultra 320 SCSI exceeds this.

• LVD-rated SCSI cabling and terminators. The LVD interface and cable enables the data to

be transferred at the drive's maximum rate and provides a maximum cable length of 12
meters.

If you attach the drive to a lower specification SCSI bus, it may still work, but data will not be
transferred as quickly. For example, on a single-ended (SE) Ultra 2 SCSI bus the maximum
burst transfer speed of the drive is 40 MB/second and the maximum cable length is restricted
to 3 meters. See also Table 1, “supported SCSI bus types,” on page 11.

Note The drives are not compatible with high voltage differential (HVD) SCSI devices.

3

How can I check the SCSI bus type?

We strongly recommend that you use HP Library & Tape Tools to check your server’s current
SCSI configuration. This will provide information about the SCSI bus and the SCSI IDs in use.
HP Library & Tape Tools is the recommended diagnostic and support tool for your HP tape
storage product. It is available as a free download from the HP web site and is supported on
nearly all major operating systems.

See

www.hp.com/support/tapetools for compatibility information, updates and the

latest version of the tool.

Do I need additional items for installation?

• If you do not have a VHDCI, wide SCSI connector on your server, you will need to purchase
and install a VHDCI-to-HD adapter or use an HD-to-HD cable instead of the supplied cable.

• If the tape drive is not the only or last device on the SCSI bus, you must terminate the bus
with a multimode terminator. If the tape drive is the only or last device on the bus, then the
tape drive enclosure provides active termination and you do not need to purchase a
separate terminator.

• If you do not have a spare, suitably rated SCSI connector on your server, a new HBA (also
known as a SCSI card) will be required. The SCSI bus rating should match or be higher than
the SCSI rating of your tape drive. See Table 1, “supported SCSI bus types,” on page 11
for recommended HBAs. For specific details relevant to your server model please refer to

www.hp.com/go/connect. You will need to purchase and install the new HBA into an

unused, 64-bit PCI expansion slot within your server before installing your tape drive. (The
kit can also be installed in a 32-bit PCI expansion slot, but performance may be degraded.)

Refer to our World Wide Web site for recommended products, configurations and ordering
information:

www.hp.com/go/connect or www.hp.com/support/dlt.

4

Backup software and drivers

Backup software

For optimum performance it is important to use a backup application that is appropriate for
your system’s configuration. In a direct attach environment, where the tape drive is attached to
a standalone server, you can use backup software that is designed for a single server
environment. In network configurations you will need backup software that supports enterprise
environments. HP, Veritas, Legato, Yosemite and Computer Associates all provide suitable
products. Further details about these and other products that may be appropriate can be
found on our connectivity web site.

1 Go to our connectivity web site: www.hp.com/go/connect and select tape backup.

2 Select software compatibility.

3 Select your combination of operating system and tape drive model in the table. A list of

supported backup applications is displayed.

4 Make sure you have a backup application that supports HP StorageWorks VS160 tape drives

and download any upgrades or patches, if required.

Drivers

Windows users

After you connect the tape drive, download the HP driver from our web site: www.hp.com/

support

Refer to the accompanying README file for specific installation instructions for Windows
2000, Windows XP and Windows Server 2003 drivers.

Note: We recommend that you install drivers from the web rather than the Windows
Hardware Installation Wizard, because the HP drivers fully support the performance of your
tape drive.

, see “Step 5: Verify installation” on page 19.

5

Direct attach - SCSI Network attach - SCSI

storage server (A)

RAID disk subsystem
recommended, see
page 7

6

tape
drive (B)

Figure 1: usage models

Usage models

The tape drive (B) can be used in a standalone or network environment. In a network
environment, anything less than Gigabit Ethernet may limit performance. The tape drive
should always be directly attached to a VHDCI SCSI connector on the storage server (A), as
shown in Figure 1.

A RAID disk subsystem is recommended. A single disk, particularly a fast disk such as a 15K
RPM drive, will also be sufficient, but be aware of other factors that can affect performance—
such as, compressibility of data, disk fragmentation and the number of files. You can use our
free performance assessment tools, which are available standalone or integrated into HP
Library & Tape Tools, to check tape performance and test whether your disk subsystem can
supply data at the optimum transfer rate. You can also use these tools to calibrate your restore
performance and maximal tape performance with more compressible data. See also
“Optimizing performance” on page 27.

Other models

The tape drive may work with other usage models, such as network attach storage (NAS) and
storage area networks (SAN), but HP does not currently provide technical support for
installing and using standalone DLT VS160 tape drives with these architectures. Similarly,
connection to fibre channel may be possible, if you purchase and install a fibre channel/SCSI
bridge, but it is not currently a supported option.

Please check www.hp.com/go/connect for the latest supported configurations.

7

install your
product

learn about your
product

register your
product

Figure 2: the

8

HP StorageWorks Tape

buy media
online

troubleshoot
with L&TT

CD-ROM

Using the CD-ROM

The HP StorageWorks Tape CD-ROM is a central source of information about your tape drive
with utilities for getting the best performance from your tape drive.

Use the HP StorageWorks Tape CD-ROM to check installation, as described in this guide, and
to verify and troubleshoot performance after installation. It helps you to:

• Install your product, which includes access to drivers, an installation check, and
performance information and tools

• Learn about your product

• Register your product

•Buy media online

• Troubleshoot with HP Library & Tape Tools.

9

connecting to an HBA

card in the server

Figure 3: checking the VHDCI SCSI connection

10

Step 1: Check the SCSI connection

Use the following questions to help you check your SCSI connection. Windows users can use
HP Library & Tape Tools to check the SCSI bus type, see page 26. If you answer ‘Yes’ to all
these questions, you are ready to install your tape drive. If you answer ‘No’, you will probably
need to purchase and install additional items. For product details, go to

connect

1 Is there a spare SCSI port on your

server?

.

Yes

No

Purchase and install one of the recommended
HBAs into an unused 64-bit PCI expansion
slot. (The HBA can also be installed in a 32­bit PCI expansion slot, but performance may
be degraded.)

www.hp.com/go/

2 Is the SCSI bus type correct for the

SCSI specification of the device?

Yes

3 Will the tape drive be the only

device on the bus? This is the
recommended configuration. Do
not connect to a RAID controller or
the same SCSI bus as your disk
drive.

Yes

4 Does the HBA/controller have a

VHDCI SCSI connector?

Yes

No

No

No

See table below. If the SCSI bus differs from
the recommended specification for the drive,
performance of either the drive or the bus may
be impaired. Consider replacing your card
with one of the recommended HBAs.

Performance may be impaired. Consider
installing (if you have a spare PCI slot) or
replacing your card with an Ultra 320 HBA.
Make sure the last device on the bus is
terminated.

Purchase and install a VHDCI-to-HD adapter
or use an HD-to-HD cable instead of the
supplied VHDCI-to-HD cable.

5 You are ready to install the device.

SCSI Bus Type Transfer Speed Supported

Ultra 160 LVD Up to 160 MB/s Yes. This is a recommended configuration.

Ultra 320 LVD Up to 320 MB/s Yes. This is a recommended configuration.
Ultra 2 LVD Up to 80 MB/s Yes, but this is not recommended
Ultra single-ended,

wide
High Voltage

Differential

table 1: supported SCSI bus types

Up to 40 MB/s Yes, but this is not recommended as it will restrict

performance. Do not connect to a narrow SCSI bus.

Up to 40 MB/s No. The drive will not work and you may damage

the drive or controller

11

12

Figure 4: checking the SCSI ID