> i am running kernel 2.0.30 on a Ppro200...
>
> i make a daily backup of my 2x2GB SCSI-HD and noticed the following
> problem when the system is up more than around 5days, tar isn't able
> anymore to address the scsi dat drive...
Which SCSI adapter and which DAT device are you using?
> it comes back with the message: no such device or device busy...
> after a reboot all is fine again....
> what's going wrong????
It might be that the board is waiting for a response from the device,
that it either missed or that was never sent in the first
place. Typically this happens after SCSI command with slow response
(such as rewind, either alon or at the end of the tape)
I have this problem with a HP 1336 and an Adaptec 2940 at the office,
but the (faster) HP 1333 at home talks without any problems to the
Adaptec.
#define ing ST_NOWAIT in drivers/scsi/st_options.h did the trick for
me and the 1336. It is not a good idea to sent SCSI tape commands in
rapid succession on such kernels.
Some SCSI hardware and driver wizards might have a better explanation,
YMMV.
-- Thorsten Ohl, Physics Department, TH Darmstadt --- PGP: AF 38 FF CE 03 8A 2E A7 http://crunch.ikp.physik.th-darmstadt.de/~ohl/ -------- 8F 2A C1 86 8C 06 32 6B