DMU-604 - Commtech-Fastcom.com

FASTCOM TM 

Hard Disk Maintenance Unit 

DMU-604 

Operator’s Manual 

Version 1.8 

Commtech, Inc. 

Wichita, KS 

(316) 636-1131 

www.dmu604.com

Document Version: 1.8 

Document History: 

FASTCOM TM Hard Drive Maintenance Unit 

Model DMU-604 

Version 1.0 – 1.3 Beta versions, pre-production 

Version 1.4 Baseline production document February 2005 

Version 1.4.1 Minor font changes, expansion to page 6 

Version 1.4.2 Cover picture change, expansion to page 8 

Version 1.5 Substantial updates to pages 5 through 21 

Version 1.6 IDE interface, Error codes, new options 

Version 1.7 SATA interface 

Version 1.8 Added error code 73 

Copyright © 2005, 2006 Commtech, Inc. Wichita, KS. All rights reserved. 

FASTCOM is a trademark of Commtech, Inc.


Model DMU-604

Contents 



DMU Description...................................................................................................5 

DMU Functions .................................................................................................5 

Features ............................................................................................................6 

DMU Design Objective......................................................................................6 

DMU Layout..........................................................................................................7 

Front Panel........................................................................................................7 

Function Keys ................................................................................................7 

LCD Display...................................................................................................7 

Power Switch.................................................................................................7 

Static Band ....................................................................................................7 

DVD Drive.............................................................................................................8 

DVD +R, DVD –R Media ...................................................................................8 

DVD DL Media ..................................................................................................8 

DVD RW Media.................................................................................................8 

Rear Panel............................................................................................................9 

Hard Disk Power Supply ...................................................................................9 

Narrow SCSI Interface ......................................................................................9 

Wide SCSI Interface........................................................................................10 

Ethernet...........................................................................................................10 

USB.................................................................................................................11 

SATA...............................................................................................................11 

Packing List ........................................................................................................11 

Unpacking the DMU............................................................................................11 

Testing the DMU .............................................................................................11 

DMU Dust Cap ................................................................................................14 

Operating the Unit Safely....................................................................................15 

DMU System Disks .............................................................................................16 

Updating DMU System Disks ..........................................................................16 

Universal System Restore Disks .....................................................................16 

DMU Operation Options......................................................................................17 

DVD Verify Option...........................................................................................17 

Repeat Last Image Option ..............................................................................17 

Backup and Restore Procedures ........................................................................18 

DMU Direct SCSI Interface Procedure............................................................19 

Hard Drive to DVD Backup Function ...........................................................19 

DVD to Hard Drive Restore Function...........................................................23 

DMU IDE Procedure........................................................................................25



USB to IDE Adapter.....................................................................................25 

USB-IDE Backup Procedure........................................................................25 

USB-IDE Restore Procedure .......................................................................29 

DMU SATA Procedure ....................................................................................32 

SATA Backup Procedure.............................................................................32 

SATA Restore Procedure ............................................................................35 

DMU Ethernet Interface Procedure .................................................................38 

Backup of the Hard Drive on the Network....................................................38 

Correcting Disk Errors with CHKDSK ..........................................................38 

Restoring the Hard Drive on the Network ...........................................................44 

System Maintenance ..........................................................................................47 

Maintenance....................................................................................................47 

Cleaning the DVD Drive...............................................................................47 

Warranty..........................................................................................................48 

Technical Support / How to Contact Us ..............................................................48 

Error Codes ........................................................................................................49 

Appendix A .........................................................................................................63 

Description of the issue: ..................................................................................63

DMU Description 



The FASTCOM Hard Drive Maintenance Unit (Model DMU-604) is a selfcontained, 

portable hard disk maintenance tool. The DMU is designed to 

perform two functions: hard drive backup to a DVD and hard drive restore from a 

DVD. A hard drive can be connected directly to the DMU (through the SCSI or 

USB interfaces) or through the Ethernet interface. Because the DMU is a hard 

drive imaging tool, it works with most hard drives regardless of the computer, 

operating system, or disk interface. 

The DMU supports: 

Drive Type DMU Connection Example USPS Computer 

Narrow SCSI Direct to drive MicroVAX, IPSS 

Wide SCSI Direct or Ethernet FARC, SAR, USV, MIS (AFSM) 

EIDE Ethernet (or USB) CPOCS 

RAID Ethernet Site Server (AFSM), APPS 

These are just a few examples of the hard disks supported by the DMU. Other 

systems are supported and new systems are being added. Refer to the DMU 

web site for a current list of tested and supported systems: 

www.dmu604.com 

The amount of data that can be stored on the DVD depends upon how well the 

data can be compressed. A very conservative estimate is that the data will be 

compressed at the rate of two to one. Many hard disks can be backed up on one 

DVD, but some backups may require multiple DVDs. 

DMU Functions 

The Hard Drive Backup Function copies the exact contents and format of an 

existing hard drive, compresses it, and writes that image to a DVD disk. 

The Hard Drive Restore Function uses the compressed data produced by the 

DMU on the DVD backup disk to create an exact image of the original hard drive 

on a new hard drive. You do not need to format or prepare the new hard disk in 

any way. Simply connect a new hard disk to the DMU and an exact clone of the 

original hard disk will be created. 

Page 5 


Features 



• Fast - 10 minute backup or restore for a MicroVAX system hard drive. 

• Reliable - Rugged construction, field-tested unit. 

• Expandable - Up to 10 DMU units may be concurrently run on a network. 

• Upgradeable - DMU can be upgraded to support new systems. 

• Standardized - Uses off-the-shelf, inexpensive DVD+R disks. 

• Complete - Cables, disks, and documentation. 

• Support - Online support and direct telephone customer support. 

• Warranty - 1 year on parts and labor. 

DMU Design Objective 

The DMU was originally designed to reduce the time and labor required to 

restore a failed hard drive in the MLOCR MicroVAX computer. Without the DMU, 

that process can take 4 to 8 hours (typically more if the tape drive fails on the 

MicroVAX). With the DMU, a failed hard drive in the MicroVAX can be replaced 

by new hard drive and the system can be up and running in less than 20 minutes. 

More importantly, you will have a high degree of confidence in the replacement 

hard disk because it is an exact clone of a known good drive. 

The DMU now supports many different USPS systems, including Windows and 

Linux based systems. As new systems are supported, software upgrades are 

posted on the DMU website for download. The design objective is the same; 

improve the efficiency of replacing the hard drive in critical systems. 

Page 6 


DMU Layout 

Front Panel 

www.commtech-fastcom.com 

(316) 636-1131 

Caution: 

Power must be OFF 

before connecting or 

disconnecting cables 

POWER 



HD DVD 

DVD HD 

Hard Drive Maintenance Unit 

tm 

Fastcom DMU-604 

DVD R/RW 

DMU-604 F1 

CAUTION: USE STATIC BAND 

Page 7 


ABORT 

F2 NEXT 

Function Keys 

F1 

F2 

Abort 

Next 

Caution : 

Always use the 

Static Band 

STATIC BAND 

Function Keys 

There are four illuminated push button switches on the DMU. The F1 and F2 are 

soft function keys that select desired DMU system operations. The Abort key 

cancels the current system function. The Next key changes the functions of the 

F1 and F2 soft keys. 

LCD Display 

The LCD will display system prompts and messages. 

Power Switch 

Press and release the power switch to turn the DMU power On or Off. When the 

power is on, the green LED next to the power switch will illuminate. Note: LCD 

will not illuminate immediately when DMU power button is pressed. Internal selftest 

requires about one minute to complete. 

Static Band 

Always wear a static band when handling static-sensitive components. Plug the 

static band (included with the DMU) into this socket.

DVD Drive 



The DVD drive in the DMU supports most standard types of DVD media. DVD 

disks are available at most consumer electronic stores (like CompUSA, Best Buy, 

Radio Shack, Sam’s, etc.), or you may buy them directly from us. USPS Topeka 

Spares should also have a supply of them on hand. 

