Tape Redirector <-> Starwind iSCSI initiator

[CharleyK]

I have downloaded a trial copy of backup exec and will try to get that working today.

Where are the logs located - I am using the test build you referenced in the earlier posting. I will send them to the email address noted.

Charley

[Bohdan (staff)]

c:\Program Files\StarWind Software\StarWind\logs\

[CharleyK]

I sent the logs in last night - I verified that the tape drive works with a local install of Backup Exec (on the server with the tape drive) and will configure/test it on the remote server later today.

Charley

[Anatoly (staff)]

Just a little update for the community: the logs are received and passed to R&D.

We will keep you informed.

[CharleyK]

Some interesting things to report -

First the good news - I was able to confirm that the server with the tape drive attached is fully functional and able to read and write tapes using a trial edition of Backup Exec 2012.

It took me quite a while to nail this down as I had to use the generic microsoft driver for the library in Windows. Apparently Symantec doesn't have a Superloader3 library driver and the one supplied by Quantum causes problems (like 100 MB/Min rather than 3 GB/Min backup speeds and failures after the job has run).

Next the odd news - I couldn't see the library to export when I had the device driver as the "Unknown Tape Changer". The Starwind server would not share the generic MS "Uknown Tape Changer" - I had to add the Quantum specific driver to make that export happen.

Now some more odd news - I was not successful using the Starwind iSCSI initiator with Backup Exec - I ended up with a number of BSODs when it tried to configure the tape drives. However, I was successful with the Microsoft iSCSI initiator.

I was able to then able to perform several backups (after changing the tape changer back to the unknown changer)

I was not able to use the MS initiator with Retrospect - when I use that it shows up as two separate devices in the device manager view - where as when I use the Starwind initiator it shows up as a unified device - it just won't allow me to write tapes.

So - at this time we have -

Tape drive works correctly in the Windows 2008 R2 Server configuration
Backup Exec 2012 works correctly on SBS 2011 mounting the tape drives using the MS iSCSI initiator
Retrospect does not work correctly using the MS iSCSI initiator or the Starwind initiator - but is closer on the Starwind.

Charley

[anton (staff)]

1) Stay away from using StarWind iSCSI initiator in your production environments. It's using monolithic SCSI port model and that's why it's not supported with Microsoft (that's why we don't support it either).

2) I'll talk to programmers why device mapping is different for both initiators. Maybe we can hack something @ target side to make them the same. Hope it's going to fix Retrospect related issue.

[CharleyK]

Thank you -

I won't use the Starwind iSCSI initiator -

Charley

[anton (staff)]

Use it. But not in a production.

Thank you -

I won't use the Starwind iSCSI initiator -

Charley