ExaTool for Netware
INSTALLATION, REQUIREMENTS AND TROUBLESHOOTING
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ExaTool for Netware is a diagnostic program used for troubleshooting
Exabyte tape drives and libraries.
SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS:
ExaTool for Netware requires the Netware operating system 5 or 6. Any
other platform may yield unexpected results including system hangs.
INSTALLING AND RUNNING EXATOOL FOR NETWARE:
1. ExaTool for Netware is available for download in ZIP® format. Download
the zip file to your system.
2. Extract the zip file into the directory of your choice on the Netware system.
3. To start ExaTool for Netware, load the Exatool NLM as shown below:
LOAD <full path to Exatool>\EXATOOL
4. After starting ExaTool, a list of detected Exabyte tape drives and
libraries will be displayed. Use the arrow keys to move between devices,
and the [Enter] key to select the desired device.
5. After selecting a device, Device Information and a list of operations
to perform on that device are displayed. Use the arrow keys to move
between operations, and the [Enter] key to select an operation.
6. Use the [Escape] key to exit from any menu selection.
PRIOR TO RUNNING EXATOOL:
Before running any Exatool functions, completely shut down your backup application
and any services it may be running. The backup application may prevent communications
with the tape drive or library and may interrupt Exatool functions resulting in their
failure.
TAPE DRIVE OPERATIONS
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UPGRADING DRIVE FIRMWARE
Follow these instructions to upgrade drive firmware using ExaTool for Netware:
*** Note *** A firmware upgrade should only be performed when no users are on the
server. Depending on system configuration, this operation has the
potential of hanging the server. Do NOT interrupt a firmware update
in progress. Your device may become inoperable.
1. Download firmware to the directory of your choice. If the firmware download
is a zip file, it will be necessary to first extract the firmware from the
zip file. For VXA drives, the firmware file will be call vfirmware.hex where
'firmware' will be the revision of the code.
2. Install and start ExaTool for Netware as per instructions above. In the list
of detected devices, select the tape drive.
3. In the drive operations list, select 'Upload Firmware'. You will be prompted
to enter the full path and file name of the firmware file.
4. If the firmware upgrade was successful, the Device Information window will be updated
with the new firmware revision, and a message similar to the following will appear
in the status window:
Firmware: DONE
OBTAINING A DRIVE LOG
If problems are experienced with the tape drive, Exabyte Technical Support may ask for
a log in order to better troubleshoot the problem. If instructed to do so by Exabyte
Technical Support, follow the steps below to obtain a log file from the tape drive.
***Note*** A drive logfile should be taken as soon as possible after an error
occurs. Do NOT power-cycle or otherwise disturb the drive prior to
taking the drive log. Power-cycling the drive clears important
information from the drive's buffers.
1. Install and start ExaTool for Netware as per instructions above. In the list
of detected devices, select the tape drive.
2. In the drive operations list, select 'Create a device dump'. You will be prompted
to enter the full path and file name of the drive log file.
3. Email the log to Exabyte Technical Support for analysis.
RUNNING A DIAGNOSTIC TEST
The ExaTool for Netware can perform a diagnostic write/read test on the tape drive.
At the end of the test a message reports whether or not the drive is running satisfactorily.
*** Note *** THIS TEST WILL OVERWRITE YOUR TAPE. USE ONLY A SCRATCH TAPE FOR THIS TEST.
1. Install and start ExaTool for Netware as per instructions above. In the list
of detected devices, select the tape drive.
2. In the drive operations list, select 'Test the device'.
3. If the test completes satisfactorily, a message similar to the following appears:
Test completed successfully
4. If the test indicates that the tape drive is not running satisfactorily, immediately
obtain a drive log as described above.
CHANGING THE VXA DRIVE INQUIRY
Follow these instructions to change the inquiry reported by the VXA drive. This may
be necessary if your backup application does not recognize the drive's factory default
inquiry.
***Note*** Changing the VXA drive's inquiry string has no affect on the drive's
performance or capacity.
***Note*** If a tape is loaded in the drive, it will be unloaded when using this function.
1. Install and start ExaTool for Netware as per instructions above. In the list
of detected devices, select the tape drive.
2. In the drive operations list, select 'Change Inquiry'. A list of options
will be displayed.
3. Use the arrow keys to move between the inquiry string options, and use the
[Enter] key to select one. After making a selection, the Device
Information window will be updated to reflect the new inquiry reported by
the drive.
*** Note *** After changing the drive's inquiry, the Device Information window
may show the Firmware Rev as blank until the next power-cycle.
4. Reboot your system so that the operating system and backup application are
using the new inquiry string reported by the drive.
UNLOADING A TAPE
Follow these instructions to unload a tape from the drive.
1. Install and start ExaTool for Netware as per instructions above. In the list
of detected devices, select the tape drive.
2. In the drive operations list, select 'Unload Cartridge'.
ERASING A TAPE
Follow these instructions to erase a tape.