DVD +R, DVD –R Media 

You may use any good quality DVD –R (minus R) disks or DVD +R (plus R) disks 

in the DMU. The throughput on +R disks is a little faster. Disk speeds above 4X 

are recommended. Note that the DMU defaults to the lowest write speed for the 

media (to increase reliability), so a fast DVD may not improve throughput time. 

Supplied with the DMU kit are 10 DVD +R disks. We have tested these disks 

and recommend them based upon their price and reliability. 

DVD DL Media 

The DMU does support double layer (DL) DVD disks. Please note that if your 

backup requires two or more disks, all of the disks must be DL type disks. You 

cannot mix standard DVD disks with DVD DL disks when the backup spans more 

than one disk. If the backup requires multiple disks, the DMU will assume that if 

the first disk is a DL disk, all subsequent disks are DL disks. 

Double layer disks are more expensive than regular DVDs, but they will hold 

twice the data. There is no indication that DL disks are more or less reliable than 

regular DVDs. 

DVD RW Media 

While not recommended, the DMU also supports DVD RW (re-usable) disks. If 

you insert a DVD RW disk in the DMU, menu options will appear on the LCD that 

will allow you to write over existing data. In most cases, this is not a good idea. 

If you must use RW disks, contact our technical support for additional 

information. 

Page 8 


Rear Panel 

Fastcom is a trademark of 

Commtech, Inc. 

DMU software and case 

design (c) 2005 Commtech, Inc. 

All rights reserved. 



Wide SCSI Interface 

Ethernet 

Hard Disk Power Supply 

Hard Drive Maintenance Unit 

tm 

Model: Fastcom DMU-604 

Page 9 


Narrow SCSI Interface 

Technical Support: 


(316) 636-1131 

www.commtech-fastcom.com 

Very Important!!! 

SATA 

Hard Disk Power Supply 

Caution: 

DMU power must be 

OFF before connecting or 

disconnecting cables 

When connecting a hard drive directly to the DMU, you must connect the 

hard drive to the DMU Hard Disk Power Supply. Damage to the DMU and 

disk drive could occur if the hard drive is connected to any power source 

other than the DMU. 

A special extension cable is included for you to connect the DMU disk power 

supply to the hard drive. The hard disk power supply is designed only as a disk 

drive power supply. Damage to the system will occur if it is used for any other 

purpose. 

Narrow SCSI Interface 

Use this interface to directly connect to a 50-pin SCSI hard drive (like the 

MicroVAX or IPSS drives). A special 4‘ extension cable is included for this 

USB



interface. The narrow SCSI features a larger connector than the wide SCSI 

connector. 

Wide SCSI Interface 

Use this interface to directly connect to a 68-pin SCSI hard drive. This cable is 

not included with the DMU. Refer to the DMU website for a vendor and part 

number for this cable 

Please note: The original DMU units included this cable. However, we found 

that the original cable was incompatible with some SCSI hard drives. If your 

DMU included this cable, please discard it. 

Ethernet 

The DMU features a 10/100 Ethernet interface that can be connected to the local 

area network through a switch or hub. Up to 10 DMU units may be connected to 

the same network without conflict. When multiple DMUs are connected to a 

network, each DMU will automatically assume a unique number that will be 

displayed on its LCD screen. That unit number is used to assign a specific DMU 

to a specific computer on the network. 

DMU UNIT NUMBER 

DMU - 604 

UNIT #:01 


HD DVD 

HD 

DVD 


Page 10 


ABORT 

F2 NEXT 

Use the enclosed Ethernet cable for standard network connections. 

If you wish, you may bypass the system network and connect the DMU Ethernet 

port directly to the computer Ethernet port (NIC to NIC configuration). This will 

require a crossover Ethernet cable (not included in the DMU kit).

USB 



The Universal Serial Bus interface may be used to connect IDE drives to the 

DMU. A special USB to IDE adapter is required. Refer to the DMU web site for 

part numbers and sources for this adapter. 

SATA 

Use this interface to connect directly to a SATA drive. If it is required, an adapter 

has been supplied to connect the hard drive power cord to the special power 

connector on the SATA drive. 

Packing List 

Item Quantity Description Commtech Part # NSN 

1 1 DMU-604 Unit DMU604 7025-07-000-5196 

2 1 Static Band DESCO-9039 

3 1 AC Power Cable CABLAC 

4 1 4' 50 Pin Narrow SCSI cable CABLSCSIN 6150-07-000-5197 

5 1 25' Ethernet Cable CABLENET 6150-06-000-8759 

6 1 4' Hard Disk Power cable CABLDPS 6150-07-000-5198 

7 1 DVD Lens cleaner DVDCLEAN 7930-07-000-5199 

8 10 DVD+R disks DVD 7025-07-000-5200 

9 1 Disk Marking Pen Sharpie 

10 1 DMU System Maintenance Disk DMUMAINTCD 

11 1 DMU Network Boot Disk DMUNETCD 

12 1 DMU-604 Documentation DMUDOC 

13 1 DMU Plastic Face Cap DMUCAP 

14 1 SATA cable 

15 1 SATA power adapter 

Unpacking the DMU 

Take a moment and account for each item on the packing list. Any deficiencies 

should be immediately reported. 

Testing the DMU 

The DMU is ready to use right out of the box; it does not require any system setup. 

Remove the DMU from the box, extend the stand, and connect the AC 

power cord to the back of the DMU. For this test, do not connect a hard drive to 

the DMU. To perform a basic system test, plug in the DMU and press the power 

button: 

Page 11 




� Green power LED will illuminate. 

� Audibly verify that the cooling fans are running. 

� In about 40 seconds, the LCD and function buttons will illuminate. 

� Copyright notice will be displayed on the LCD. 

� About 5 seconds later, the software version number will be 

displayed. 

� You should now see the following: 


UNIT #:01 


HD DVD 

HD 

DVD 


Page 12 


ABORT 

F2 NEXT 

The DMU has now passed its internal self-test. Press the NEXT button. The 

LCD will now display: 


Hard Disk 

Maintenance 

Clean 


ABORT 

F2 NEXT 

Press the NEXT button again. The LCD will now display:





Revision 2.1.10 


Press the NEXT button again. The LCD will now display: 


Hard Disk Size: 




Last Image DVD 

Last Image HD 




Verify DVD ON 


0 

Page 13 


ABORT 

F2 NEXT 

ABORT 

F2 NEXT 

ABORT 

F2 NEXT 

ABORT 

F2 NEXT 

Press the Next button again and the LCD display will cycle back to the start.



The DMU may now be turned off. Press the Abort switch to get back to the 

main menu and then press the Power switch. When the Green LED goes off, the 

system can be unplugged. 

DMU Dust Cap 

Organize the cables in the pouch. Place the plastic cap over the face of the 

DMU unit and attach the snaps to hold the cap in place (as illustrated below). 

Page 14 




Operating the Unit Safely 

� Carefully read all of the instructions that come with this unit. 

� Before using the Hard Drive Maintenance Unit, be sure that all cables are 

connected correctly. 

� The power must be off before connecting or disconnecting hard drive 

cables. 

� Always observe static precautions. A wristband has been included with 

this unit. 

� Avoid dust, humidity, and temperature extremes. Do not place this unit 

where it may get wet. 

� Place the unit on a stable surface (no vibration). 

� Dropping the unit will damage it. 

� Do not operate the unit vertically. 

� Do not leave the unit on and unattended. 

IMPORTANT! 

Turn the power OFF and unplug the DMU before removing or adjusting any 

of the cables. Always observe static precautions when handling a hard 

drive. Use the static band included with this unit. 

Page 15 




DMU System Disks 

There are two DMU system CDs included with the kit: the DMU Network Boot 

CD and the System Maintenance CD. We suggest that you copy them in case of 

loss or damage to the originals. Duplicates of the DMU CDs can be downloaded 

from the DMU web page (http://www.dmu604.com). 

The blue Network Boot CD is used when backing up or restoring a hard drive 

through the Ethernet interface. An example of this procedure is illustrated in the 

DMU Ethernet Interface Procedure section of this document. 

The red DMU System Maintenance Disk will only be used for DMU system 

restoration and system updates. 

