Compaq SCSI Controllers

Select a SCSI controller entry from the Mass Storage list to display a submenu containing separate entries for Controller Information, SCSI devices connected to the controller, and Storage System information. Device types include disks, CD-ROMs, tape drives, processors, tape libraries, CD libraries, scanners, optical drives, WORM drives, and so on. The following items may be displayed depending on the type of controller:

Controller Information

SCSI Device Information

SCSI Bus Information

SCSI Physical Drives

Tape Library

Tape Devices

Compaq CD Storage System

Storage Systems


Controller Information

Select a controller entry from the Mass Storage list to display the following information.

Model displays the controller's model ID, used for identification purposes. The following values are valid:

Status displays the current status of the controller. The following values are valid:

Serial Number displays the serial number of the SCSI controller. This number can be used for identification purposes.

Firmware Version displays the SCSI controller's BIOS firmware version number. This information is not available for all SCSI controllers.

Bus Width displays the width of the data bus on the SCSI Controller. The following values are valid:

Hard Resets displays the number of times the SCSI Hardware Interface Driver detected that the SCSI bus has been reset since the driver was loaded.

Hard resets occasionally occur due to device errors. If this value rises dramatically, there may be a problem. Check the SCSI Bus Information for unusually high error counts. A device with a large number of bus errors may be failing and require replacement.

Soft Resets displays the number of times the SCSI Hardware Interface Driver has issued a reset command to all devices on a SCSI bus since the driver was loaded. Soft resets occur when the device driver is initializing the SCSI bus for operation or when device errors have left the bus in an ambiguous, non-operational state.

If this value rises dramatically, there may be a problem. Check the SCSI Bus Information for unusually high error counts. If there is a device with a large number of bus errors, it may be failing and require replacement.

Timeouts displays the number of times the SCSI Hardware Interface Driver issued a SCSI command but did not receive a reply within a specific amount of time. This count is kept from the time the driver was loaded.

Timeouts may occur when a device fails to process a request because the SCSI bus was busy. However, if this value rises dramatically, there may be a problem. Check to see if non-disk SCSI devices (such as tape drives) reside on the SCSI bus with the drives. Non-disk devices can require the SCSI bus for long periods of time, resulting in timeouts.


SCSI Device Information

The information displayed for each SCSI device entry in the submenu includes condition graphic, location (SCSI ID) and device type. Select any of the physical devices from the submenu to display more information about the device. The following information is a list of device types and the information displayed for all SCSI devices:

Device Type identifies the type of SCSI device. The following values are valid:

The following items returned by the SCSI inquiry command can be used for identification purposes:

Vendor displays the vendor's name for the SCSI device.

Model displays a description of the SCSI device model.

Firmware Version displays the firmware revision level of the SCSI device.

SCSI Bus Information


Tape Library

Select a tape library entry in the Mass Storage submenu to display a list of information and status associated with the selected tape library. The following information is displayed.

Status displays the current status of the tape library. The following values are valid:

Model displays the tape library model.

Serial Number displays the unit serial number for the library. It can be used for identification purposes.

Firmware Version displays the firmware revision level of the tape library as returned by the SCSI inquiry command.

Service Hours displays the number of hours in service.

Total Moves displays the total number of moves.

Door Status displays the tape library door status. The following values are valid:

Temperature displays the tape library temperature status. The following values are valid:

Redundancy displays the tape library redundancy status which denotes the presence of internal redundant components such as fans, power supplies, etc. The following values are valid:

Hot Swap displays the tape library hot swap status which denotes the presence of hot swappable internal components such as drives, fans, power supplies, etc. The following values are valid:

Last Known Error displays the hexadecimal error status code including text information, if available. Refer to your hardware documentation for more information.

Associated Tape Drives displays a list of tape drives associated with the tape storage system.

SCSI Bus Information


Tape Devices

Select a tape device entry in the Mass Storage submenu to display a list of information and status associated with the selected tape device. The following information is displayed.

