Opening the ATL to mount a tape was only going to be used for a very short time. I just have not had time to read the manuals yet for the ATL.
Thank you. Cecelia Dusha -------------------------- Sent from my BlackBerry Wireless Handheld -----Original Message----- From: Dennis G. Wicks <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: [email protected] <[email protected]> Sent: Tue Dec 20 09:00:20 2005 Subject: Re: IBM 3494 Tape Library VM/ESA and z/VM Discussions <[email protected]> wrote on 12/20/2005 03:18:03 AM: > > Even more helpful tip: Turn off/disable the automatic inventory. > > Through more than a couple of bad experiences, I've found this to be > a not-so-hot idea. The first time you overwrite a tape due to > someone putting it in the wrong slot (particularly if you have to > manage NL tapes as well as SL), or have the library manager get > confused about what's in what slot, you'll regret it. You're much > better off to use the operator port and keep the library manager in > control of the contents of the library rather than getting into the > habit of opening the box often. It takes one major source of > mistakes out of the picture. > I agree, opening the door to mount a cart is not the best practice, but automatic inventory isn't either. You are effectively shutting down production for the time the inventory is going on and that is a big hit. And on the rare occasion that somebody slams the door too hard and dumps a bunch of carts on the floor you can force an inventory after you get them picked up. But taking an automatic inventory for the occasional dropped cart or drive malfunction just isn't acceptable. There is a procedure for that which will cause the library to file the cart back in its proper slot. Oh, and the library doesn't know the difference between NL and SL carts. It only uses the physical OCR label on the cart. Or, if it doesn't have an OCR label I think you can assign some identification to it when you insert it. But then neither you nor the library know what it is except by by where it is, and then an inventory won't do you any good anyway!