Updating DMU System Disks 

As new features are added to the DMU and new systems are supported, both the 

Network Boot CD and the DMU System Maintenance Disk are updated. These 

software updates may be downloaded directly from the Downloads section of the 

DMU web page. Refer to the DMU website for the latest software revision. 

When you update your DMU software, please note that you must update both 

the Network Boot CD and the System Maintenance CD, not just one or the 

other. Follow the instructions found on the website to create these CDs. 

If you cannot create a CD, contact Commtech, Inc. at (316) 636-1131 and we will 

send new disks to you. 

Universal System Restore Disks 

Soon, you should receive an MLOCR MicroVAX Universal Restore disk from 

MTSC (Norman). This disk contains an image of Version 15.1.4 of the MLOCR 

software that can be installed on most hard drives available for the MicroVAX. 

Using this disk eliminates the need to first back up the MLOCR to DVD. This 

disk will also resolve most hard drive size incompatibility problems. For example, 

trying to put 1.5GB of data on a 1.2GB disk will not work. Simply connect the 

new hard drive to the DMU and select the DVD -> HD option. (See the “DVD to 

Hard Drive Function” section in this document.) If you have not received your 

MicroVAX Universal Restore disk, contact MTSC. 

We expect that a similar disk for the IPSS system and others will also be 

available from MTSC. 

Page 16 


DMU Operation Options 



DVD Verify Option 

During the backup procedure, the DMU verifies the data it has written to the DVD 

by comparing it to the data it has read from your hard drive. This verification 

function is normally ON, but it can be turned OFF. In the OFF position, the verify 

step is skipped, and no checking of the data on DVD is performed. The Verify 

option defaults to ON each time the DMU is started. 

Pressing the Next Button 5 times (or 4 if there is not a stored image on the DMU) 

will bring you to the Verify DVD Menu: 

Verify DVD ON> 

Pressing F1 will cycle the Display between: 

and 

Verify DVD ON> 

Verify DVD OFF> 

Press the Next button to return to other DMU menus. 

Repeat Last Image Option 

From the Main DMU menu, pressing the NEXT button 4 times will get you to the 

Last Image option: 

Last Image -> DVD > F1 

Last Image -> HD > F2 

The Last Image Menu is only displayed on the DMU if there is a valid Image on 

the DMU. The Last Image is data stored in the DMU after it completes a 

HD►DVD (Backup to DVD) or a DVD►HD (Restore to Hard Drive) operation. 

The DMU keeps its Last Image data until another Backup or Restore operation is 

started. If the DMU does not detect a previous image, the Repeat Last Image 

Option will be skipped. 

Pressing F1 will cause the DMU burn a new (set of) DVD(s) from the Last Image. 

This option can be used to create multiple backup DVDs without the need to reread 

the Hard Drive information. It can also be used to retry a failed DVD 

burning session/operation (provided the DMU successfully completed the hard 

disk reading process and failed during the DVD burning process). 

Page 17 




Similarly, pressing the F2 key will cause the DMU to take the Last Image data 

and write it to the attached (direct or network) Hard Drive. 

After pressing F1 or F2, a confirmation message is displayed: 

Confirm YES> F1 

HD Overwrite NO > F2 

Pressing F2 here will return you to the Menu, aborting the operation. Pressing 

F1 will cause the DMU to write the last stored image to the connected Hard 

Drive. Be aware that this will destroy the current contents of the connected drive, 

replacing it with the contents of the stored Image from the DMU. 

Backup and Restore Procedures 

Note: LCD will not illuminate immediately when the DMU power button is pressed. The DMU 

requires about a minute after power on to complete its internal self test and load its operating 

system and program. 

The DMU can back up or restore a hard disk in two basic ways: a hard drive can 

be backed up or restored by directly connecting it to the DMU, or you can 

connect the DMU to your system network and image the hard drive while it is still 

installed in the computer. You may also use a combination of the two 

procedures. For example, if you make a hard disk backup through the network, 

you can restore that image to another hard disk that you have directly connected 

to the DMU SCSI interface. The resulting hard drive will be exactly the same as 

the original – the same format, the same OS, the same programs, and the same 

data. 

Important! 

In order for the DMU to be of value, you must make a DVD backup of the hard 

disk while the drive is still good! It is useless to back up a corrupted hard disk. 

Make backup copies of critical hard drives ASAP and store the DVDs in a safe 

place. 

Page 18 




DMU Direct SCSI Interface Procedure 

Note: MicroVAX and IPSS hard drives must be directly connected to the DMU; the network 

interface is not currently supported. 

Hard Drive to DVD Backup Function 

This procedure illustrates how to create an image of a SCSI hard drive that has 

been directly connected to the DMU SCSI interface. Again, this process should 

be done before problems develop with the hard drive. The hard disk used in this 

example is from a MLOCR MicroVAX. 

1. Start with a known good, working hard disk. 

2. Plug the DMU into a suitable AC power source. 

3. Be sure that the Power is Off before connecting or disconnecting cables on 

the DMU. 

4. Put the Static Band on and plug it into the front panel of the DMU. 

5. Connect both the 50-pin SCSI cable and the hard drive power cable to the 

DMU and the hard drive. You must use the cables included with the DMU. 

6. Press the DMU Power button. The unit will boot in about 40 seconds. You 

will see a copyright notice on the display after the DMU has passed its selftest. 

7. When the following function menu appears, press F1 (HD ⇨ DVD). 

The DMU will now display: 


UNIT #:01 


HD DVD 

HD 

DVD 



HD DVD 

Selected 


Page 19 


ABORT 

F2 NEXT 

ABORT 

F2 NEXT



DVD drive tray will open and the display will change to: 


Waiting: 

Insert Blank DVD 


Page 20 


ABORT 

F2 NEXT 

8. Unwrap a new blank DVD-R or DVD+R disk, and place it in the tray. 

9. Close the DVD drive tray. The display will change to: 


Reading HD 0% 


ABORT 

F2 NEXT 

The progress indicator will go to 100% while the DMU-604 reads the data from 

the SCSI drive. Depending upon the drive, this should take approximately 5 

minutes for the MLOCR. When the display reaches 100% the message will 

change to: 


Information: 

1 DVD(s) Needed 


ABORT 

F2 NEXT



After a few seconds, the display will change to: 


Creating DVD 1/1 

0.00% / 


Page 21 


ABORT 

F2 NEXT 

When the progress reaches 100% (and the Verify function is turned ON) the DVD 

drive tray will open and then close. The display will change to: 


Verifying DVD 1/1 

/ 


ABORT 

F2 NEXT 

Do not remove the DVD during the open/close cycle, or the verify step will 

fail! When the verify step is completed, you will be prompted to insert the next 

DVD (if more than one DVD was required for the backup). The DVD create-andverify 

loop will be repeated for each disk in the set. 

When the DVD creation process is complete, the display will change to: 


HD DVD 

Complete 

Eject 


ABORT 

F2 NEXT 

10. Press the F1 button. The DVD drive tray will open. 

11. Remove the DVD and label it with the enclosed Sharpie pen. Store the 

DVD in a suitable place (no direct sunlight, etc., etc.).

The DMU will now display: 




Close Tray - Turn Off 

HD DVD Complete 


Page 22 


ABORT 

F2 NEXT 

12. Press the open/close button on the DMU DVD drive to close the tray. 

13. Press the power button on the front of the DMU to turn it off. 

14. Disconnect the power and SCSI cables from the DMU and hard drive. 

15. Store the cables in the DMU pouch. 

16. Operation Complete! 

Note: Pressing the ABORT button will halt and cancel this process and open the 

DVD drive tray. The DVD disk must be discarded if the abort button has been 

pressed after the Creating DVD step has begun.



DVD to Hard Drive Restore Function 

1. Be sure that the Power is Off before connecting or disconnecting cables. 

2. Plug the DMU into a suitable AC power source. 

3. Put the Static Band on and plug it into the front panel of the DMU. 

4. Get a new, or blank, hard drive. 

� It is not necessary to format the hard drive prior to performing 

the restore function. 

