Quantum LTO-1, LTO-2 Installation Guide
Installing a DLT, SDLT, VS,
LTO, or DAT Tape Drive Into a
Linux Operating System
Purpose 5
Scope 5
Conventions Used in This Guide 5
Reference Documents 6
Setting Up Communication with the Tape Drives 7
Before Installing the Tape Drive..............................................................................7
Installing the Tape Drive..........................................................................................8
Verifying the st Module is Loaded .........................................................................8
Verifying Communication with the Tape Drives 9
Displaying the Kernel Initialization Information .................................................9
Reviewing the Kernel Initialization Information..................................................9
Identifying the Tape Devices .................................................................................10
What To Do if Device Information is Missing.....................................................10
Obtaining Device Information Using /proc/scsi/scsi 10
What is the /proc File System?..............................................................................10
Viewing /proc Files.................................................................................................10
Document 6464215-01 Rev. B, January 2006 1
Installing a DLT, SDLT, VS, LTO, or DAT Tape Drive Into a Linux Operating System
Document 6464215-01 Rev. B
January 2006
Accessing Devices Using /dev/st* Device Nodes 11
Generating a List of Device Files ...........................................................................11
Reviewing the List of Device Files ........................................................................11
What To Do if a Device Node is Missing .............................................................12
Interpreting the Device Node File Listing............................................................13
Identifying Device Nodes.......................................................................................14
Identifying Device Modes ......................................................................................15
Creating Device Nodes ...........................................................................................15
Creating Auto-Rewind Device Nodes..................................................................16
Creating No-Rewind Device Nodes......................................................................16
mt-st Linux RPM Package 17
Verifying mt-st is Installed .....................................................................................17
Installing mt-st .........................................................................................................17
mt Tape Device Tool 17
stinit and stinit.def 18
Tape Device and Parameter Definitions...............................................................18
Identifying Tape Devices and Parameters ...........................................................19
Common Tape Device Keywords .........................................................................19
Common Parameter Keywords .............................................................................19
mtx Tape Library Tool 20
Verifying mtx is Installed .......................................................................................20
Installing mtx............................................................................................................21
Appendix A – Tape Drive and Cartridge Compatibility 22
Tape Drive and Cartridge Compatibility – DLT.................................................22
Tape Drive and Cartridge Compatibility – SDLT...............................................23
Tape Drive and Cartridge Compatibility – VS....................................................23
Tape Drive and Cartridge Compatibility – LTO.................................................24
Tape Drive and Cartridge Compatibility – DDS/DAT......................................24
Contents 2
Installing a DLT, SDLT, VS, LTO, or DAT Tape Drive Into a Linux Operating System
Document 6464215-01 Rev. B
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Appendix B – Linux Reference Documentation 25
Appendix C – Sample stinit.def Definitions File 26
Recommendations ...................................................................................................26
Sample File................................................................................................................26
Appendix D – Troubleshooting 31
Contents 3
Installing a DLT, SDLT, VS, LTO, or DAT Tape Drive Into a Linux Operating System
Document 6464215-01 Rev. B
January 2006
Made in the USA.
Quantum Corporation provides this publication “as is” without warranty of any kind, either express or implied, including but not
limited to the implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. Quantum Corporation may revise this publication
from time to time without notice.
COPYRIGHT STATEMENT
© Copyright 2006 by Quantum Corporation. All rights reserved.
Your right to copy this document is limited by copyright law. Making copies or adaptations without prior written authorization of
Quantum Corporation is prohibited by law and constitutes a punishable violation of the law.
TRADEMARK STATEMENT
Quantum, DLT, DLTtape, the Quantum logo, and the DLTtape logo are all registered trademarks of Quantum Corporation. SDLT and
Super DLTtape are trademarks of Quantum Corporation.
Other trademarks may be mentioned herein which belong to other companies.
Contents 4
Installing a DLT, SDLT, VS, LTO, or DAT Tape Drive Into a Linux Operating System
6464215-01, Rev B
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Purpose 0
This document provides instructions for integrating a Quantum® DLTtape®
drive, a Super DLTtape™ drive, a DLT VS tape drive, an LTO tape drive, or a
DAT tape drive into Red Hat® Linux, Novell® SuSE® Linux, or other Linux
operating system.
Scope 0
This document is intended for users who have a general understanding of
Linux operating systems.
The instructions and examples provided in this document refer specifically to
Red Hat and Novell SuSE Linux systems. The instructions may differ slightly
if you are running a Linux system other than Red Hat or Novell SuSE. If these
instructions are not adequate, refer to the Linux user guide for your system.
This document pertains to the following products:
• Tape drives: DLT 2000, DLT 2000XT, DLT 4000, DLT 7000, DLT 8000,
SDLT 220, SDLT 320, SDLT 600, DLT1, VS80, VS160, DLT-V4, LTO-1,
LTO-2, LTO-3, and DAT 72.
Note: The Super DLT1 tape drive is currently known as the SDLT 220
tape drive.
