Unix Settings
Configuring for the IBM AIX Environment (AIX Version 4.1.x and later)
48
Configuring the LTO-2 Half-Height Drive using SMIT
The LTO-2 half-height drive tape drive can be configured to work with AIX Versions 4.1.x and later
by using the
SMIT .Other SCSI Tape Drive
. option.
To configure AIX using the SMIT utility, use the following procedure:
1.
Enter SMIT at the Tape Drive menu by typing
smit tape
2.
Select
Add a tape Drive
.
3.
Select the type of tape drive you will be adding. Use the
Other SCSI Tape Drive
option.
4.
Select the Parent SCSI Adapter from the available list. The Add a tape Drive “Entry Fields”
appears.
5.
Some of the standard options can be changed to maximize drive performance and
functionality:
Set the
Connection Address with the Drives Target and Lun
(always use Lun 0). In
the list, the Target is the first number and the Lun is the second. For example, if the drive is ID
5, choose 5,0.
Set the
BLOCK size
to 0.
Set
Use DEVICE BUFFERS during writes
to yes.
Set
RETURN error on tape change or reset
to no.
Set
Use EXTENDED file marks
to yes.
Set
RESERVE/RELEASE support
to yes.
Set
BLOCK SIZE for variable length support (Num.)
to 0.
Set
Density 1
to 0.
6.
Leave the
Set delay. . .
and
Set timeout. . .
lines at the default value.
7.
Click
OK
and the drive will be installed in the system database, and devices created. There is
no need to reboot the system.
8.
Exit SMIT.
NOTE: Record the SCSI ID of the tape drive before installing it.
NOTE: We suggest using the AIX commands .backup. and .restore when transferring data to
and from the LTO-2 half-height drive. These commands transfer data more quickly than other
commands such as tar and cpio. For cpio we suggest a blocking factor of 128. For tar we sug-
gest using the .N option and a factor of 128. Some older systems with poor video controllers
may experience a reduction in performance when using the .v option, which prints the path
names on the standard console during the backup. Unless there is a real need to see the filena-
mes as they are backed up we suggest not using the .v option. For commands that use density
and tape size settings the tape density is 124,000 bpi and the tape length is 1800 feet.
