How do I upgrade to a later version of Archimedia?

Here are the steps to upgrading to a later version of Archimedia. Similar steps are followed if you want to setup Archimedia on a different hard disk partition:

1. Begin by flushing and purging all your XFS(s). Your cache should report 0 for Dirty and Used file sizes.
2. Write down all the relevant information under the Software Configuration window, this can be accessed by going into Start -> Programs -> K-PAR Archimedia -> Setup Wizard -> Software Configuration.
3. Stop the xfsd service and back up your xfs folder under C:\Program Files\k-par.
4. Uninstall the old version of Archimedia via Control Panel -> Add/Remove Programs. If you are uninstalling Archimedia V4.1.1 or later, then during the uninstall, you will be prompted as to whether you would like to retain the XFS(s) and registry settings. Say "yes" to both.
5. Set up the new version of Archimedia. If you were upgrading from V4.1.1 or later, then on rebooting, your XFS(s) and Software Configuration entries should show up automatically, else copy the backed up folders and configure the software accordingly. If upgrading to V4.3.0 or above, then a new license key is required.
6. Verify that all 3 Archimedia services are running.
7. Finally, re-share and re-map your XFS(s) if previously mapped out.

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How can I tell if the Windows NT machine is seeing the hardware on the SCSI bus?

The simplest way to tell if Windows NT is seeing the drives is to go to:

Start -> Settings -> Control Panel

Then in Control Panel, select SCSI Adapters and expand the Adapter that you have configured with your hardware. The library and/or drive(s) should be indicated there.

If the SCSI card is not being seen, then check on the following:

• The latest drivers for the SCSI card are setup
• The library and drives are properly terminated
• The cable length does not exceed 3 meters, both internally and externally

Please check the Microsoft Windows NT Help Pages for information on how to add SCSI card drivers onto Windows NT.

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The SCSI bus that I have the library connected to is not being seen by the installation programs.

Check the termination of the SCSI bus and that the cable length is not excessive. Make sure that NT can see the drive itself. If Windows NT cannot see the hardware, Archimedia will not be able to make use of it. You can make sure that Windows is seeing the hardware by looking at the BIOS screen during boot-up. Make sure that you have the most updated SCSI card drivers as well. Also, make sure that the IDs for the devices do not conflict. It is also recommended to put a CD/DVD Recorder on its own separate bus.

Please check K-PAR's supported hardware list, it may simply be a case that the device(s) is not yet supported in the current release.

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Where are the passwords for the device drivers held on the system?

The passwords for all K-PAR drivers on Windows NT are held in the registry.

In order to alter the password after installation you will need to be logged in as administrator, or have administrative privileges.

Go to:

Start -> Programs -> K-PAR Archimedia -> Setup Wizard -> Software Configuration -> Passwords tab to install the new password.

It will correctly install the password into the registry. A reboot is required after setting up the password, for the drivers to reload and recognize it.

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Why is Archimedia unable to see the drives within my jukebox after running the setup?

• Make sure that no other software that can claim the jukebox or drives is currently running or installed on your system.
• Also verify that the drives and jukebox are all supported by Archimedia. This can be determined by looking at the Supported Hardware page.
• Verify that all the drives have unique target IDs on the SCSI bus. It is recommended to assign the highest priority ID to the jukebox, the next one to the recorder and the lowest IDs to the readers.

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Why am I unable to create a drive mapping for my XFS?

When trying to create a mapped drive, if it returns a Code 5 error and does not allow you to map, then take the following steps:

• Make sure that you have copied the patch files if running Archimedia V4.0.0. These are available at the ftp site. All 3 services in Archimedia have to be stopped and all Archimedia-related applications closed before these can be copied.
• Other settings to check for would be:
• Properties of the XFS -> Sharing tab -> "Allow file system to be shared" should be checked.
• Properties of the XFS -> Sharing tab -> Permissions button -> all groups should have “Full Control” and you should have an Everyone group with “Full Control” as well. This is only applicable to Archimedia V4.0.0 to V4.2.0.
• After making these modifications, make sure that you stop and re-start all 3 services.
• As well, make sure that the ksmbd service is running, you can check this by clicking on the Service Manager button in Archimedia Explorer.

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I have suffered a system crash. Is there anything I should do?

The first thing that should always be done after suffering from a system crash is to run the xfs_correct and xfs_check utilities in the following manner:

1. Begin by stopping the xfsd service and closing all Archimedia-related applications.
2. Open up the DOS program and run the following at the command line:
C:\Program Files\k-par\bin>xfs_correct –fldy <xfs-name>
<xfs-name> is the name of your XFS, you can get this name(s) by running the xfs_list utility.
3. After the above is completed, then run the following:
C:\Program Files\k-par\bin>xfs_check –ciy <xfs-name>
4. Now, re-start all the services.

