Have you found any solution to this issue?

I notice in this KB article it states that tape drive are no longer supported in ESXi 5.0.  I hope I am reading this wrong.

"Note: VMware does not support tape drives that are connected to ESXi 5.0 hosts"

http://kb.vmware.com/selfservice/microsites/search.do?language=en_US&cmd=displayKC&externalId=1016407

Hi stratomer,

01. We have  couple of implementations outside with an ESX4.X and CA ARcserve Backup inside a VM running on that ESX.
In these cases is does not matter whether ARCserve r15, r15,1,r16.

Working pretty well.

02. I have to disappoint you: you were too fast.

ESXi5 is on ARCserve compatiblity list since Monday this week.

Necessity to test with ARCserve r16 Servicepack 1.

There was a copy of ARCserve compatibility list about Nov 18th  saying that ARC r16 already supports both, VDDK 5 and ESXi5.

I had a conversation about that with CA last week: the compat matrix was changed in advance of appearance of r16 SP1.

Therefore, no support with SP 0.

You find the most recent CA ARCserve Compatibility list here:

https://support.ca.com/irj/portal/anonymous/phpsupcontent?contentID={465F5ECA-FBC6-40A6-8BB5-53D0894C28B6}

You find the Servicepack 1 download instructions here:

https://support.ca.com/irj/portal/anonymous/SolutionResults?aparNo=RO35289&actionID=4

I did not yet review the release Notes of ARCserve r16 SP1 in terms of solving the problem with ESXi5.

03.

Your description did work for me in so far, that I could modify the ALUA settings.

I did not get the tape drive run stable inside the VM.

We are using a QUANTUM LTO-III drive here.

Still troubleshooting this.

Is yours still online and stable ?

HTH,

Georg

Just to let you know:

A day later i reviewed the output of "esxcli storage nmp satp rule" and saw different spellings for the Quantum drive.
I cleaned up and voila after a new assginment to the VM also using a different scsi mapping it worked fine.

Note: No reboot required, neither for esxi5 nor for VM.

Note2: You cannot cleanup all (redundant) rules; this is commentet in some vSphere blogs I now do not have at hand.

hth

georg

I have the same issue with the same SAS Card HP P212 in connection with a new HP Ultrium 5-SCSI Backup Tape Drive.

The backup software is Symantec BackupExec 2010 R3, all available patches and fixes are installed.

At the first look everythink worked fine. A test backup finished successfully without problems, but after i changed the tape the tape drive will be go offline.

I didn't find a solution or a workaround to get the tape drive online again. Sometimes it works again after a reboot or a restart of all BE Services.

As described in this thread i verified the tape is using VMW_SATP_AULA.

So unfortunately i can't test too many things on a productive system, i really appreciate if someone can approve this solution.

Many thanks

@me100n

"Verify if the tape drive is using VMW_SATP_AULA (which is bad)"

Change it (as per post above) to LOCAL

Seb

me100n,

in two cases with arcserve r15, r16 we had the same/ similar occurance.
there still was an obsolete line in the rules config output.

As scerazy/ stratomer write: VMW_SATP_LOCAL is the correct setting.
Might be, that while changing settings the VM did no free the path.

So,
shutdown BE
unmap the scsi id in the vms settings
then go through stratomers description
you dont need to reboot esx or vm
map vm scsi again [but not to SCSSI:X:0]
( take for example X:5)
rescan adapters in esx
Find your device in vsSphere Client
rescan hardware in windows devicemanager within VM and find the respective device now.
restart BE and be fine.
HTH
georg

hello

thank you all for your replies.

After some days of troubleshooting and testing the tape now works fine.

Unfortunately the HP Tape also had a defective.

So that was the reason why some tapes couldn't loaded.

After i changed the HP Tape with a spare part, it seems that all works fine!

thx a lot again

greets

Hi

I have the same situation, but one big different. My tape library is connected via FC (IBM TS3200)

I can see my medium changer in Device Manager (in my backup vm. Backup Exec 2010 R3),but not the tape drive. Has anyone experience with his configuration?

Thanks

Hi,

I have the same issue,

1.esxcli storage nmp device list:

  storage array type is showing vmw_SATP_LOCAL . When i try to add SCSI device in VM only HP Tape is showing. HP Media is not detecting.

i have attached screenshot also.

same problem till today no solution

HI,

I got SAS Tape Drive can we connect this to VCenter server and  access using Symantec Backupexec  2012?

is it a good idea?

AS

Kathir,

you write: >>When i try to add SCSI device in VM only HP Tape is showing. HP Media is not detecting.<<

I do not properly understand this.

esxcli storage nmp device list will not show any media, oonly the tape drive. this is ok.

In Windows device manager of the respective vm: do you see the tape drive ?

You will not see a media there.

If you then look into arcserves device manager: do you see the tape drive ?
Is it onlline ?

If you then insert the media, is it then see inside arcserves devicemanager ?

can you format or erase the taape ?

When you then eect the tape: does tape go offline again or does it keep shwoing online ?

In neitther vSpehre Clients storage adapter view nor in the vm settiings dialog you will see a HP MEDIA.

Either you have a backup application

or might be, that windows removable storage servie shows the tape media as well (if installed, which i would not recommend; depending on the backup app)

Our different environements with Quantum LTO's and HP LTO's still show stable since my first posting here.
Did you try rebooting esx to get it work what was not necessary in my cases) ?

HTH

Georg

Bschau,

i am not BE expert.

Is TS3200 direct attached to FC HBA in the ESXi ?

Is the HBA certified and supported by ESX ?

Did you install the respective HBA drivers inside the VM ?

Did you try to update the storport drivers inside3 the VM ?

Did you notice this old thread ?
http://communities.vmware.com/thread/216291

And this one ?
http://blogs.vmware.com/vsphere/2011/11/npiv-n-port-id-virtualization.html

Although as i understnd, no fabric used in your case, you could try this.

Another thing could be to change adressing in tapelibrary.

In some libraries years ago you could switch the way how multiple devices of a library are presented to a host.
scsi id vs. lun id.

Do not know whether this is possible with TS3200.
(Even not knowing if it is possible with i40,i500)

I myself did not yet map fc tape into vm.

sorry,

georg