Tandberg Data VXA-320 (VXA-3) Troubleshooting With Vxatool, Getting Started Important First Step

TROUBLESHOOTING WITH VXATOOL

TROUBLESHOOTING WITH VXATOOL

To troubleshoot problems with the tape drive, you can use the VXATool diagnostic software. This program allows you to conduct diagnostic testing and update the firmware. VXATool is available for a variety of operating environments.

Download VXATool free of charge from the Support section of Tandberg Data’s web site at www.tandberg.com. The readme file that accompanies the program (or the online help for the Windows version) provides instructions for using VXATool.

!Important Always check Tandberg Data’s web site to make sure that you have the most current version of VXATool.

GETTING STARTED (IMPORTANT FIRST STEP)

Before running VXATool—completely shut down your backup application and any services it may be running. The backup application may prevent communications with the tape drive or may interrupt VXATool functions resulting in their failure.

PERFORMING A WRITE/READ TEST

Use VXATool to perform a Write/Read test of the tape drive. The Write/Read test verifies that the tape drive is communicating over the SCSI bus and that it can perform write and read operations. Refer to the readme file or on-line help available with the VXATool for detailed instructions.

UPDATING FIRMWARE

As improvements to tape drive firmware are made, they are made available for download from Tandberg Data’s web site at www.tandberg.com. Use VXATool to check the current version of firmware in your tape drive and to update the firmware as needed.

CAPTURING A DIAGNOSTIC LOG

A diagnostic log is a snapshot of the tape drive’s current condition. If the tape drive reports an error, use VXATool to capture the diagnostic log as soon as possible after the error occurred. To ensure that the diagnostic log accurately reflects the condition of the tape drive when the error occurred, avoid disturbing the tape drive (for example, power-cycling, loading or unloading tapes, or writing or reading more data) before capturing the diagnostic log.

OCTOBER 2006 VXA-320 TAPE DRIVE

31