� The disk must be of equal or larger size to the one that you 

backed up. 

5. Connect both the 50-pin SCSI cable and the hard drive power cable to the 

DMU and the hard drive. You must use the cables included with the DMU. 

6. Press the DMU Power button. The unit will boot in about 40 seconds. You 

will see a copyright notice on the display after the DMU has passed its selftest. 

7. When the following function menu appears, press F2 (DVD ⇨ HD). 


UNIT #:01 


HD DVD 

HD 

DVD 


Page 23 


ABORT 

F2 NEXT 

8. The DVD drive tray will open and the display will change to: 

Waiting: 

Insert Next DVD 

Insert the DVD disk that you created with the hard disk backup process in 

the previous section.



9. Press the open/close button on the DVD drive to close the drive tray. 

The display will change to 

DVD ► HD 

Retrieving Image / 

After the image has been read from the DVD, the display will change to: 

DVD ► HD 0% 

The progress indicator will go to 100% and the display will change to: 

DVD ► HD eject> 

Complete 

10. Press the F1 button, the DVD drive tray will eject. 

11. Remove the Image DVD and return to its storage location. The DMU will 

now display: 


DVD ► HD Complete 


13. Press the power button on the front of the DMU-604 to turn off the DMU. 

14. Remove the SCSI and power cables from the drive and DMU. 

15. Store the cables in the DMU pouch. 

The restore operation is now complete, the drive can now be placed in the 

MicroVAX and it will operate as if it were the same (known good) drive that was 

used to create the image. 

Note: pressing the ABORT button will halt and cancel this process and open the 

DVD drive door. 

Page 24 




DMU IDE Procedure 

The IDE drive backup procedure is almost identical to the SCSI drive procedure 

described above. The main difference between the two is that a USB-to-IDE 

adapter is required to connect the drive to the DMU. Several sources for this 

adapter are listed on the DMU web site. We have tested the DMU with the 

adapters listed on the DMU Web site; other USB to IDE adapters may not work. 

Refer to the DMU web site for part numbers and sources for this adapter. 

USB to IDE Adapter 

Why doesn’t the DMU have an IDE connector on it? We did considered putting 

an IDE interface on the DMU. However, unlike the SCSI interface, an IDE 

interface has severe cable length limitations (typically 10” to 12” long) and after 

internal connections within the DMU, we could only support a 3” to 5” external 

IDE cable. Since that cable length is unacceptable, we chose the USB-to-IDE 

adapter because it eliminates the IDE cable length restrictions. Additionally, it is 

noteworthy that the amount of time required to backup an IDE drive is not 

compromised by the USB interface. 

USB-IDE Backup Procedure 

As we have stated before, you must start with a known good, working hard drive. 

While not absolutely required before making a DMU backup of a hard drive, it is 

recommended that you run your disk checking utility (in Windows, use CHKDSK) 

on each partition of the hard drive that you plan to backup. This will help insure 

the integrity of your backup. 

1. Plug in the DMU. 

2. Attach the static band to the DMU. 

3. Attach drive power cable to rear of DMU. 

4. Attach USB-IDE adapter to IDE drive. 

5. Set IDE drive jumper to MASTER (if not already set that way). 

6. Connect drive power cable to IDE drive. 

7. Connect USB cable to rear of DMU. 

Page 25 




8. Push Red power button on the front of the DMU. 

Wait about a minute while DMU-604 powers up. 

Wait for the DMU to display the following: 

9. Press F1 (HD ⇨ DVD). 

DMU-604 HD ⇨DVD ► 

Unit#:01 DVD⇨HD ► 

The DMU will then display: 

HD->DVD 

Selected 

The DVD drive tray will open and the DMU display will change to: 

Waiting: 


10. Unwrap a blank DVD+R or DVD-R disk, place it in the DVD drive tray, and 

close the tray. 

The DMU display will change to: 

Reading HD / 1.00% 

Part 1/1 

(Depending on the number of partitions on your IDE disk, the display could 

be different.) 

The DMU-604 will read all of the used sectors on the IDE drive. When that 

process is complete the DMU will display: 

Information: 

1 DVD(s) needed 

The numbers could be different depending on the number of partitions 

and/or the amount and compressibility of the used data on the drive. 

The DMU display will then change to: 


0.00% / 

Page 26 




The progress will go to 100%. At the completion of the burning process (if 

the Verify feature is turned ON), the DVD drive tray will open and close and 

the DVD display will change to: 


/ 

Do not remove the DVD during the open/close cycle, or the verify step 

will fail! When the verify step is completed, you will be prompted to insert 

the next DVD (if more than one DVD is required for the backup). 

When the verification process is complete, if more disks are needed the 

DVD drive tray will open and the DMU will display: 

Waiting: 


This process will repeat for each disk in the set. When the last disk has 

been verified, the DMU display will change to: 

HD ⇨ DVD Eject ► 

Complete 

11. Press F1 to eject the final disk, remove the DVD, and use the included 

sharpie pen to label it. Store the disk for future restore operations. 

The Display will now shift to: 

Close Tray-Turn Off 

HD ⇨ DVD Complete 

12. Close the Drive Tray. Press and release the Red power button on the front 

of the DMU. Wait for the Green power LED on the front of the DMU to turn 

OFF. 

13. Remove USB cable from the back of the DMU. 

14. Remove Drive power cable from the back of the DMU. 

15. Remove Drive power cable from IDE drive. 

16. Remove USB-IDE adapter from back of IDE drive. 

17. Unplug power cord from DMU unit and power outlet. 

18. Remove the static band. 

Page 27 




19. Replace cables, etc. in DMU pouch. 

20. Place protective dust cover on the front of the DMU unit. 

21. Operation Complete. 

Page 28 


USB-IDE Restore Procedure 





3. Attach the hard drive power cable to the rear of DMU. 

4. Attach USB-IDE adapter to IDE drive. 

� It is not necessary to format the hard drive prior to performing the 

restore function. 

� The disk must be of equal or larger size to the one that you backed 

up. 

5. Set IDE drive jumper to MASTER (if it is not already set that way). 

6. Connect the drive power cable to IDE drive. 

7. Connect the USB cable to rear of DMU. 

8. Push Power button on the front of the DMU. 

Wait about a minute while DMU-604 powers up. 


DMU-604 HD ⇨ DVD ► 

Unit#:01 DVD⇨ HD ► 

9. At the main DMU menu press F2 (DVD->HD). 


DVD ⇨ HD 

Selected 

Then the DVD drive tray will open and the DMU display will change to: 

Waiting: 


10. Take DVD from previous HD ⇨ DVD operation and place in DVD drive tray. 

Close DVD drive tray. 

Page 29 




The DMU display will then display: 

DVD ⇨ HD 


If you have a multi-disk set, at the end of the first disk the drive tray will open 

and the message 

Waiting: 


will appear again. Insert the next DVD in the image set, and repeat until the 

last disk is inserted. At the end of the last disk the DMU display will shift to: 

DVD ⇨ HD / 1.00% 

part 1/1 

And the progress will go to 100% for each part (partition). At the completion 

of the last part the display shows: 

DVD ⇨ HD Eject> 

Complete 

11. Press the F1 button to eject the DVD. 

The DMU display changes to: 


DVD ⇨ HD Complete 

12. Remove the image DVD and return to storage. 

13. Close the DVD drive tray. 

14. Push and release the Red power button on the front of the DMU. 

15. Wait for the green LED on the front of the DMU to turn off. 

16. Remove the USB cable from the rear of the DMU. 

17. Remove the Drive power cable from the rear of the DMU. 

18. Remove the Drive power cable from the IDE drive. 

19. Remove the USB-IDE adapter from the IDE drive. 

Page 30 




20. Restore the jumper settings on the IDE drive as required. (This drive has 

now had its image restored, and is ready for operation.) 

