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From: nagy%43198.hepnet@LBL.ARPA.UUCP
Newsgroups: mod.computers.vax
Subject: TA78 Tape Formatter Hangs
Message-ID: <8703310243.AA09385@ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU>
Date: Mon, 30-Mar-87 15:00:47 EST
Article-I.D.: ucbvax.8703310243.AA09385
Posted: Mon Mar 30 15:00:47 1987
Date-Received: Wed, 1-Apr-87 05:46:01 EST
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FNAL has a very large VAXCluster with several large 8xxx systems
and 12 TA78 tape drives (3 formatters each with 4 drives).  Each
HSC50 has a single K.STI card; one HSC50 supports 2 formatters and
the other only a single formatter.  The K.STIs are at microcode
level 26 and the TM78 formatter is at Rev 4.

The tape subsystems are in heavy use from user processes (i.e., not
just BACKUP).  We are experiencing formatter hangs which require
a formatter be reset (rewinds all the tapes connected to that formatter)
on the order of about once per week (over all 3 formatters).

Is anyone else in netland experiencing this problem?  Is anyone
not experiencing this problem and yet making heavy non-BACKUP
usage of their TA78 subsystems?