[comp.os.vms] Kennedy tapedrive/emulex tco2 problems

gr47@sdcc12.ucsd.EDU (gr47) (03/02/88)

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We are having problems with our Kennedy 9600A tapedrive.  It seems
to have always been slow to initialize or mount a blank tape; now
it will not initialize a blank (new) tape at all.  For the last many
months (maybe since upgrade from 4.2 to 4.4), attempts to verify
tape jobs have failed -- something about an error in tape label
positioning.  
  
Our configuration is a MicroVAX running vms 4.4, emulex tco2
controller and the Kennedy (horizontal 800/1600/3200 bpi).  
We have run all this by Kennedy and they suggest that the tco2 is
probably old and incompatible with vms 4.4.  A local company played
with the tapedrive in their shop, and were able to get the drive to
fail occasionally -- they suggested that heat may be a problem and 
additionally suggested trying mount/override=(acc,own,something else).
This latter seemed to bypass the bypass/mount problems, but the tape
write jobs now bomb at random points (always different).  

Has anyone seen vaguely similar problems?  Alternately, does someone
have an emulex tco2 and a Kennedy 9600a tapedrive working well with
vms 4.x? Sorry not to be
more specific but the problems have, until very recently, been
intermittent with different users and have been masked/confused by slight 
changes in the system.


Thanks in advance for any help.

Steve Piper
scpiper@ucsd.edu     ! internet
scpiper@ucsd         ! bitnet
cdrgmv::piper2       ! span
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