21. Remove the Static Band. 

22. Remove the DMU power cable from the rear of the DMU. 

23. Return the cables, etc. to the DMU storage pouch. 



Page 31 




DMU SATA Procedure 

The SATA drive backup procedure is almost identical to the IDE drive procedure 

described above. Early SATA drives do not have the standard 4-pin power 

connection. An adapter has been supplied if you wish to provide power to the 

hard drive from the DMU in these situations. Later drives have both the unique 

connector and the standard 4-pin connector. 

SATA Backup Procedure 


While not absolutely required before making a DMU backup of a hard drive, it is 

recommended that you run your disk checking utility (in Windows, use CHKDSK) 

on each partition of the hard drive that you plan to backup. This will help insure 

the integrity of your backup. 



3. Attach drive power cable to rear of DMU. 

4. Attach SATA cable to SATA drive. 

5. Connect drive power cable to SATA drive. Use adapter, if necessary. 

6. Connect SATA cable to rear of DMU. 

7. Push Red power button on the front of the DMU. 

…Wait about a minute while DMU-604 powers up… 




8. Press F1 (HD ⇨ DVD). 


HD->DVD 

Selected 

The DVD drive tray will open and the DMU display will change to: 

Page 32 




Waiting: 


9. Unwrap a blank DVD+R or DVD-R disk, place it in the DVD drive tray, and 

close the tray. 


Reading HD / 1.00% 

Part 1/1 

(Depending on the number of partitions on your SATA disk, the display could 

be different.) 

The DMU-604 will read all of the used sectors on the SATA drive. When that 

process is complete the DMU will display: 

Information: 

1 DVD(s) needed 

The numbers could be different depending on the number of partitions and/or 

the amount and compressibility of the used data on the drive. The DMU 

display will then change to: 


0.00% / 

The progress will go to 100%. At the completion of the burning process (If the 

Verify feature is turned ON) the DVD drive tray will open and close and the 

DVD display will change to: 


/ 


will fail! When the verify step is completed, you will be prompted to insert the 

next DVD (if more than one DVD was required for the backup). 

When the verification process is complete, if more disks are needed the DVD 

drive tray will open and the DMU will display: 

Waiting: 


This process will repeat for each disk in the set. When the last disk has been 

verified the DMU display will change to: 

HD ⇨ DVD Eject ► 

Page 33 


Complete 



10. Press F1 to eject the final disk, remove the DVD and use the included sharpie 

pen to label it, store the disk for future restore operations. 

The Display will now shift to: 

Close Tray-Turn Off 

HD ⇨ DVD Complete 

11. Close the Drive Tray. Push and release the Red power button on the front of 

the DMU. Wait for the Green power LED on the front of the DMU to turn 

OFF. 

12. Remove SATA cable from the back of the DMU. 

13. Remove Drive power cable from the back of the DMU. 

14. Remove Drive power cable (and adapter, if used) from SATA drive. 

15. Remove SATA cable from SATA drive. 

16. Unplug power cord from DMU unit and power outlet. 

17. Remove static band. 

18. Replace cables, etc. in DMU pouch. 



Page 34 


SATA Restore Procedure 





3. Attach the hard drive power cable to the rear of DMU. 



� The disk must be of equal or larger size to the one that you backed 

up. 

4. Connect the drive power cable to SATA drive. Use adapter if necessary. 

5. Connect the SATA cable to rear of DMU. 

6. Push Power button on the front of the DMU. 

…Wait about a minute while DMU-604 powers up… 




7. At the main DMU menu press F2 (DVD->HD). 


DVD ⇨ HD 

Selected 

Then the DVD drive tray will open and the DMU display will change to: 

Waiting: 


8. Take DVD from previous HD ⇨ DVD operation and place in DVD drive tray, 

close DVD drive tray. 

The DMU display will then display: 

DVD ⇨ HD 

Page 35 





If you have a multi disk set, at the end of the first disk the drive tray will 

open and the message 

Waiting: 


will appear again. Insert the next DVD in the image set, and repeat until 

the last disk is inserted. At the end of the last disk the DMU display will 

shift to: 

DVD ⇨ HD / 1.00% 

part 1/1 

And the progress will go to 100% for each part (partition). At the 

completion of the last part the display shows: 


Complete 

9. Press the F1 button to eject the DVD. 




10. Remove the image DVD and return to storage. 

11. Close the DVD drive tray. 

12. Push and release the Red power button on the front of the DMU. 

13. Wait for the green LED on the front of the DMU to turn off. 

14. Remove the SATA cable from the rear of the DMU. 

15. Remove the Drive power cable from the rear of the DMU. 

16. Remove the Drive power cable (and adapter, if used) from the SATA drive. 

17. Remove the SATA cable from the SATA drive. 

18. Remove the Static Band. 

19. Remove the DMU power cable from the rear of the DMU. 

Page 36 




20. Return the cables, etc. to the DMU storage pouch. 



Page 37 




DMU Ethernet Interface Procedure 

The following procedure illustrates how to back up and restore the AFCS FARC 

Windows based computer via the Ethernet network interface. Other network 

systems follow a similar procedure. 

Backup of the Hard Drive on the Network 


The first part of this procedure shows you how to use Windows CHKDSK to 

detect and correct any disk errors. While not absolutely required before making 

a DMU backup of a hard drive, it is recommended that you run your disk 

checking utility (in Windows, use CHKDSK) on each partition of the hard drive 

that you plan to backup. This will help insure the integrity of your backup. 

Correcting Disk Errors with CHKDSK 

1. Start with a known good working hard disk, preferably freshly installed. 

On the FARC: 

2. Change to the Administrator account. 

3. Start->run, type “cmd” (without the quotes), press OK. 

A command window will open. 

4. Type “chkdsk /R” (without the quotes) and press enter 

The display will show: 

Chkdsk cannot run because the volume is in use by another process. 

Would you like to schedule this volume to be checked the next time the 

system restarts? (Y/N) 

5. Answer “Y” (type “Y” then enter) 

The display will show: 

This volume will be checked the next time the system restarts. 

Page 38 




6. Type “chkdsk /R D:” and press enter. 

This command may or may not need to be scheduled for the next boot. If it 

is in use, then schedule it for the next boot also (answer Y), otherwise let 

the command run to completion. 

7. Type “exit” and press enter. This will close the command window. 

8. Shutdown and restart the system. 

9. When Windows boots, it will do the scheduled chkdsk; do not abort this 

process (i.e., do not press a key to abort the disk scan). Let the chkdsk run 

to completion, doing whatever it asks. When you are back in Windows 

proceed to step 10. 

10. Put the static band on and plug it into the front of the DMU-604. 

11. Plug the power cord into the back of the DMU-604 unit and plug into a 

suitable power outlet. 

12. Connect the Ethernet cable to the Back of the DMU-604. 

The network connection illustration above 

is located in the back of the supervisor’s table. 

13. Connect DMU Ethernet cable to a suitable Network connection point (local 

switch/hub for the machine). 

14. Turn on the DMU; allow it to boot. 

Wait about one minute for the DMU to power on and display the main menu: 


UNIT#:01 DVD⇨ HD ► 

Page 39 




Make note of the UNIT# that is displayed on the LCD Display of the DMU- 

604. If several DMU units are being used simultaneously on the network, 

you will need to know the unit number of the one you are working with. 

15. Place the DMU Network Boot Disk in the FARC CD drive tray. 

16. Restart the FARC system so that it will now boot from the DMU Network 

Boot Disk. 

17. After the system POST on the FARC, you will see the menu: 

Fastcom:DMU 604 Companion Boot CD 

0) Standard Boot 

1) FICS Site Server 

2) APPS Raid Server 

boot: 

If you do not see this menu (i.e., Windows starts up), then you will need to 

shutdown/restart and enter the system BIOS setup to configure the boot 

order such that the CDROM is first in the boot order. 

Place the DMU on the AFCS Supervisor’s Table: 

Press 0 then enter on the FARC keyboard. This is for all systems other 

than the FICS site server and the APPS raid server. If you are imaging one 

of these two systems, type the appropriate number, then press enter. 

The screen will display: 

Page 40 


Then: 



---=== DMU-604 Network Units ===--- 

Scanning for DMU-604 Units 

. . . . . . . 

