If a tape drive comes up with VMW_SATP_ALUA rule in VMware vShpere (4.0 or later) you will most likely see input/output errors during backup operation on the VM you mapped to drive to. A working rule is VMW_SATP_LOCAL and you can change it using some simple steps.
-
Find the module for SCSI/SAS HBA using esxcfg-scsidevs
esx# esxcfg-scsidevs -a vmhba0 cciss link-n/a block.cciss/c0d0:0 (0:2:1.0) Compaq Computer Corporation Smart Array P400 vmhba1 mptspi link-n/a pscsi.vmhba1 (0:7:1.0) LSI Logic / Symbios Logic ProLiant vmhba2 mptspi link-n/a pscsi.vmhba2 (0:7:1.1) LSI Logic / Symbios Logic ProLiant
-
Add an additional rule for the HBA module the tape drive/changer is attached to
esx# esxcli nmp satp addrule --satp VMW_SATP_LOCAL --driver="mptspi" --description="Tape drive support"
- Restart the ESX host to activate changes. The drive will now work as expected.
- Map the tape drive according to http://kb.vmware.com/kb/1016407
Note: As this issue is related to the HBAs and tape drvies/changers used not all environments are affected.