Status displays the status of the SCSI Tape drive that you selected. The following values are valid:

Model displays a description of the SCSI tape device model as returned by the SCSI inquiry command. Use this item for identification purposes.

Firmware Version displays the firmware revision level of the tape device as returned by the SCSI inquiry command.

Serial Number displays the serial number assigned to the tape device. This value is based on the serial number as returned by the SCSI inquiry command, but may have been shortened due to space limitations. Use this item for identification purposes.

NOTE: Not all tape devices support serial numbers.

Magazine Size displays the magazine size of the SCSI tape physical drive. For single tape devices, the magazine size will be 1.

Placement indicates whether the physical drive is in an internal or external Compaq Storage System. The following values are valid:

Tape Errors displays the number of read and write errors that have been encountered with the currently loaded tape. Over time, a tape device may produce these errors. These errors are usually caused by bad media sections on the drive. If this value rises dramatically, you may need to clean the device.

NOTE: The number of tape errors will be equal to or greater than the combined total for re-reads, re-writes and uncorrectable errors.

Re-reads displays the number of read errors corrected through tape drive retries. Over time, all drives produce these errors. If you notice a rapid increase in the value for Recovered Read Errors or Hard Read Errors, a problem may exist with the drive. The value increases every time the physical drive detects and corrects another error. If this value rises dramatically, you may need to clean the device.

Re-writes displays the number of write errors corrected through tape drive retries or other drive recovery mechanisms. Over time, all drives produce these errors.

Having a large number of retry corrected errors does not necessarily indicate that the drive is failing. However, as a precaution, replace a drive that has an abnormally high amount of errors when compared to similar drives. If this count increases rapidly, you may need to clean or replace the drive.

Uncorrectable displays the number of read errors that could not be recovered by a tape drive's Error Correction Code (ECC) algorithm, retries, or any other recovery mechanism. Over time, a drive may produce these errors. These errors are usually caused by bad media sections on the tape.

Tape Drive Heads Need Cleaning indicates the tape heads on the drive need to be cleaned. If they need to be cleaned, a cleaning tape needs to be placed in the drive or the autoloader.

NOTE: A value of “Not Supported” indicates that the tape drive does not support this feature. You may need to upgrade your firmware to the latest revision.

As routine maintenance, the drive heads should be cleaned according to the recommended schedule for your specific drive.

Cleaning Tape Needs Replacement indicates the cleaning tape associated with the autoloader is at the end of the tape. If the cleaning tape is at the end of the tape, a new cleaning tape needs to be placed in the autoloader.

NOTE: A value of “Not Supported” indicates that the tape drive does not support this feature. You may need to upgrade your firmware to the latest revision.

Number of Cleanings Performed indicates the number of times that the tape drive has been cleaned. If a tape drive is cleaned too much it can damage the tape heads.

NOTE: A value of “Not Supported” indicates that the tape drive does not support this feature.

SCSI Bus Information


Compaq CD Storage System

Select the Compaq CD Storage System entry in the Mass Storage submenu to display Library Information and information for CD-ROM drives associated with the storage system.

CD Library Information

Select the Library Information entry from the Compaq CD Storage System list to display the following information.

Status displays the current fault light status of the CD Library. The following values are valid:

Vendor displays the vendor name for the CD Library. This item can be used for identification purposes.

Model displays the model name of the CD Library. This value can be used for identification purposes.

Serial Number displays the serial number of the CD Library. This value can be used for identification purposes.

Firmware Version displays The firmware revision of the CD Library.

SCSI Bus Information

CD-ROM Drive Information

Select a CD-ROM drive from the Compaq CD Storage System list to display the following information.

Vendor displays the vendor name for the CD-ROM drive.

Model displays the model name of the CD-ROM drive.

Firmware Rev displays the firmware revision of the CD-ROM drive.

LUN displays the logical unit number of the CD-ROM drive.