• Mini-libraries: DLT 2500, DLT 2500XT, DLT 2700, DLT 2700XT,
DLT 4500, and DLT 4700.
Conventions Used in This Guide 0
This document uses the following conventions when providing examples of
st commands and codes:
Item Example Meaning
“
n” in parentheses
in the
st file name
(n)st0*
The example applies either to autorewind or to no-rewind devices.
“
n” absent from the
st file name
“
n” present in the st
file name
Purpose 5
st0* The device is auto-rewind.
nst0* The device is no-rewind.
Installing a DLT, SDLT, VS, LTO, or DAT Tape Drive Into a Linux Operating System
6464215-01, Rev B
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Item Example Meaning
“
0” in an st file
name
st0 Represents the device number.
In actual practice, this numeric
character may be any number from
0 to 31 depending on the node. See
Identifying Device Nodes
page 14 for more information.
on
* (asterisk)
mt-st* The asterisk is a placeholder
representing the rest of the file
name.
Reference Documents 0
As you install and work with your Linux system, you should have the manual
for your tape drive available to refer to. Following is a list of all the product
manuals for Quantum tape drives.
Document
Product Manual Title
DLT 2000/DLT 2500/DLT 2700 Cartridge Tape Subsystem
Product Manual
DLT 2000XT/DLT 2500XT/DLT 2700XT Product Manual 81-109253-03
DLT 4000 Product Manual 81-60043-04
DLT 7000 Product Manual 81-60000-06
Number
81-109132-03
DLT 8000 Product Manual 81-60118-04
SDLT 220 and SDLT 320 Product Manual 81-85002-01
SDLT 600 Product Manual 81-81184-01
DLT1 Tape Drive Installation and Operations Guide 000826-01
VS80 Tape Drive Installation and Operations Guide 001596-01
VS160 Tape Drive Installation and Operations Guide 81-81191-01
DLT-V4 Product Manual 81-81422-02
LTO-1/LTO-2 Tape Drive User’s Guide 50001007
LTO-3 Tape Drive User’s Guide 50002764
DDS-4/DAT 72 User’s Guide 50000711
Reference Documents 6
Installing a DLT, SDLT, VS, LTO, or DAT Tape Drive Into a Linux Operating System
6464215-01, Rev B
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If you do not have the correct product manual, you can view and download it
from the Quantum Web site at:
http://www.quantum.com/ServiceandSupport/
SoftwareandDocumentationDownloads/Index.aspx
Setting Up Communication with the Tape Drives 0
This section describes how to install the tape drive and how to configure the
Red Hat Linux and Novell SuSE Linux operating systems to recognize and
communicate with the tape drive. The Red Hat or Novell SuSE operating
system includes a driver to communicate efficiently with SCSI devices, such
as a DLT or SDLT tape drive.
Before Installing the Tape D r i v e
Before you install the tape drive, follow these steps:
0
1 If you have a DLT 2000, DLT 2500, or DLT 2700 product, make sure it
uses version V10 (or higher) controller firmware. If it does not, go to
http://www.quantum.com/am/service_support/downloads/
default.htm to download V10.
(The suggested method to determine what version of firmware you are
running is to view the SCSI HBA Bios at boot-up.)
Note: The DLT 2000XT, DLT 2500XT, DLT 2700XT, DLT 4000,
DLT 7000, DLT 8000, SDLT 220, SDLT 320, SDLT 600, DLT1,
VS80, VS160, DLT-V4, LTO-1, LTO-2, LTO-3, and DAT 72 tape
drives do not have a firmware revision restriction.
2 Make sure that you have the appropriate SCSI interface and cable for
your tape drive:
If you have this type of tape
drive SCSI connection...
Single-ended (SE) SE or LVD
Low-voltage differential (LVD) LVD
High-voltage differential (HVD) HVD
You need this type of SCSI
interface...
3 Obtain the appropriate manual for your tape drive. The product manual
provides detailed hardware installation instructions, including switch
and jumper settings and information about SCSI bus termination. See
Reference Documents
Setting Up Communication with the Tape Drives 7
on page 6.
Installing a DLT, SDLT, VS, LTO, or DAT Tape Drive Into a Linux Operating System
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Installing the Tape Drive
0
Verifying the st Module is Loaded
To install the tape drive, follow these steps:
1 Shut down your workstation or server and remove AC power from the
system.
2 Follow the instructions in your tape drive’s product manual to install the
tape drive and set the SCSI ID.
st is the tape device driver for Linux. Typically, st is loaded into the kernel as
0
a module to support SCSI tape devices. You must verify that
st is loaded to
assure that the kernel supports SCSI tape devices.
