Asset ID:	1-71-1020799.1
Update Date:	2011-02-23
Keywords:

---

Solution Type  Technical Instruction Sure

Solution  1020799.1 :   SL3000 - Testing of the Cleaning Process in an SL3000 using HSC  


PreviouslyPublishedAs
265048

Applies to:

Sun StorageTek 9310 Automated Cartridge System
Sun StorageTek 9740 Tape Library
Sun StorageTek L700 Tape Library
Sun StorageTek SL3000 Modular Library System
All Platforms
Checked for relevance on 23-Feb-2011.

Goal

Testing of the cleaning process in an SL3000 using HSC.

Solution

Steps to Follow
The rules to test cleaning for an HSC controlled silo (whether it’s a 9310, L700, SL8500, 9740, or SL3000):
1. Do Not put a cleaning tape in the reserved slot.  HSC cannot manage tapes in this slot.
2. Do NOT turn on auto-clean in the silo (SLC setting).
3. Do set up AUTOCLN to on in the MNTD statements of HSC.PARMLIB(SLSSYS00)
          - MNTD AUTOCLN(ON)
4.  Enter your cleaning tapes in through the CAP so that they’re assigned an HSC aware slot.

 
NOTE: Refer to the attached document for details on testing the cleaning feature.

HSC will NOT clean the drive under the following conditions:

- Missing a Cleaning prefix (so that HSC knows it’s a cleaning tape) in the LIBGEN.
- The MNTD setting is incorrect to have HSC do the auto-cleaning.
- The SL Console is set up to perform auto-cleaning in the library.
- The cleaning tape is in a reserved slot so HSC can not access it.
- There is a bad VOLATTR statement where the cleaning cartridges are not identified.

Having the library clean the drive will cause an issue with overused cleaning cartridges not getting ejected from the library.

 


When a SCSI drive requires a clean, the drive will always notify the attached host with a 'tape alert".
The backup software is configured to either mount a cleaning tape on the drive or ignore the tape alert.
We want the tape alert to be ignored when there is library control software involved, such as ACSLS and even HSC/LibStation.
We may also want the tape alert ignored if the library microcode is set for auto clean.

We want the backup application (via tape alert) to control the clean when there isn't the library control software available or the library isn't capable of auto clean.

In the case of HSC and ACSLS, the drive will send a tape alert to the host AND a clean request through the hardware HLI interface.
The HLI clean request eventually makes it back to HSC or ACSLS, which in turn mounts one of the available cleaning tapes.

So in the Open System world there really is software to control drive cleans.  In the case of most Oracle/StorageTek libraries the feature is not widely used.


Attachments

This solution has no attachment