Re: aperiodic scsi tape problems: suggestions?

[Edward Croft <ecroft openratings com>]

On Mon, 2003-06-30 at 15:38, Bill Tangren wrote:
> I sometimes have problems with my scsi tapes. Today, with I try to do a 
> retension on a tape, I get this error:
> 
> # mt -f /dev/st0 retension
> /dev/st0: Input/output error
> #
> 
> To say that this error message is not helpful is an understatement. I 
> tried cleaning the drive: no luck. The drive is a:
> 
> Host: scsi0 Channel: 00 Id: 00 Lun: 00
>    Vendor: Seagate  Model: STT20000A        Rev: 8.43
>    Type:   Sequential-Access                ANSI SCSI revision: 02
> 
> This is taken from the /proc/scsi/scsi file.
> 
> Any suggestions on how I can debug the problem?
> 
> Bill Tangren
> 
Sometimes a tape drive will go offline after having an error. Try
turning the tape drive off and back on. On some older Seagate 4mm, I
used to have to shutdown the system and do a cold boot to get the drive
back on line. It was a real nuisance.