Storage Systems

Select a storage system item from the Mass Storage list to display the following information about Compaq ProLiant Storage Systems.

Box Type displays the type of drive enclosure, or box. The following types of enclosures are possible:

Vendor displays the name of the vendor that produces this drive enclosure, or box type, such as Compaq. Use this information for identification purposes.

Model displays the model of the storage system. Use this information for identification purposes.

Firmware Revision displays the firmware revision of the drive enclosure or box. Use this information for identification purposes.

Board Revision displays the board revision level of this storage system backplane.

Serial Number displays the serial number of the drive enclosure or box. Use this information for identification purposes.

Thermal Status displays the temperature status of the drive system. The following values are possible:

Fan Status displays the status of the fan subsystem in the drive enclosure, or box. The following values are possible:

Side Panel displays the status of the side panel of the drive enclosure, or box. The following values are possible:

Drive Bays displays the number of drive bays provided by this storage system. If duplexing hardware is used with the storage system, the drive bay number is less than the number of physical drive bays in the enclosure.

Duplex Option displays The duplex option installed in this storage system. The following values are possible:

Redundant Power Supply Condition displays the status of the Redundant Power supply.


SCSI Physical Drives

Select a SCSI physical drive from the Mass Storage submenu to display the following information:

Status shows the status of the physical drive selected.

NOTE: OK, Predictive Failure, and Unknown are the only values associated with clients.

Action displays the action that is required for this device. The possible values are:

Capacity displays the size of the physical drive in megabytes. Compaq Insight Manager defines a megabyte as 1,048,576 bytes.

Many hardware manufacturers use a megabyte value of 1,000,000 instead of 1,048,576. This may result in discrepancies between the manufacturer's stated size and the size reported by this application.

Model displays the model of the SCSI physical drive.

Firmware Version displays the firmware revision level of the SCSI physical drive.

Serial Number displays the serial number assigned to the physical drive. This value is based on the serial number as returned by the SCSI inquiry command, but may have been shortened due to space limitations. Use this item for identification purposes.

Service Hours displays the total number of hours that a physical drive has been operating. If physical drive statistics are being saved across power cycles (check the SCSI Drive Statistics Preserved), then this value has been kept since the physical drive was installed. Otherwise, this value has been kept since the driver was loaded.

SMART Support indicates whether SMART support is available for this SCSI drive. The following values are valid:

Placement indicates if the physical drive is in an internal or external Compaq Storage System. The following values are valid:

Stats Preserved indicates where all of the physical drive statistics (except Used Reallocation) are saved over a power cycle. If the items are not saved, then their values will be reset whenever the device driver is unloaded. The following values are valid:

Drive Indicators

Select a SCSI physical drive from the Mass Storage submenu to display information on actions to take when a SCSI physical drive is not operating properly:

Use the Predictive Indicators to predict that a drive, which is now operating normally, may need to be replaced. The numerical data associated with these items displays after the item name. For example, "Used Realloc: 122" means that there are 122 used reallocation sectors for this drive. The Predictive Indicators are:

Used Reallocs displays the number of sectors of the reallocation area that have been used by the physical drive.

Because of the nature of magnetic disks, certain sectors on a drive may have media defects. The reallocation area is part of the drive that the drive manufacturer sets aside to compensate for these defects. The controller writes information addressed from these unusable sectors to available sectors in the reallocation area. If too many sectors have been reallocated, there may be a problem with the drive. The number of reallocation sectors reserved for this purpose is drive-specific, and you must contact the drive vendor for these values.

Spinup Time monitors the time it takes for a physical drive to spin up to full speed.

Drives require time to gain momentum and reach operating speed. As cars are tested to go from 0 mph to 60 mph in X number of seconds, drive manufacturers have preset expectations for the time it takes the drive to spin to full speed. Drives that do not meet these expectations may have problems. If this value increases over time, the drive may be having problems spinning up. Replace the drive as a precaution.