Enter DMU unit # to attach to or 0 to re-scan: 


DMU UNIT#:01 AVAILABLE 


18. Type “1” then press Enter on the FARC keyboard. 

(If your DMU unit number is not “1” then enter the appropriate number here) 

When you press enter the screen will change back to the “system booting” 

screen. 

In a short time it will then change to “Connecting to DMU”, then “Connected 

to DMU” 

On the DMU: 

19. Press the F1 button (HD ⇨ DVD). 


DVD ⇨ HD 

Selected 

The DVD drive tray will open and the display will change to: 

Waiting: 


20. Unwrap a new blank DVD-R or DVD+R disk, and place it in the tray. 

21. Press the open/close button to close the DVD drive tray. 

The display will change to: 

Reading HD 0% 

Part 1/2 

The FARC display will change to “Backup in Process” 

Page 41 




The progress indicator will go to 100% while the DMU-604 reads the data 

from the drive. The Part 1/X line could be different (depending on the 

partitioning of your drive) and the % indicator will go from 0-100% for each 

partition of the hard disk. 

When complete the message will change to: 

Information: 

1 DVD(s) Needed 

(Note: if your system is particularly large the DMU backup may span DVDs, 

and the messages will be different, i.e., 2 DVD(s) needed and creating DVD 

1/2 etc., etc.) 

At this point, the FARC will display a “complete” message and either 

shutdown automatically or is ready to be powered off manually. Remove 

the DMU Network Boot Disk from the FARC drive and put it back into 

storage. 

On the DMU, you will see the following displayed: 


0.00% / 

When the progress reaches 100% (and the Verify function is turned ON) the 

DVD drive tray will open and then close. The display will change to: 


/ 


will fail! When the verify step is completed, you will be prompted to insert 

the next DVD (if more than one DVD was required for the backup). The 

DVD create-and-verify loop will be repeated for each disk in the set. 

When the DVD creation process is complete the display will change to: 

HD->DVD eject> 

Complete 

22. Press the F1 button. The DVD drive tray will open. 

23. Remove the DVD, label it, and store in a suitable place (no direct sunlight, 

etc., etc.) for use in restoring the image later. 



Page 42 





24. Press the DVD open/close button to close the DVD drive tray. 


26. Disconnect the Ethernet cable. 


Page 43 




Restoring the Hard Drive on the Network 

The following step-by-step process will be illustrated using the AFCS FARC 

Windows based computer. 

1. Obtain a new hard disk drive and install it in the FARC. 



� The disk must be equal or larger in size to the one that you backed 

up. 

2. Obtain the Image DVD(s) created in the above section. 

3. Put on the static band, and plug it into the front of the DMU-604 

4. Plug the power cord into the back of the DMU-604 unit and plug into a 

suitable power outlet. 

5. Connect the Ethernet cable to the Back of the DMU-604. 

6. Connect the other end of the Ethernet cable to a suitable network 

connection point (local switch/hub for the machine). You can use the 

network connection in the back of the supervisor’s table illustrated in the 

previous section. 

7. Push the power button on the front of the DMU-604. 

Wait about one minute for the DMU-604 to power on and display the main 

menu: 


UNIT#:01 DVD⇨ HD ► 

Make note of the UNIT# that is displayed on the Display of the DMU-604. 

On the FARC: 

8. Insert the DMU Network Boot CD in the CD drive of the FARC. Turn the 

FARC power on. 

9. After the system POST you will see the menu: 

Fastcom:DMU 604 Companion Boot CD 

0) Standard Boot 

1) FICS Site Server 

2) APPS Raid Server 

Page 44 


oot: 



If you do not see this menu (i.e., no boot device message) then you will 

need to shutdown/restart the FARC and enter the system BIOS setup. 

Configure the FARC to boot from its CDROM. 

10. Press 0 then press enter, or just press enter, or just wait – the default is 0. 

(This is for all systems other than the FICS site server and the APPS raid 

server; if you are imaging one of these two systems, type the appropriate 

number and then press enter.) 

The screen will change to a “system booting” screen, and then: 


Scanning for DMU-604 Units 

. . . . . . . 


The screen will display: 


DMU UNIT#:01 AVAILABLE 


11. Type “1” then press Enter on the FARC keyboard. 

(If your DMU unit number is not “1”, then enter the appropriate number.) 

When you press enter, the FARC screen will change back to the “system 

booting” screen. In a short time, it will then change to “Connecting to DMU”, 

then “Connected to DMU” 

On the DMU: 

12. Press the F2 button (DVD ⇨ HD) 


DVD ⇨ HD 

Selected 

The DVD drive tray will open and the display will change to: 

Waiting: 


Page 45 




13. Place the Image DVD disk in the DVD drive tray. 


The display will change to: 

DVD->HD 


Note: Up to 20 minutes may be needed if DVD is full. 

If the image disk is part of a multi disk set, the tray will eject and the DMU 

will ask for the next disk in the set. 

When the image has been read from the DVD, the display will change to: 

DVD->HD 0% 

Part 1/2 / 

At this point the FARC screen will change to “Restore in Process”. The 

progress indicator on the DMU will go to 100% for each part, and then 

display will change to: 


Complete 

15. Press the F1 button, the DVD drive tray will eject. 

16. Remove the Image DVD and return to its storage location. 






19. Disconnect the Ethernet cable. 


At this point you can remove the DMU Network boot disk from the FARC and 

return to storage and reboot the FARC into Windows. 

Page 46 


System Maintenance 



Maintenance 

If the unit is used frequently, the cables should be inspected for wear on the 

contacts. Replace the cables if they no longer attach firmly or appear worn. The 

Hard Disk Maintenance Unit may require that the DVD drive be cleaned with a 

DVD cleaning kit after about 100 disks have been made. 

Cleaning the DVD Drive 

When required, the DVD drive can be cleaned using the enclosed DVD drive 

cleaner disk. Use the following procedure: 

1. Do not connect a disk drive to the unit. 

2. Turn the unit ON. After about 40 seconds, the copyright notice will be 

displayed. 

3. When the following menu is displayed, press the NEXT function key. 


UNIT #:01 


HD DVD 

HD 

DVD 


4. The Maintenance Menu will now be displayed. 


Hard Disk 

Maintenance 

Clean 


Page 47 


ABORT 

F2 NEXT 

ABORT 

F2 NEXT 

Select Clean DVD ⇨ function key (F1 key). Drive door will open. 

5. Insert DVD Cleaner disk. Close drive tray. 

6. Cleaning DVD will be displayed. The process requires about 1 minute. 

7. Remove disk, close tray, turn system power off.

Warranty 

1 year parts and labor. 



Before returning the unit, call Commtech, Inc. and get an RMA number. 

Pack the unit in its original container or suitable container for safe shipping. 

Commtech, Inc. will pay for return shipping to you only. Enclose a description of 

the problem, a person to contact if we have a question, and a return address. 

Damaged or out of warranty units will not be repaired without customer 

authorization. 

Technical Support / How to Contact Us 

If you require technical support or an RMA number, contact us between 9:00 am 

and 5:00 pm Central Time at (316) 636-1131. 

A list of frequently asked questions and their answers is available at: 


or 

www.commtech-fastcom.com/dmu.html 

If you still have questions, use the technical support link you will find on that 

page. 

The DMU-604 is designed and manufactured by Commtech, Inc., Wichita, KS. 

Page 48 


Error 

Number 



Error Codes 

If the DMU encounters errors during the backup or restore process, the error 

code will be displayed on the LCD. These error codes are listed and explained 

below. 

0 ERROR: 

Text Displayed on 

DMU 

No DMU Unit # (0) 

2 ERROR-Internal: 

chop processing (2) 

3 ERROR-internal: 

no create line (3) 

Description Resolution 

The IP address for the DMU 

could not be assigned. The 

DMU attempts to use one of 

the following addresses: 

192.168.20.60 

192.168.20.62 

192.168.20.64 

192.168.20.66 

192.168.20.68 

192.168.20.70 

192.168.20.72 

192.168.20.74 

192.168.20.76 

192.168.20.78 

The system was unable to 

create the commands that 

burn DVD's. Either the files 

are not there (problems with 

reading the disk) or 

something bad/unexpected 

occurred while parsing the 

names/sizes of the files. 

