28 Oct
2001
28 Oct
'01
12:52 a.m.
Gunther Schadow wrote:
it still doesn't work. I booted again VMS from TK (takes hours)
Why not load up VMS at least for now - it should
boot somewhat more quickly! (Althoug, quite
worryingly, so should a TK50-based standalone backup!)
trying various combinations of hardware and no success.
I have
given the RA90 a device address of 1. I have tried it on both
the KDB50 and the KDM70 without success. Now I am wondering
whether the SDI cable crossover issue is the problem? But
why can Geoff run his RA90 in the basement of his 6000?
The specifications clearly say that you can do this:
KDB50---->VAXbulkhead---->SA800bulkhead---->RA90
and Geoff does this
KDB50---->VAXbulkhead---->RA90.
Does he? I recall him saying that he has
an RA9x in the bottom of his 6000 but I
do not recall him stating that he used
an even number of cables to do this.
So, the swapping issue seems more complicated than just
an uneven number of SDI cables! But I did exactly what
Geoff did! Or did he do it differently? How? May be there
are two sorts of SDI cables with or without cross-over?
AFAIK, *all* SDI cables are the same. Even never
works, odd works if everything else is right.
However, VMS never detects any actual drive. So how
could I
possibly test this link between KDB50 and drive. It could be
any of this:
- KDB50 SDI interface damaged but in a way that is not
detected by the self-test
- KDB50 backplane cabling not screwed on tightly enough
- SDI cabling broken
- SDI cabling mismatched (crossover issue)
- RA90 SDI interface damaged but in a way that is not
detected by the self-test
Is there any resident test that will check the drive/host
interaction without requiring me to wait for another VMS
boot cycle. Each attempt at rewiring and rebooting costs me
about one hour for the VMS to boot from TK again so I need
to keep this minimal.
OK. If standalone backup does not see the
drive before you get to the $ prompt then something
is clearly wrong (it should report a set of available
drives, one of which should be DUAn: where n is
the unit number).
Check the drive first. Press the TEST switch - the
TEST light should come on. Press the FAULT switch
and *all* lights should come on. Now you know the
lights work - press the TEST switch to leave test mode.
You can run a set of drive tests as follows:
- Power up: you'll setle with a display of R AB
- Deselect A & B
- press TEST
- press Write Protect
Now the display is T 00 with the
rightmost 0 flashing
- Use A & B to select a test number
- Start the test by pressing Write Protect
The display changes to S NN
Once the test has finished the display changes
to C NN
- Stop the test by pressing A or B
- Press TEST to leave test mode.
One suggested set of diags is:
- Spin *down* the drive
- Select T 60
- Press Write Protect to start the test
- The display does something like:
S 60
LOT
C 60
T 00
- T 60 has not done anything - it will simply
loop the next test.
- Select T 00
- Press Write Protect
This will run a set of diags repeatedly.
Leave to simmer for 5 minutes.
Repeat the above with the drive spun up.
(It performs a different set of diags).
If all that uncovers no fault, there is a
good chance that your drive is OK.
You have tried a KDB50 and a KDM70 -
assuming those are installed according to the
manual, and the processor can see them,
then that leaves just the cabling. If you
have a KDM70, I would try to use that rather
than the KDB50 since that way you do not
depend on a working VAXBI bus.
Do we know the pinouts and signal patterns of the SDI
(and
BTW the KLESI) so that I oculd use my scope to detect if
the wiring is O.K.? I didn't find pinouts and signals in
the KDB50, RA9x user manual (or the KLESI user manual
respectively).
I've never come across a broken SDI
cable, but it may be worthwhile doing
a simple continuity check - each should
be eight cables (four differential signals IIRC).
Antonio