Hi,
As an update to my situation. I have determined how I got in the mess that I am in. It seems that IBM has some documentation out there that is incorrect. I used a document titled:
Installation Instructions Update IBM 3583 Library and Tape Drive Firmware
The pdf file name for this document is 3583FirmwareUpdateInstructions.pdf. This document has a flawed procedure for doing SCSI firmware updates in a Unix environment. The section number is 10.2.2.2, titled Update the library firmware over SCSI bus using TAPEUTIL(Unix). The leave out step which should have had you open the library device for read/write prior to you putting the library in to firmware update mode. By failing to do this you can no longer talk to the library and what is even worse the library will not reboot!
Now granted I should have been able to do the firmware update anyway by using the serial cable method, but I have run into another problem there as listed in my first note. Also, in my first note I said the serial cable was a null modem cable. That is incorrect it is actually a straight through serial cable that I am using which is the correct cable to use.
Well, IBM has gotten me into this mess with some bad documentation! Now I am hoping either IBM or one of you can tell me how to get out of it. I will open a report with IBM in the morning, but if anybody has any ideas I would be glad to here them.
Thank You.
P.S. Richard, thanks for your off list response. I was using tapeutil to do the SCSI firmware update. However, once the library is put into the firmware update mode it will not do anything until the firmware is updated!
-- Regards, Mark D. Rodriguez President MDR Consulting, Inc.
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Mark D. Rodriguez wrote:
Hi,
I am trying to upgrade a 3583 to the latest (V3_30_08) firmawre from V3_10_04. I originally tried to do this from an AIX V5.2 system that was SCSI attached to the library. I tried to do the SCSI upgrade as described in several different IBM documents. This upgrade timed out and failed after 10 minutes stating that the connection had timed out. We re-tried but got the same resuults. Now at this point the library is unusable since it will not reboot!
I then went on to try to do a firmware update using the serial port. This requires the use of a windows box. We used a W2K system and attached a serial cable (basically a null modem cable) between the two. I have had to do this in the past and it worked, but this time it is failing. The message returned is:
Received specific board ALIVE. Error: This download utility is for a IBM 3583 library. You have a different library.
This is in fact an IBM 3583 but for some reason it will not allow us to do the firmware update.
If you have any suggestions on how I can at least get the library to boot up that would be a great help. Further, if you have an idea on how to get the firmware updated that would be even better.
Thank You.
