error 205 (then 105) latest software

[bchern]

My Onstream Firewire FW30 tape drive has been more and more unuseable since August. I was about to try to return it, but have found many messages and tech notes on the Dantz site relating to, though not exactly matching, my problems.

 

 

 

Apparently the error 205 was a problem from the beginning with Jaguar, but updates were supposed to fix that. Instead, my problem seems to have gotten worse than ever with all the latest updates. This is OS X 10.2.2, Retrospect 5.0.238, driver update 3.2.104.

 

 

 

I can not only not get through a backup, I can't get through a rebuild catalog if I have forced a backup to go through several tapes already and hope to keep using it. I even think some of my tapes have become unusable due to repeated messing with them trying to make something work.

 

 

 

I will get error 205, followed by error 105, at random times. It can be at any place in the same tape, different places on different attempts. On attempting to rebuild or verify there will be lots of 'bad catalog header errors'. I do not have a single trusted backup set now out of about 16 tapes and two sets I've been trying to work with. Also have wasted many hours on testing this.

 

 

 

Any help out there? What is wrong with my firewire communication? Oh yeah, heres a couple of new errors that seem to have crept into the mix this week:

 

 

 

onstEndFlush(1), onstEndFlush(2)

[AmyJ]

In reply to:

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Apparently the error 205 was a problem from the beginning with Jaguar, but updates were supposed to fix that.

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I'm not aware of any known issues with this drive and Retrospect and OS X. There were issues with Jaguar and tape drives, which would require that the tape drive be switched on before booting the computer for the drive to be seen.

 

 

 

If your device is consisently generating hardware errors on backup, the key is to start isolating the variables. That the errors are getting worse as time goes on, generally indicates failing hardware.

 

 

 

1. Check to make sure you have the latest firmware update for your computer. Search the Apple Software Updates Web site at http://www.apple.com/swupdates for relevant updates.

 

 

 

2. Try unplugging and replugging the Firewire cable on device that is having the issue. If you have another cable, try it also. Make sure the device is plugged directly into the onboard Firewire port, and not through a hub or adapter.

 

 

 

3. Clean the tape heads and try a new tape.

 

 

 

4. Try the drive hooked up to another computer - if it works here, then the drive, being the only variable that has not changed, is the most likely culprit.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[bchern]

I have tried all of the above suggestions and more, except for #4, and I don't understand the premise that the drive would be the only variable unchanged, as the software and operating system would also be unchanged.

 

 

 

I have, however, switched back into OS 9 (.2.2) and run the backup without any such interruptions. Part of the problem with things seeming to get worse may have been due to needing a cleaning, but I took care of that long before I wrote to you. (It got rid of the "bad media" errors, but not the 205's.) Further testing seemed to indicate that there was still a problem with the OS and Retrospect. Everything was fine before August.

 

 

 

(Still have the problem of an error 105 if the computer freezes during a backup, and that error doesn't show up until attempting a verify after the next backup session, so you never know you've wasted a whole session that can't be recovered. but, I guess that's a whole other thread.)