Question

Answer

Can I use the Paranoia2 with the IBM 3570?

Yes but when running on the iSeries you must ensure your customers do not select “use optimum block” to YES. This can cause problems if they do but selecting NO will work correctly and backups will run just as fast.

Can I use the Paranoia2 on narrow SCSI (8 bit devices)?

Yes.  You must however ensure that the bus termination is correct. This can be done in a number of ways and we can supply a special Y cable to allow standard wide cables and terminators to be used. We do support 68 way to 50 way cables but the Y cable method is the preferred solution.

Does the Paranoia2 support SCSI 3590E drives and if so are there any special considerations?

Yes, but be aware that the 3590 uses a special cable end as there is no place to terminate the bus without this special cable end. We can supply a 1 foot cable that fits on to the end of the standard cable supplied with the Paranoia2 to allow this to be terminated correctly.

Does the Paranoia2 support “active” SCSI terminators?

No. The active terminators can cause errors on the bus when running at the faster speeds and are therefore not supported and should be replaced with a standard LVD terminator.

Does the Paranoia2 support Single Ended SCSI devices?

Yes. The standard LVD SCSI Paranoia2 units will support single ended SCSI hosts and / or single ended SCSI tapes.

Does the Paranoia2 support Differential SCSI devices?

Yes. There is an HVD version of the Paranoia2 which supports High Voltage differential units which are commonly known simply as differential. You must use this version as the LVD Paranoia2 does not support these devices.

We presently have the older Differential Interfaced tapes but are soon going to be moving to a new system which will have LVD interfaced tapes. Can I read tapes written on the HVD drives if we then purchase an LVD Paranoia2 for the new units?

Yes. All Paranoia2 units be they LVD, HVD or fibre channel are interchangeable as long as the two user keys and the customer unique hard key are the same.

How do I set the SCSI ID on the Paranoia2?

You do not set an ID on the Paranoia2. When it is powered up it will scan the Tape side bus for a device and then set itself to appear as that device type and ID automatically.

We purchased an HVD Paranoia2 last year but are looking to upgrade our system soon and will go to LVD drives, is it possible to upgrade our existing Paranoia2 to handle the LVD drives?

Yes. This is something that is quite straightforward. Contact you sales rep to discuss the best method of making the changes to fit in with your needs.

The display shows “Off Line”, what is wrong?

This is not indicating that the Paranoia2 is off line, it simply indicates that the host has issued a command to the tape drive and this has responded as being “off line” usually because no tape is loaded. Often the system issues a Tape Unit Ready command after it issues a load and repeats this until it gets a positive response indicating the tape has now loaded.

I cannot change the status from secure to unsecure using the GUI.

The tape drive must either be at BOT (Beginning of Tape) or unloaded in order to change the status.  This is to ensure a tape cannot be part encrypted and part in plain text.

I keep seeing “Unit attention S Key” on the Paranoia2 display but the backups are still running, what is the problem?

There is no problem, this indicates the system has issued a SCSI reset on the bus, and can occur after a tape change or a power cycle has been conducted

Does the Paranoia2 support more than one tape drive?

The standard units are configured to support only a single tape device but, with special firmware, can support up to four legacy tape drives where throughput is limited. It is normal to use them in a one to one configuration for better throughput and system resilience but if you feel you existing infrastructure is suitable for the multi drive firmware please discuss this with you sales rep.

Do we need to have a special configuration to deal with different drive types?  We have a range of new and older drives where things like buffer size and usable tape beyond logical EOT differ greatly.

The Paranoia2 “recognizes” the attached tape drive types and will reconfigure buffers and EOT amounts automatically to ensure for flexibility and ease of integration and support.

If I lose my unit and the spare unique ID chip is my data gone forever?

No. We can supply a new or replacement unit with replacement ID chips to ensure, whatever the disaster, you can have the correct hardware to restore your data. All you must have is the users keys used to produce the tapes.

Is it possible for the user to upgrade the unit firmware themselves?

Yes. This is possible and a special GUI is available to make this as simple as possible. It should be noted however that the keys and passwords must be re-entered after the new firmware is loaded.

Does the Paranoia2 only work with tape drives?

The standard units are designed especially for tape drives but a special version that supports Ultra Density Optical discs is also available to special order. Please ask your sales rep to arrange DISUK to contact you directly to discuss this.

Can I monitor the front panel remotely?

Yes. The standard Parasoft GUI shows the front panel display and is refreshed automatically. If you have the optional LAN connection this can be done across the network as well.

What SCSI connectors are on the LVD Paranoia2 units?

There are three 68 way MicroD sockets on the Paranoia2, one goes to the tape, one to the host and the other is used either to terminate the SCSI bus or used to daisy units.

My System and tape drives use the small VHDCI connectors, how do I use the Paranoia2 with these units?

DISUK can supply VDHCI to standard MicroD cables for these configurations. Please discuss this with your sales rep prior to placing the order to ensure the correct cable lengths are supplied.

What happens if we have a power failure? Is there anything special we need to do?

The Paranoia2 units will retain their passwords, keys and configuration settings for five minutes after the power fails. After that period these will be deleted for security reasons and will have to be re-entered once power is restored.

We often suffer power supply outages, is there a way to ensure the units don’t restart in non-secure mode?

It is possible to have the unit factory configured to require passwords to be entered before the units will come on-line after a power outage. Please advise your sales rep of this requirement prior to placing your orders.

 I keep seeing “Illegal Request” on the display, what is the problem causing this?

 This is a response to the system issuing a command that the tape drive does not support and is quite normal, normally you would be unaware this is occurring. The usual reason is that the system issues an inquiry to a device and then looks for a response from a nonexistent LUN on the device to see if it exists.

 What are the speed implications of installing the Paranoia2?

 The Paranoia2 may have up to a ten percent impact on speed this can be either negative or positive but depends on the type of data, the tape drive and the system.

 Can two different people (groups) hold separate keys for the Paranoia2?

Yes. The GUI allows for two keys to be entered separately and both are required to encrypt / decrypt tapes.

 Will the Paranoia2 work with my autoloader?

 Yes. The Paranoia2 supports all autoloaders both with separate SCSI ID’s and those using a second LUN to control the autoloaders. No changes or special configuration is required.

 Will the Paranoia2 work with my library?

 Yes. The library control can go via the Paranoia2 or by daisy chaining it at the host side of the Paranoia2. Normally one Paranoia2 is used for each drive in the library that requires encryption.

 What encryption algorithms does the Paranoia2 use?

 We used Extended DES or 3DES but have dual encryption engines to enhance the encryption beyond the standards.

 If we change from a SCSI infrastructure to fibre channel is it possible to upgrade the Paranoia2 to work on Fibre Channel?

Yes. Although this would not be a field upgrade and the unit would need to be returned to DISUK’s UK offices.

 Is it possible to monitor and configure the Paranoia2 through the LAN?

There is a network option that allows you to monitor the unit across the LAN.