We swapped 10 3590B1As for 3590E1As around end of July/ begin August
this year. The drives came with microcode D0IC_528 by default, but our
CE gave us D0IC_533 to load on immediately. Since then we have subsequently
moved to D0IC_747, which apparently better handles cartridge load retries
if the first attempt fails.

However, the point is that at both D0IC_533 and D0IC_747 we have seen no
ANR8820W Repairing VCR warnings.

Atape is 4.4.0.0
Atldd is 4.0.1.0
AIX 4.3.2
Server 3.1.2.40

Ian Smith
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ian Smith             - HFS Services              email: ian.smith AT 
oucs.ox.ac DOT uk
Ian Smith             - HFS Services              email: ian.smith AT 
oucs.ox.ac DOT uk
Oxford University Computing Services                Tel: +44 (0)1865 283288
13 Banbury Road, Oxford, OX2 6NN, UK
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>>
>>
>>
>>      We just installed two new 3590e drives and are also getting the
>>      anr8820w messages.  Does anyone know what the proper
>> microcode level
>>      is?
>>      Jim Sporer
>>      University of Wisconsin
>>
>>
>>
>> ______________________________ Reply Separator
>> _________________________________
>> Subject: 3590B1A -> 3590E1A
>> Author:  "ADSM: Dist Stor Manager" <ADSM-L AT VM.MARIST DOT EDU>  at IPNET
>> Date:    9/12/99 6:05 PM
>>
>>
>> Anyone else done the drive-upgrade/seen similar behavior?
>>
>> After upgrading our 4 3590's, the server issues a
>>
>> ANR8820W Repairing VCR data .....
>>
>> each time an old 3590-tape is mounted for reading.
>>
>> The data on the tape is read OK, but slow, since the VCR-data
>> seems to be
>> gone..
>>
>> I have a feeling this has to do with the microcode of the drives.
>>
>> Our drives now has microcode A0B00E26, which our CE told me was the
>> latest one.
>>
>> The 3.1.2.40-README say I must have D01C_502, and a third level was
>> mentioned in a posting here a few weeks ago.
>>
>> Some time in the past, the drive-microcodes were available at
>> the ftp-site
>> (index.storsys.ibm.com) under the 3590-directory.
>> Now there is a pointer to service2.boulder.ibm.com there, but
>> I couln't
>> find anyhing here either...
>>
>> Does anyone know which microcode is needed/is the latest, and if it's
>> available for downloading somewhere?
>> Or if there is a bug somwhere else that causes the ANR8820W
>> when reading
>> old 128-track-tapes?
>>
>> My server is 3.1.2.40 (AIX 4.2.0)
>> Atape is 4.4.0.0
>> atldd is 4.0.1.0
>>
>>
>>                  Tom.
>>