Troubleshooting tape problems on Windows server on AS/400

If the AS/400 tape drive does not work from Windows server, take these actions:

1. Verify that you have varied off the tape drive on AS/400 and locked it on Windows server (see Allocating the AS/400 tape drive to Windows server on AS/400). Devices may fail to lock for one of these reasons:
   • The tape device or its tape library is varied on.
   • The device driver is not loaded.
   • The tape device is not supported.
   • If you have problems with locking the device, verify that the IBM AS/400 Tape Drive device driver is loaded on the Windows server. This usually happens automatically.
   • Verify that your tape device is supported.
2. More advanced applications might lock devices to services that continue after the application interface is dismissed. This prevents other applications from being able to use the device. These services may restart automatically after a system restart, locking the device to the application. To see services of an application (such as Seagate and Computer Associates), do this:

   On Windows 2000:

   1. Click on Start, Programs, Administrative Tools, then Component Services.
   2. Double-click on Services.
   3. If necessary, you can stop services from the Services window.

   On Windows NT 4.0:

   1. Click on Start, Settings, Control Panel, then Services.
   2. If necessary, you can stop services from the Services window.
3. You may have multiple Windows servers on multiple Integrated Netfinity Servers. If so, verify that the tape drive is unlocked on all Windows servers except the one on which you want to use it (see Transferring control of the AS/400 tape drive between Windows servers).
4. If your system has logical partitions, ensure that you allocated the tape drive to the same partition as the Windows server.
5. Verify that the drive contains a properly formatted tape (see Formatting a tape on AS/400 for Windows server).
6. Verify that the drive is not on the list of restricted devices on AS/400 by using the Display NWSD command (DSPNWSD).
7. Look in the event log for tape errors.
8. See if the tape device shows up in the Device List:

   On Windows 2000:

   1. Click on Start, Programs, Administrative Tools, then Computer Management.
   2. Select System Tools, then Device Manager.
   3. Verify that the tape drive shows up in Device List.

   On Windows NT 4.0:

   1. Click on Start, then Settings, then Control Panel.
   2. Double-click on Devices.
   3. Verify that the tape drive shows up in Device List.
9. If the problem still persists, check the technical information databases at the IBM Service World Wide Web page . If you cannot find the solution there, contact your technical support provider.