The spinup value is shown in tenths of a second. If the drive takes 12 seconds to spin up, the value would be 120. The value may be 0 if you are monitoring a physical drive and you use a warm boot to reset the system. During a warm boot, the drives continue to spin.

Use the Problem Indicator to determine when a drive failure has occurred that may be correctable without replacing the drive. If the drive has failed and the problem indicator is non-zero, place your cursor over the field and press the F1 key. The context-sensitive Help for the item includes information on correcting the problem. The Problem Indicator is:

Timeouts displays the number of times that the SCSI Hardware Interface Driver issued a SCSI command but did not receive a reply within a specific amount of time. The count is kept from the time the driver was loaded. Timeouts may occur when a device fails to process a request because the SCSI bus was busy.

If the count is greater than zero and the drive has failed, you may be able to correct the problem without replacing the drive. Follow the steps below:

  1. Ensure that all system and storage system cables are intact and seated properly. You may need to replace the cables.

  2. Ensure that a Compaq ProLiant Storage System is plugged in and powered on. Make sure the power supply is functioning.

  3. Check the physical proximity of the system to other electrical devices. Since electrical noise may cause a timeout error, check the AC circuit for other electrical devices.

  4. For Compaq IDA systems, contact your local Compaq service provider to verify that the COMPAQ IDA Controller is at a minimum revision level. Refer the provider to Service Bulletin 102A.

  5. Timeouts can be caused when two or more drives are set to the same SCSI ID. Ensure that the ProLiant and system SCSI IDs do not conflict.

  6. On a Compaq ProLiant Storage System, check the SCSI ID cable on the drive tray. If the cable is damaged or incorrectly installed, SCSI Timeouts can occur. See the documentation accompanying the Hot Plug Drive Tray Service Spare Kit.

  7. Ensure that the system temperature is within specified limits. Ensure that fans are operating and are not blocked.

  8. In some instances, drive failure can cause Timeouts. If you continue to receive many of these errors, replace the drive.

Use the Failure Indicators to determine the cause of failure for a failed drive. If the drive has failed and this counter is non-zero, replace the drive. If the drive condition is OK and the failure indicator is not zero, the drive may have an intermittent problem and you may have to replace it. There is no other corrective action for this error. The Failure Indicator is:

Self Test Errors displays the number of times that a physical drive failed its self test. The physical drive does a self-test each time the system is turned on. The number of self test errors is counted from the time shown in the Service Hours item on the SCSI Physical Drive window.

If the self test error count is not zero and the drive has failed, replace the drive. If this count is non-zero, but the drive has not failed, it could signal an intermittent problem with the drive. If the number of errors increases over time, replace the drive.

Drive Statistics

Select a SCSI physical drive from the Mass Storage submenu to display statistics about a specific SCSI physical drive. You can use the run-time statistics to monitor the health of a specific drive. The following information displays:

Sectors Read displays the total number of sectors read from the physical disk drive since the time listed in the Service Hours item in the SCSI Physical Drive section.

Sectors Written displays the total number of sectors written to the physical disk drive since the time listed in the Service Hours item in the SCSI Physical Drive section.

Hard Read Errors displays the number of read errors that could not be recovered by a physical drive's Error Correction Code (ECC) algorithm, retries, or any other recovery mechanism. These errors are counted over the time listed in the Service Hours item in the SCSI Physical Drive section.

Over time, a drive may produce hard read errors. These errors are usually caused by bad media sections on the drive.

Hard Write Errors displays the number of write errors that could not be recovered by physical drive retries. These errors are counted over the time listed in the Service Hours item in the SCSI Physical Drive section. Over time, a drive may produce these errors. These errors are usually caused by bad media sections on the drive.

When a hard write error occurs, the physical drive will remap the bad sector. If the physical drive attempt to remap the sector is unsuccessful, NetWare Hot Fix Redirection logic will attempt to remap the sector. Windows NT will hot fix bad sectors on HPFS and NTFS file systems.

