Quantum Superloader 3 failing to Inventory. Case # 00958432

[nick_j_bacon]

Hi Everyone,

Just installed a new SuperLoader3 and getting the following error:

Code: Select all

02/07/2015 10:10:30          Processing started at Thursday, July 02, 2015 10:10:28 AM
02/07/2015 10:10:33          Drive 0 (Drive ID: Tape0) locked successfully
02/07/2015 10:10:35 Error    Failed to inventory tape in Drive 0 (Drive ID: Tape0) Error: Tape positioning error: Tape error: '87' (The parameter is incorrect.) 
02/07/2015 10:10:39          Unloading tape NFM814L6 from Drive 0 (Drive ID: Tape0) to Slot 1

This is followed shortly afterwards by a BSOD. We had been running with a standalone LTO6 drive without any problems.

I've also tried erasing the tapes as support have suggested even though they are brand new. Running out of ideas at this point.

[Dima P.]

Hello Nick,
Last time I saw this error - it was resolved by updating the drive firmware and the windows driver. Can you check if that helps?

[nick_j_bacon]

That was my first port of call. Drive and loader both running the latest firmware. I've also now tested with our old backupexec 2012 server and can carry out inventory and short erase without any problems. I'm just doing a long erase and then I'll move the hardware back to our Veeam server and retest.

Also doing a search and destroy on the drivers to ensure there are now older/incorrect versions installed.

[veremin]

Aren't there any Symantec remnants that might prevent VB&R from working properly with that device, such as services, drivers, etc.?

[nick_j_bacon]

The Backupexec server is different tin. I moved the SAS card & autoloader across to test. I am beginning to wonder if I'll need to do a complete rebuild of the server next week to test 'fresh' with a vanilla install of 2008 R2.

[veremin]

It might be worth doing so just to be on the safe side. However, continue investigation with support team is also a good idea. Thanks.

[nick_j_bacon]

So I rebuilt the server yesterday from scratch and retested. Sadly the same problem. Inventory job fails and then about a minute later the machine BSODs. Beginning to run out of ideas on this one.

[veremin]

Have a support engineer come to any conclusion in regards to potential root cause so far?

[nick_j_bacon]

Nope, sadly no progress yet.

Everything I have tried seems to lead back to Error 87 whenever VEEAM tries to access the tape drive. It can see the loader locally or remotely (In this case I installed on our old backupexec server which uses it's own drivers) and it will load a tape without any problem. Then the error message appears and a BSOD follows shortly afterwards (Interestingly this doesn't happen when the loader is attached remotely, I just get the error message).

I've also noticed that the loader never gets locked by the VEEAM software and VEEAM has no idea what size the tapes are.

Support have asked me to erase a tape directly from the loader front panel but there's no option for this.

Getting rather despondent about this as I'll have to revert back to our stand alone drive while I look at alternates to VEEAM.

[nick_j_bacon]

Some more info

*** WARNING: Unable to verify timestamp for QLTOx64.sys
*** ERROR: Module load completed but symbols could not be loaded for QLTOx64.sys
***** Kernel symbols are WRONG. Please fix symbols to do analysis.

debug analysis of the crashdump.

Time to get Quantum support involved - sadly it takes 72 hours to register on their support website.

[Dima P.]

Thanks Nick. Actually, I’ve found another case where the drive was replaced by the vendor (the symptoms were identical), so contacting Quantum support might be a good idea.

[nick_j_bacon]

I'm about ready to give up on this. Autoloader works in 2008 R2 and 2012 R2 with other software. Only Veeam seems to dislike it. I've tried local and remote configurations.

[Dima P.]

Nick,
Any word from Quantum support?

[Cookci]

I have the same problem.

Latest drivers installed on super loader 3 and lto7.

Is there a fix for this please?

[tstarken]

We are having the same problem with the SuperLoader3 with the LTO7 drive from IBM installed. After exhausting most options with Veeam and Quantum support, I believe we are going to proceed with unit replacement if we don't hear any updates from Veeam soon.

We were able to eject tapes from the GUI interface for the changer, but nothing including the IBM Tape Diagnostic was able to properly eject tapes. They did load properly and could even erase a tape, but could never get a status after the operation.

Veeam Case 02439776
Quantum Case 395138

[tstarken]

Update - After working with both Quantum and Veeam support, we discovered that we had switched from a 50 tape library to 16 tape autoloader. Even though Veeam sees the Quantum and internal IBM LTO 7 tape drive, it can load a tape, but when it needs to eject it, it is trying to return the tape to slots in high numbers like #43 which, of course, don't exist on a 16 tape autoloader. The Veeam database will have to be edited to remove entries that refer to the old tape library and slot numbers higher than 16. This case has been passed to second level Veeam support for resolution.

[Dima P.]

Hello Tim,

Thank you for updating this thread. Please keep working with our support team and let us know if you need any help with your case. Cheers!

[tstarken]

Here was the solution:
Remove the tape server from Veeam entirely, then re-add it afterward. All tapes will appear in an offline state until the reintroduction and scan of the server, and I expect one of the two results:

- The library will show up as a new one, and the current one remains as an offline library
- The current library is brought back online with no duplicate

To do this, just go to Tape Infrastructure in Veeam B&R, expand the Servers node in the tree at left, right-click the tape server (which I understand to be the Veeam server itself) and select "Remove". Then, add the server again as if new, and run an inventory (not catalog) of the library.

[veremin]

the tape server (which I understand to be the Veeam server itself)

Not necessarily, tape server is just a role you assign to windows-based machine that has tape device connected. Thank you for sharing the resolution, anyway.

[Murigar]

My intention is not to rez a dead post, but as this is still a current product line and apparently current problem I wanted to present my information.

I was running into this problem and tried many things for resolution.
The solution that worked for me was to use the native Windows Server 2019 drivers for the Tape Drive and the Quantum drivers for the "Quantum Superloader 3".

Install Drivers, (Quantum LTO-8 3.8.0.1), crash on Inventory / Eject.
Rollback Drivers, (Microsoft 10.0.17763.292), everything works.
Install Drivers, (Quantum LTO-8 3.8.0.1), crash on Inventory / Eject
Rollback Drivers, (Microsoft 10.0.17763.292), everything works.
Stay on Microsoft native drivers.

It is worth noting that MS Windows 2019 native drives, does list the drive correctly as "IBM ULTRIUM-HH8...".

[Dima P.]

Hello Murigar,

We will review this information with the tape team. Thanks for the heads up!