Path: utzoo!utgpu!cunews!bnrgate!brtph3!brchh104!brchs1!bnr.ca!rice.edu!sun-spots-request
From: richk@tera.com (Richard Korry)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.sun
Subject: Exabyte tape warning
Keywords: Hardware
Message-ID: <787@brchh104.bnr.ca>
Date: 11 Dec 90 19:20:45 GMT
Sender: news@brchh104.bnr.ca
Organization: Sun-Spots
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Approved: Sun-Spots@rice.edu
X-Sun-Spots-Digest: Volume 9, Issue 403, message 9
X-Note: Submissions: sun-spots@rice.edu, Admin: sun-spots-request@rice.edu

We just installed an exabyte on a Sun 4/480 running 4.1. We are starting
to get the message:

st2:  warning, the tape may be wearing out or
      the head may need cleaning.
st2:  write retries= 829 (14.3%), file= 2, block= 4771

where the write retries, file and block number vary. Is this a real
problem or an artifact of something else? The tapes are all Sony P6-120MP.
The problem does not happen on the initial writing of the tape. Post or
email any replies. Thanks