This actually has nothing to do with 3590E drives. This is due to a new
level of drive code
that activates SAR reporting.  Sar data is stored on the tape label and
keeps track of the tapes
usage.  If the tape hits an IBM determined threshold (I'm unsure of what the
values actually are)
the tape is marked as read only and you are asked to move the data.

We had this code installed on our 128 track drives and received the same
error....After the
first wave of move datas and tape replacements, we are not seeing these
errors very frequently.

We have since upgraded to the 3590e drives and are still not having any
problems....

Robert Burton
Open Systems Storage Analyst
Royal Bank of Canada
(416) 348-3849
Robert.Burton AT RoyalBank DOT com