To verify the
st module is loaded, follow these steps:
1 Execute the following command as superuser:
# modinfo st
If st is loaded, the output will look similar to one of the following:
• Red Hat Enterprise Linux 3.0 (RHEL3):
filename: /lib/modules/2.4.21-4.ELsmp/kernel/drivers/scsi/st.odescription:
"SCSI Tape Driver"
author: "Kai Makisara"
license: "GPL"
parm: buffer_kbs int, description "Default driver buffer size (KB; 32)"
parm: max_buffers int, description "Maximum number of buffer allocated
at initialisation (4)"
parm: max_sg_segs int, description "Maximum number of scatter/gather
segments to use (32)"
parm: blocking_open int, description "Block in open if not ready an no
O_NONBLOCK (0)"
• Novell SuSE Linux 9 (SuSE9):
parm: try_wdio:Try direct write i/o when possible
parm: try_rdio:Try direct read i/o when possible
parm: try_direct_io:Try direct I/O between user buffer and tape drive (1)
parm: max_sg_segs:Maximum number of scatter/gather segments to
use (256)
parm: buffer_kbs:Default driver buffer size for fixed block mode (KB; 32)
license: GPL
description: SCSI Tape Driver
author: Kai Makisara
depends: scsi_mod
supported: yes
vermagic: 2.6.5-7.79-smp SMP 586 REGPARM gcc-3.3
If the st module is not loaded, modinfo will report that the module name is
not found. You need to load the
st module by using the #insmod
command. Consult your Linux manuals for instructions.
2 Reboot the server. This allows the
st driver to attach tape device nodes
(/dev/st#).
Setting Up Communication with the Tape Drives 8
Installing a DLT, SDLT, VS, LTO, or DAT Tape Drive Into a Linux Operating System
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Verifying Communication with the Tape Drives 0
You must ensure the st driver sees the all the tape devices. If you have added
a tape device, you must verify that the
You do this by displaying and reviewing the kernel initialization information
which contains
st driver initialization and attachment of SCSI tape devices.
st driver sees the new device.
Displaying the Kernel Initialization Information
You can display the kernel initialization information by using any of the
following three methods:
0
Method Instructions
View
st information
during boot-up.
Read the Kernel
Message Buffer Log.
Execute the
dmesg
command to view
the Kernel Message
Buffer Log.
At boot-up, Linux displays kernel initialization
information, including the
st driver initialization
and attachment of the SCSI tape devices. The
information scrolls by quickly; if you miss it, try
one of the other two methods.
The kernel message buffer log contains the most
recent kernel logs. Look in
Remember: The kernel message buffer is limited in
/var/log/dmesg.
size; therefore, when the buffer becomes full, old
logs are discarded.
Executing the
dmesg command is another way to
open the kernel message buffer log. Execute the
following command:
# dmesg | less
See “Read the Kernel Message Buffer Log” above
for more information about the log.
Reviewing the Kernel Initialization Information
0
All three of the methods show you the same information. The information
looks similar to one of the following:
• RHEL3 output looks similar to the following:
Attached scsi tape st0 at scsi2, channel 0, id 4, lun 0
st0: Block limits 4 - 16777212 bytes.
st: Version 20030406, bufsize 32768, max init. bufs 4, s/g segs 16
• SuSE9 output looks similar to the following:
Attached scsi tape st0 at scsi0, channel 0, id 3, lun 0
st0: try direct i/o: yes (alignment
st: Version 20040318, fixed bufsize 32768, s/g segs 256
Verifying Communication with the Tape Drives 9
512 B), max page reachable by
HBA
1048575
Installing a DLT, SDLT, VS, LTO, or DAT Tape Drive Into a Linux Operating System
6464215-01, Rev B
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Identifying the Tape Devices
0
You can identify the tape device by looking at the values listed for “channel”
(PCI Bus), “
id” (SCSI ID), and “lun” (lun is always “0” for standalone
configurations).
If you have more than one tape device, you should see similar lines of output
for each device.
What To Do if Device Information is Missing
0
If you do not see the information for every attached tape device, then the st
driver is not communicating with the missing device(s). Try the following
solutions:
• Verify that the connector cable length does not exceed the specifications
listed in your product manual.
• Make sure the SCSI bus is terminated properly (see your product manual
for instructions).
• Ensure there are enough
st tape device nodes for all your attached tape
devices. If not, you will need to create more. See Creating Device Nodes
on page 15 and Creating No-Rewind Device Nodes
on page 16.
Obtaining Device Information Using /proc/scsi/scsi 0
To obtain information about a specific tape drive, view the /proc/scsi/scsi file.
What is the /proc File System?
0
The /proc file system is a map to the running kernel process. It displays a list of
connected SCSI devices. It is not a disk-based file system and is dynamic to
reflect the current boot-up information.
Viewing /proc Files 0 The recommended method to view /proc files is to use the cat command piped
( | ) with command
# cat /proc/scsi/scsi | less
more or less. Execute the following command:
Caution: Do NOT execute the cat command on the /proc/kcore file. This
unique file contains a running image of the kernel’s memory at
that particular moment. Executing the
cat command on this
file will render your terminal unusable.
The output will look something like the following:
Attached devices:
Host: scsi0 Channel: 00 Id: 03 Lun: 00
Vendor: QUANTUM Model: SDLT320 Rev: 5252
Type: Sequential-Access ANSI SCSI revision: 02
Host: scsi1 Channel: 00 Id: 03 Lun: 00
Obtaining Device Information Using /proc/scsi/scsi 10
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