The number of expected 

disks to create does not 

match the number of 

commands necessary to 

make the disks. Likely an 

error in the dividing up of files 

to disks. 

Can only happen on multidisk 

operations. 

Page 49 


Option 1: You cannot have more than 

10 DMUs connected to your network. 

Wait for one to complete and try 

operation again. 

Option 2: No other system in the 

network should be using these 

addresses. If something else is 

incorrectly using these addresses you 

should probably contact your Network 

Administrator. 

Retry the operation on the same drive. 

If that drive fails again, attempt the 

operation on a different drive. If the 

second drive works, then there is likely 

a problem with the first drive. 

If problem persists with the second 

drive contact Commtech technical 

support. 








support. 

We would like to know how many 

DVD’s it was trying to make, and on 

which DVD the error occurred.

Error 

Number 



4 ERROR-internal: 

No create line (4) 

Obsolete: 

5 ERROR: 

Software version 2.1.10 

No Disk found (5) 

6 ERROR: 

No Disks Found (6) 




Same as (3) but for the last 

disk of the set (or first disk if 

single disk operation). 

Network backup: this 

message will occur when 

there are no hard disks 

detected on the remote 

system. The likely causes 

are a system that has not 

been encountered before, 

that has hardware that is not 

supported (unknown SCSI or 

IDE controller). The DMU 

sees it as a remote system 

with no hard drive. 

Local backup: the equivalent 

message that will be 

displayed on a local backup 

is "Waiting For Remote" 

when you have a drive 

connected. If you do not 

have a drive connected, this 

is normal behavior waiting for 

the remote connection. 

(disklist cannot be opened) 

Problem is the same as #5 

(disklist opened, but empty) 

Page 50 









support. 

We would like to know what system is 

being backed up and if it is repeatable. 

We would really appreciate if that drive 

could be made available to us so that 

we could identify and fix the problem. 

Network: Check network cable 

Local: Check power and interface 

cable connections. 








support. 

Same as #5

Error 

Number 



7 ERROR-Aborting: 

Imaging error (7) 




Local drive imaging error. 

One of the routines that 

copies the used sectors of 

the disk failed. This can 

happen if the drive was not 

shutdown properly (i.e., in 

need of windows chkdsk) or if 

unrecoverable bad sectors 

are encountered. 

Also linked to backing up 

Ultra-320 SCSI drives with 

the supplied non-Ultra-320 

cable. If you are backing up 

an Ultra-320 drive you need 

to get a terminated Ultra-320 

cable to use in order for the 

operation to succeed (see our 

website for approved cables). 

If error occurs when backing 

up an “AFCS100 M1” see 

Appendix A. 

Page 51 


• If you encounter this on a Windows 

based system, boot to Windows and 

run a full check on each partition on the 

drive: 

chkdsk /R X 

Changing X for every partition on your 

hard drive. Something like: 

chkdsk /R c: 

chkdsk /R d: 

Then try the backup operation again. If 

the error occurs again, try running the 

extended bad sector/surface scan of 

the drive using the hard drive 

manufacturers utility disk. 

• If you encounter this on a Linux based 

system, boot to Linux and run a full 

check on each partition on the drive. 

e2fsck -c -f /dev/X 

Changing the X for every partition on 

your hard drive. Something like: 

e2fsck -c -f /dev/sda1 

e2fsck -c -f /dev/sda2 

If, for example, you encounter a 

warning message saying that 

/dev/sda2 is already mounted DO 

NOT run the partition check on that 

partition. Instead run this: 

tune2fs -c 29 -C 29 /dev/sda2 

substituting your partition name. Then 

shutdown and reboot the system. The 

partition will be checked during the boot 

sequence. 

Then try the backup operation again. If 

the error occurs again, try running the 

extended bad sector/surface scan of 

the drive using the hard drive 

manufacturers utility disk. 

• If after doing these operations the 

DMU still fails with this error, please 

send the disk in so we can determine 

the cause, and update the list, fix the 

firmware, and/or determine the correct 

course of action.

Error 

Number 




SCSI read error (8) 


10 ERROR: 

11 ERROR: 

Disk read error (9) 

Disk Read Error (10) 

Internal Error (11) 




Low-level SCSI Errors were 

detected during the course of 

the operation on the local 

(Non-VAX) drive. 

Also linked to backing up 

Ultra-320 SCSI drives with 

the supplied non-Ultra-320 

cable. If you are backing up 

an Ultra-320 drive you need 

to get a terminated Ultra-320 

cable to use in order for the 

operation to succeed (see our 

website for approved cables). 




VAX drive. 



the operation on the remote 

drive. 

Unable to open remote 

command file. This is a 

connectivity issue between 

the DMU and the Network 

booted system. 

Page 52 


See # 7 








support. 

See # 7 








support. 

See # 7 








support. 

Check the Ethernet cables, if using a 

switch/hub, try connecting directly to the 

DMU via an Ethernet crossover cable. 








support.

Error 

Number 

12 ERROR: 

13 ERROR: 

14 ERROR: 

15 ERROR: 



Imaging Error (12) 


Can't mount DVD (14) 

Not Image DVD (15) 




Remote drive imaging error. 

See Imaging Error (7) 

Low-level SCSI/IDE Errors 

were detected during the 

course of the operation on 

the remote drive. 

The DMU was unable to open 

the DVD. 

The DMU could not open the 

"sz" file on the DVD. 

Page 53 


See # 7 








support. 

See # 7 








support. 

Try checking the DVD in a separate PC; 

the directory contents should be 

readable. 

Make sure the disk is not blank or 

damaged. 

Try checking the disk in a separate PC; 


readable. 


damaged.

Error 

Number 

16 ERROR: 

17 ERROR: 

18 ERROR: 

19 ERROR: 

20 ERROR: 



Image > Disk (16) 

Copying DVD (17) 







The physical disk size that 

the image was made from is 

larger than the disk that is 

connected to the DMU. 

It is possible to place a 

smaller image on a larger 

drive, but not a larger image 

on a smaller drive. 

The DMU was unable to copy 

the "dirlist" file from the DVD. 


the "sz" file from the DVD. 


the "id" file from the DVD. 


the "type" file from the DVD. 

Page 54 


With the firmware release (2.1.9) the 

restriction is modified somewhat for dos 

based drives (systems with a dos 

partition table such as DOS, Windows 

NT/2000/XP, Linux, QNX, and most 

everything except the VAX’s in the 

MLOCR and IPSS). 

The DMU will now use the maximum 

block as defined in the partition table as 

the limiting factor instead of the 

maximum block of the physical drive. 

This means that if you have an 18Gig 

drive, and you have two 2 Gig windows 

partitions on it, and 14G of 

unpartitioned space. The Image that 

the DMU creates could be restored to a 

physical drive that was at least 4Gigs in 

size (with the actual limit based on the 

maximum sector number in use in the 

partition table from the original disk, be 

mindful of marketing Gigs). 

With this scheme it is possible to move 

backwards in drive sizes, however it is 

not possible to squeeze an 18 Gig drive 

that has been partitioned out to use the 

entire disk to anything smaller than an 

18 Gig drive. 



readable. 


damaged. 



readable. 


damaged. 



readable. 


damaged. 



readable. 


damaged.

Error 

Number 



21 ERROR: Ethernet with 

22 ERROR: 

23 ERROR: 

24 ERROR: 

25 ERROR: 

VAX DVD image (21) 





26 ERROR: eject> 

SCSI Error (26) 




The DVD image inserted is a 

VAX image, but the current 

connection is configured to 

use the Remote Ethernet 

capability. 

The DMU could not copy the 

"boot sector" file from the 

DVD. 


"partitions" file from the DVD. 


disk image files from the 

DVD. 


partition image files from the 

DVD. 




the local (VAX) drive. 

Page 55 


The VAX image is not restorable 

remotely. 



readable. 


damaged. 



readable. 


damaged. 