1. Install and start ExaTool for Netware as per instructions above. In the list
of detected devices, select the tape drive.
2. In the drive operations list, select 'Erase Tape'.
3. If data exists on the tape, you will be prompted if you wish to continue
with the erase operation.
CHANGE VXA QUEUEING OPTION (VXA-2, VXA-172,VXA-320)
If you are running Arcserve (Brightstore) on Netware, you will need to change the way that the drive reports back to Arcserve (Brightstore) during load of a tape. There is no need to change this option for any other backup application.
1. Install and start ExaTool for Netware as per instructions above. In the list
of detected devices, select the tape drive.
2. In the drive operations list, select ‘Properties'.
3. From the SCSI handling menu, choose ‘Queue’
UPGRADE YOUR VXA-172 TO A VXA-320
If you have purchased the upgrade license for the VXA-172 (Exabyte part number 1015452), you can use the Exatool to perform the upgrade.
1. Install and start ExaTool for Netware as per instructions above. In the list
of detected devices, select the tape drive.
2. In the drive operations list, select ‘Set Licensed Capacity'.
3. Follow the instructions that you received with the upgrade kit to get your license number from the web site.
4. Enter the license number from the web site into the field provided by the tool.
LIBRARY OPERATIONS
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CREATE DEVICE DUMP
If problems are experienced with the library, Exabyte Technical Support may ask for
a log in order to better troubleshoot the problem. If instructed to do so by Exabyte
Technical Support, follow the steps below to obtain a log file from the library.
***Note*** A library logfile should be taken as soon as possible after an error
occurs. Do NOT power-cycle or otherwise disturb the library prior to
taking the library log. Power-cycling the library clears important
information from the library's buffers.
1. Install and start ExaTool for Netware as per instructions above. In the list
of detected devices, select the library.
2. In the library operations list, select 'Create a device dump'. You will be prompted
to enter the full path and file name of the library log file.
3. Email the log to Exabyte Technical Support for analysis.
INITIALIZE ELEMENT STATUS
Follow these instructions to force the library to check for the current locations
of tapes.
1. Install and start ExaTool for Netware as per instructions above. In the list
of detected devices, select the library.
2. In the library operations list, select 'Init Element Status'.
LIST CONTENTS
This function will list occupied slots.
1. Install and start ExaTool for Netware as per instructions above. In the list
of detected devices, select the library.
2. In the library operations list, select 'List Contents'
MOVE MEDIA
Follow these instructions to command the library to move tapes.
1. Install and start ExaTool for Netware as per instructions above. In the list
of detected devices, select the library.
2. In the library operations list, select 'Move Media'.
3. A list of current tape locations will be displayed in the Source Element list.
Select the tape which you wish to move.
4. A list of available (open) locations will be displayed in the Destination
Element list. Select the desired destination for the tape.
*** Note *** Selecting a Drive as a destination will result in the tape being loaded
into the tape drive.
*** Note *** Selecting a Drive as a source will result in an 'Illegal Request' error
unless the tape was first unloaded (ejected) from the drive. Use the Drive Operations
in ExaTool to unload the tape before moving it from the drive.
SHOW GEOMETRY
Follow these instructions to display a list of slots, drives, and (if available on your
library) entry-exit ports.
1. Install and start ExaTool for Netware as per instructions above. In the list
of detected devices, select the library.
2. In the library operations list, select 'Show Geometry'.
UPGRADING LIBRARY FIRMWARE
Follow these instructions to upgrade library firmware.
*** Note *** Do NOT interrupt a firmware update in progress.
Your device may become inoperable.
1. Download firmware to the directory of your choice. If the firmware download
is a zip file, it will be necessary to first extract the firmware from the
zip file.
2. Install and start ExaTool for Netware as per instructions above. In the list
of detected devices, select the library.
3. In the library operations list, select 'Upload Firmware'. You will be prompted
to enter the full path and file name of the firmware file.
4. If the firmware upgrade was successful, the Device Information window will be updated
with the new firmware revision, and a message similar to the following will appear
in the status window:
Firmware: DONE
TROUBLESHOOTING
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If you encounter any difficulty installing or running the ExaTool for Netware please contact Exabyte Technical Support.
Download Driver Pack
After your driver has been downloaded, follow these simple steps to install it.
Expand the archive file (if the download file is in zip or rar format).
If the expanded file has an .exe extension, double click it and follow the installation instructions.
Otherwise, open Device Manager by right-clicking the Start menu and selecting Device Manager.
Find the device and model you want to update in the device list.
Double-click on it to open the Properties dialog box.
From the Properties dialog box, select the Driver tab.
Click the Update Driver button, then follow the instructions.
Very important: You must reboot your system to ensure that any driver updates have taken effect.
For more help, visit our Driver Support section for step-by-step videos on how to install drivers for every file type.