Member Avatar for newDBA

Hi
I am getting this error

The device, \Device\Scsi\cpqfcalm1, is not ready for access yet.

Looks like this error cause server to hang.

After reboot everything is okey

Any help will be greatly appreciated

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  • Latest Post Latest Post by antioed

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Short answer: that Windows message points at the Compaq/HP Fibre Channel HBA path (the cpqfcalm* driver) failing to respond. When a critical LUN becomes unresponsive Windows can block I/O and the system appears to “hang” even though there’s no STOP error. As asked, the single event text isn’t enough — more data is needed to find whether this is cabling, switch/port flaps, firmware/driver bugs, array problems or heavy I/O (backups/snapshots) saturating the SAN.

Practical checklist to run during your next maintenance window:

  • Capture the complete System event log entry (Source, Event ID, full message text and exact timestamp).
  • Record HBA driver and firmware versions, array controller firmware, and SAN switch model/port numbers.
  • Check SAN/switch logs for port resets or link errors at the same timestamps.
  • Note any heavy scheduled I/O at the time (backups, snapshots, antivirus/maintenance).
  • Run the vendor HBA/array diagnostics and collect their logs.
  • If you can, monitor disk-related counters (physical disk queue length, % disk time) around the incident.

Immediate, low-risk tests and mitigations

  • During a maintenance window reseat/replace the fibre cable or SFP and try a different FC port to rule out a physical/transceiver issue.
  • If the server uses multipathing, confirm both paths are healthy and vendor path-management is up to date.
  • Update HBA and array firmware/drivers to vendor-recommended releases (as suggested) only after taking backups and scheduling downtime.
  • If the problem reproduces, try isolating the host (move LUN to another host or test another host on the same SAN port) to narrow whether the array, switch, or host is at fault.

What to post back here for targeted help: the exact Event Viewer entry (paste it), HBA model and driver/firmware, array model/firmware, SAN switch model/log excerpt, and whether any heavy I/O was running at the time. A single cold reboot fixing the issue is a sign the storage path is unstable — collect the logs before you reboot and escalate to HP/Compaq support if the vendor diagnostics show errors.

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Member Avatar for newDBA

..........

Member Avatar for DMR

I am getting this error... Any help will be greatly appreciated

Um... any information you could give us is what will help; we're a bit lacking in specifics here. :mrgreen:

Seriously- give us the details of your server setup, the installed/attached hardware, etc. At first glance, the error seems related to timing issues with Compaq fibrechannel hardware, but knowing more about your situation would make it easier for us to say for sure.

Member Avatar for newDBA

Hi !

Proliant DL760

Part description

PCI-X Slot 3 Hot swappable
Compaq Storage works 64 bit/66Mhz

Fibre Host Bus Adapter

Type of external array on controller = compaq storage Works Raid Array 4100

We do use Fibre Channel


Windows 2000 + sp2
SQL 2000 + sp3

The error usually appears alone ( no warnings or other error) Just this single error :
"The device \device\scsi\cpqfcalm1, is not ready for access yet".
A few hours after that error Server became unresponsive :
it is not a "STOP" errror but I am not able to do anything .
I don't even see the items on a desctop only background the only way to fix this is to cold shutdown computer and then after reboot everything is okey.
Thank you

Member Avatar for DMR

Look in your event logs to see if any more specific/descriptive info is given there. If so, post the exact and entire contents.

- A "not ready for access" message is often indicative of a timing error caused by hardware faults/confilicts. Carefully check your cabling, termination, etc. Has anyone made any physical changes to the system lately?

- The error could also be driver-related. Have any driver updates/changes been applied to devices in the system around the time this began to happen?

- It's possible that the device itself (cpqfcalm1) is starting to fail; do you have a replacement you can try?

Member Avatar for antioed

HP will be a much better resource for these sort of problems but I can tell you that the first thing you want to do is check the version of SupportPack you have; looks like 7.10 is the latest so make sure you're running that one, it was released in June of this year so it's likely you don't have it. The support pack should have drivers for just about everything; generally when you run into problems this will be the first thing HP/Compaq support would have you check...you'll have to get more familiar with your hardware because frankly their support sucks. The method I've learned with the Proliants is to:

1. Update the support pack as this includes most common drivers for the system and commonly attached devices.
2. If the support pack doesn't have drivers for the particular devices you're seeing issues with then check to ensure you have the latest drivers installed for those devices.
3. Make sure you keep the warranty active...if you have updated all the software, searched all of the HP help docs, and re-read the manuals for the equipment you're having problems with then you will most likely be looking to HP for more help. This forum is great and the members are quite knowledgable but you're dealing with some fairly exclusive hardware here...the chances of members being able to help you resolve this sort of issue without access to your specific hardware config are slim...if you are the admin of the box then you need to work on it and learn it...if you're not then I would recommend you have this addressed by the admin. Good luck.

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