If this is a multi disk set, please upgrade 

to 2.1.6 (or newer). 

If it is a single DVD backup, then there 

is an issue with the physical disk 

(scratches), or DVD drive. 

If this is a multi disk set, please upgrade 

to 2.1.6 (or newer). 

If it is a single DVD backup, then there 

is an issue with the physical disk 

(scratches), or DVD drive. 

See # 7 








support.

Error 

Number 






Disk Write Error(28) 

29 ERROR: Ethernet with 

VAX DVD image (29) 




Problems were encountered 

while restoring the image. 


restore the used sectors of 

the disk failed. 

Has also been linked to bad 

memory on the remote (non- 

DMU) system. 




the local (non VAX) drive. 

The DVD image inserted is a 

VAX image, but the current 

connection is configured to 

use the Remote Ethernet 

capability. 

Page 56 


See # 7 

Also, try testing the remote system’s 

memory. We recommend using the 

free Memtest86 tool. You can find 

more information here: 

http://www.memtest86.com/. 

We recommend using the "ISO images 

suitable for creating a bootable 

Memtest86 CDROM" which can be 

download from the Memtest86 website 

or can be downloaded directly from 

Commtech: http://support.commtechfastcom.com/memtest86-3.2.iso 

Simply burn the ISO image to a CD, 

insert the CD into your system and 

reboot your machine. Your machine 

will boot from the Memtest CD and will 

start running the test. The test will take 

a while, so please be patient and let it 

finish. Do not stop the test until there 

are at least one complete test indicated 

by a non-zero in the "Pass" column. If 

the "Error" column shows 0 when you 

stop the test, then your memory is 

probably good. 

See # 7 








support. 

The VAX image is not restorable 

remotely.

Error 

Number 






Internal Error (31) 







Obsolete: 

34 ERROR: 

Software version 2.1.6 

Not in DVD set (34) 








DMU is unable to open 

remote command file. This is 

a network connectivity issue. 

Remote drive imaging error. 








Local drive imaging error. 




For a multi-disk backup, the 

disk inserted is not part of the 

multi-disk backup set. 

Page 57 


See # 7 








support. 

Check the Ethernet cables, if using a 

switch/hub, try connecting directly to the 

DMU via an Ethernet crossover cable. 








support. 

See # 27 

See # 7 








support. 

See # 27 

All disks after the first are checked to 

see if they are part of the image set or 

not. If they are not this message 

appears.

Error 

Number 



















VAX drive. 




VAX drive. 

The DMU detected that the 

image size created was 0. 

It is aborting the operation 

instead of burning a coaster. 

(Local VAX image) 

The DMU detected that the 

image size created was 0. 

It is aborting the operation 

instead of burning a coaster. 

(Local VAX image) 

While restoring the MLOCR 

image a low level SCSI error 

was detected. 

Page 58 


See # 7 








support. 

See # 7 








support. 

Verify connection to local drive. 








support. 

Verify connection to local drive. 








support. 

See # 7 








support.

Error 

Number 








43 ERROR: 

44 ERROR: 

45 ERROR: 




No Image (45) 






was detected. 

While restoring the IPSS 


was detected. 



was detected. 

No local disk connected and 

MLOCR image restore 

selected. 

No local disk connected and 

IPSS image restore selected. 

There was a problem opening 

"sz" file when performing the 

Last Image -> HD operation. 

Page 59 


See # 7 








support. 

See # 7 








support. 

See # 7 








support. 

A local VAX SCSI disk must be 

connected to the DMU for this restore 

operation. 

A local VAX SCSI disk must be 

connected to the DMU for this restore 

operation. 

Repeat the backup operation with a 

new DVD->HD. Do not perform the 

“Last Image” again as it is broken. If 

the error persists, contact Commtech 

technical support.

Error 

Number 

46 ERROR: 

47 ERROR: 



Image > Disk (46) 


48 ERROR-BurnDisk: 

DVD Create Fail (48) 

49 ERROR-BurnDisk: 

51 ERROR: 


No maxblk (51) 




The physical disk size that 

the image was made from is 

larger than the disk that is 

connected to the DMU. 

It is possible to place a 

smaller image on a larger 

drive, but not a larger image 

on a smaller drive. 


the "sz" file from the DVD. 

DVD creation operation 

failed. 

DVD creation operation failed 

(last disk of a multi-set or 

single disk operation). 

The DMU was unable to 

determine the maximum used 

block from the connected 

(non VAX) hard disk. 

Page 60 


See # 16 



readable. 


damaged. 








support. 








support. 

Also linked to using the new firmware 

with an old Network boot disk! Make 

sure that if you are using the new 

firmware they get the new network disk 

also. 








support.

Error 

Number 

52 ERROR: 




53 ERROR: 


54 ERROR-Aborting 


55 ERROR-VerifyDisk 

56 ERROR: 


DVD Loaded (56) 






60 ERROR: 














The command(s) that read 

the sectors from the VAX 

drive failed. 

The contents of the created 

DVD image do not match 

what was copied to the DMU. 

During restore of a multi-DVD 

set, if you mistakenly re-insert 

the same DVD a second 

time. 

Same problem as error 8 See # 8 




Page 61 









support. 








support. 

Check the cable and repeat the backup 

operation, if the error persists, contact 

Commtech technical support. 








support. 

Attempt to re-burn the DVD image with 

the Last Image -> DVD 

Insert the correct next disk in the set.

Error 

Number 

61 ERROR: 

62 ERROR: 

63 ERROR: 
























73 ERROR-Internal: (73) 

howmany processing 
















An internal error occurred 

during the calculation of the 

number of disks needed. 

Page 62 


Retry operation (using Last Image-> 

DVD). If the problem persists contact 

Commtech technical support.



Appendix A 

Instructions regarding Error 7 (if directly connected to drive) and Error 12 (if using the network 

boot disk for an AFCS100 M1 (Linux) computer backup with the DMU-604): 

Boot the M1 system into Linux. 

Log in as the administrator. 

Go to a shell window (xterm) and type: 

tune2fs -c 29 -C 29 /dev/hda1 



Then shutdown and reboot gracefully, then type: 

reboot 

The system will shutdown, restart, and execute the file system check on all three partitions as it is 

booting. Wait for the system to return to operational. Then login as administrator again and 

place the DMU-604 Network boot disk in the CD drive. Find the x-term window again and type: 

reboot 

Proceed with the DMU-604 backup as usual, and the drive should backup to completion without 

the imaging error. 

Description of the issue: 

The M1 Linux box running RedHat 7.3 Linux has 5 partitions on an IDE drive (boot, swap, usr, 

extended, and root). Three of the 5 partitions are formatted with the ext3 file system. The file 

system is configured to do a file system check when -1 mounts have occurred, which is effectively 

disabling the file system checking. Being a journaled file system, this probably would not cause 

many issues. However, if the system has ever been powered off without being shutdown 

properly there could be errors on one of the partitions. As is, the system will never do the file 

system check to fix the resulting errors. These errors will just sit there. The DMU does a file 

system check to verify that the file system is clean (without errors) before doing the backup 

operation. Because the system never does the file system check and cleans itself, this file 

system check will fail and the resulting imaging error occurs. 

Since the file system is set to never do the checking, you must manually check the file system 

and get it back to a "clean" state. Unfortunately, you cannot do this while the file system is 

mounted (it can only be done at boot time before the file systems are mounted, or in single user 

/maintenance mode). As a result, the best way to approach this issue is to set the file system to 

force a check every 29 mounts, and also force the current mount count to be 29 (this is what the 

tune2fs -c29 -C29 /dev/hdaX command is doing). As a result of this change, the next time the 

system is booted the mount count will exceed the check count and the file system check will be 

forced. The system should "auto-magically" clean the file systems, and once that is done the 

DMU should be able to backup/restore the disk image. Note the number 29 is completely 

arbitrary, you can make the number be anything you want; essentially the number will be the 

number of boot cycles before the file system check will be done. If you set it to 1 it will check on 

every boot, 10 every ten boots etc, etc. 

Page 63

DMU-604 - Commtech-Fastcom.com

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