SCSI card to be used for tape drive

[tech123456]

I am trying to set-up a SCSI card to pass through devices such as tape drives for backing up folders in a w2k3 VM. I have installed the SCSI card and can see it in Storage adapters. Shown below: -

AHA-3960D U160/m

- VMHBA3

What do i now need to do to get this to add as a scsi card that i can use for tape drives?

ESX version is 3.5 and i am using vSphere 4.0.0

[Rahul Ramakrishnan]

For this first you need to determine the SCSI ID of the physical tape device as connected to the ESX :

Log into the ESX console and check the value of the same under : /proc/scsi/"tape drive"/ and you will find the ID : value listed above.

Ensure that in the properties page, the Device status is set to connect / connect at power on (both).

This should add the device to the VM, I e the backup software should recognize the tape.

Please let me know if this helps.

[tech123456]

How do i add the scsi card? I have gone to 'edit settings' then 'add' but it says 'SCSI device unavailable'.

[vmroyale]

Hello.

There is a kb article about setting this up in 3.0.x - see if it helps.

Good Luck!

[tech123456]

whats the best way to access the ESX host's management interface.

[Rahul Ramakrishnan]

Check if the existing SCSI controller is used up by the current devices (Hard disks etc) on the VM, else you need to add an additional SCSI controller before you could add a SCSI device.

[tech123456]

I have added a additional SCSI card.

[Rahul Ramakrishnan]

Just a thought, I e you mentioned you are using ESX 35 and using a VSphere 40 client, if i am right. Could you upgrade the hardware version on the VM and check.I e if you right click on the VM you will get an option. Let me know.

[tech123456]

How do i upgrade the hardware version?

[Rahul Ramakrishnan]

Apologies, my mistake. In fact thats applicable only to VMs that have been created in ESX 35 or below and now been used in a ESX 40 host. So this wont apply in our case, since you don't have an ESX 40 host.

In your case i assume the number of devices you have has exceeded the limit. I e with a 35 host, the number of devices I e (network cards + SCSI cards) combined together shouldnt cross the count 5. Does this apply in your case?

[tech123456]

Only three cards are present in the server

[Rahul Ramakrishnan]

when you said only 3 cards in the server, i am not referring to the ESX host. I am referring to the Virtual machine on the host. Hope we are on the same page. I e, on a VM residing on a ESX 35 host, you can have maximum of up to 5 devices including SCSI controllers and network cards put together. When you exceed in numbers with this limit, thats when you usually would see a device (SCSI device in your case) unavailable. Let me know if this is the case.

[tech123456]

Ok in storage adapters for the esx we have four SCSI devices a block scsi and iscsi. Two network cards are also attached.

On the VMhost in hardware it only has 'SCSI Controller 0'.