This will look through the index files and try and establish if there are any inconsistencies in them. If there are any, it will then try and correct them. Not every scenario can be corrected.

If the indices cannot be corrected then there are two options that can be done to recover:

• Recover the indices from a known good backup. XFSs can be backed up by stopping the xfsd service and then backing up the xfs folder under \Program Files\k-par. This will place a good working set of indices back on the hard disk, which can then be used to recover. Run xfs_correct followed by an xfs_check on the cache and all discs should then recover to a good working set of indices.
• Start re-indexing the complete file system from scratch. This may be a lengthy process depending on the number of XFS file systems and the number of pieces of media included in each file system. This would mean deleting the XFS and building a new one and creating subsystems for each media.

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Problems reading discs in other drives

It has been noticed that not all media are compatible with their respective drives. Visit the drive manufacturers’ websites to determine what media are compatible with what drives. Drive manufacturers regularly update the firmware for their drives, so that the latest media can be used.

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Where should I look for error messages?

The system and application logs for Windows NT are located in:

Start -> Programs -> Administrative Tools -> Event Viewer

Logged events related to Archimedia can be from the following sources:

• KPAR
• scsi_cdr
• scsi_opt
• scsi_jb

If in doubt about any of the error messages, please save the event logs and contact:

us-support@k-par.com (for the Americas)
support@k-par.com (for Europe, Asia, Africa and the Middle East)

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I keep seeing SCSI errors being generated in the Windows NT System event log

This could be due to one or many of the following:

• The SCSI cable is too long, or the cables are of poor quality. To make a bus work faster and correctly, there should be fewer devices and shorter cables on it.
• One of the devices on the bus is incorrectly terminated. Ensure that the bus is terminated with a good-quality external terminator of the correct type for the bus.
• The hardware is unable to work at the fast speeds that modern SCSI adapters can handle. Check the hardware manufacturer to see if there is any updated firmware which may solve certain SCSI issues. Please check with the SCSI card manufacturer for details on how to slow down a particular SCSI bus on a system.
• Device negotiation problems generally mean that there are too many devices on the bus.
• Make sure that you have the most updated drivers for your SCSI card. You can get these from the SCSI card manufacturer's website.
• It is recommended to set up the recorder (usually CD-R/RW or DVD-R/RW) on a separate bus from the rest of the devices so as to avoid buffer underruns from occurring.
• Under Windows SCSI BIOS, set the Sync Transfer Rate for the devices to 5 – 10 Mb/s.
• The devices should be set up as Synchronized and not Asynchronized.

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What could have caused all my subsystems to go offline after doing a software upgrade and running the Hardware Setup a second time?

This usually happens due to the jukebox reference number incrementing by 1, and hence outputting the wrong data. To correct this, run the Hardware Setup in the following manner:

1. Start -> Programs -> K-PAR Archimedia -> Setup Wizard -> Hardware Setup Wizard.
2. Select “Configure current hardware”
3. In the “Modify Settings” window, select the jukebox icon, then click on the Properties window.
4. Go into the Options tab, change the Jukebox number. If setting up only 1 jukebox, then the recommended number is 0.
5. OK the window, Finish, Exit.
6. Stop and re-start the jbcd service for this reference number to take effect. If you have made other changes to the device settings other than the above, then make sure that you do reboot the machine.

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Why do I keep suffering from buffer underruns?

This means that the data throughput to the drive is not sufficient to ensure a continuous flow of data to write the track.

There are several possible causes for this :

• The SCSI bus may have too many other devices that need to use the bus too frequently which results in the data flow being interrupted. A CD/DVD-R drive should ideally be on a separate bus from other system devices. If a staging area is being used on a separate hard disk then ideally these should be the only two devices on the bus. The staging area cannot be located on a network drive.
• A heavily utilized CPU may not be able to allocate enough system resources to the burn.
• Make sure that the image file or drive where the image will get generated is not highly fragmented. Check for fragmentation and de-fragment accordingly.

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Latest patches and updates from Microsoft.

Useful web sites for Windows NT patches and service packs include:

• http://msdn.microsoft.com
• http://www.microsoft.com

At present K-PAR has fully tested the software on Windows NT upto Service Pack 6.

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Latest drive/library firmware from manufacturers.

Try following the links to the CD, DVD, Optical or Blue Ray manufacturers' web sites in order to download the latest firmware. Usually the firmware can be found under technica /support/downloads at the manufacturers' web sites.

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