Recovered Read Errors displays the number of read errors corrected through physical drive retries or other drive recovery mechanisms. Over time, all drives produce these errors. The number of errors is counted over the time shown in the Service Hours item in the SCSI Physical Drive section.

Having a large number of retry corrected errors does not necessarily indicate that the drive is failing. However, as a precaution, you can replace a drive that has an abnormally high amount of errors when compared to similar drives. If the number of errors increases rapidly, you may need to replace the drive.

Recovered Write Errors displays the number of write errors corrected through physical drive retries or other drive recovery mechanisms. Over time, all drives produce these errors. The number of errors is counted from the time shown in the Service Hours item in the SCSI Physical Drive section.

Having a large number of retry corrected errors does not necessarily indicate that the drive is failing. However, as a precaution, you may wish to replace a drive that has an abnormally high amount of errors when compared to similar drives. If this count increases rapidly, you may need to replace the drive.

Seek Errors displays the number of seek errors that a physical drive detects. A seek error is a seek that failed. The number of errors is counted over the time shown in the Service Hours item in the SCSI Physical Drive section.

Seek errors will occasionally occur over time. Having a large number of seek errors does not necessarily indicate that the drive is failing. However, as a precaution, you may wish to replace a drive that has an abnormally high amount of errors when compared to similar drives. If this count increases rapidly, you may need to replace the drive.

ECC Corr Reads displays the number of times the drive used the Error Correction Code (ECC) algorithm to recover data for read requests. The number of errors is counted over the time listed in the Service Hours item in the SCSI Physical Drive section.

ECC corrected reads occasionally occur over time. Having a large number of ECC corrected errors does not necessarily indicate that the drive is failing. However, if a particular drive has an abnormally high amount of ECC corrected reads compared to similar drives, you may wish to replace the drive as a precaution. If this count increases rapidly, you may need to replace the drive.


SCSI Bus Information

Select a SCSI device from the Mass Storage submenu to display more information about the device. The following information may be displayed depending on the type of device:

Parity Errors shows the number of parity errors that occurred on the SCSI bus while the bus was processing commands. The error count is kept from the time the SCSI Hardware Interface Driver was loaded.

Parity errors may occasionally occur over time. If this number rises dramatically, and you suspect a problem, complete the following:

  1. Check the cabling to ensure that the cables are not damaged and that they are intact and properly shielded from possible radio frequency interference (RFI).

  2. Check to ensure that all required terminating resistors on all devices on the SCSI bus are present.

  3. Check to ensure that each device on the SCSI bus has a unique SCSI ID.

Physical Width displays the actual width of the data bus for this device. The following values are valid:

Phase Errors displays the number of times the SCSI bus entered an invalid operating state while processing commands. The number of errors is counted from the time the SCSI Hardware Interface Driver was loaded.

If you see any phase errors, the device may have a problem. Phase errors can be caused by a device that is not operating correctly. If the phase errors continue to increase, replace the device.

Negotiated Width displays the width of the device SCSI data bus that was negotiated between the controller and the device. This value is reported in bits. If this value is less than the device physical width, the device is not performing to its maximum potential. Maximum throughput is achieved when both the SCSI controller and device support a 16-bit wide data bus.

Select Timeouts displays the number of times the controller attempted to start communications with a device and received no response from the device. The number of errors is counted from the time the SCSI Hardware Interface Driver was loaded.

The number of select timeouts should always be 0. Any other number of timeouts may indicate a problem with the device. The SCSI controller will attempt to reset the device, but if the value continues to increase, power cycle the device.

A large number for this item does not indicate a problem. It shows that the device does not support certain advanced SCSI commands that the device driver issued.

Negotiated Speed displays the data transfer speed that was negotiated between the controller and the device. This value is reported in millions of transfers per second (MTS).

Message Rejects displays the number of times the device rejected a command because the device does not support the specific operation. The number of errors is counted since the SCSI Hardware Interface Driver was loaded.