From: Mark L. Wheeler    Phone (612)733-4355  FAX (612)736-7689
      3M IT Centralized Tech Services
      3M Center 224-4N-20, St. Paul, MN 55144-1000

Frank M. Ramaekers Jr. asked:

>Is there a way to see if the attached tape drive has a write ring in it?

>I'm using DSMEXIT1 and EPIC/CMS for tape management.  The only problem is
>that I have no way to specify that the tape must have write ring in it.  So
>the operator keeps mounting the same tape, and ADSM keeps unloading it
>because it doesn't have a write ring in it.

You should be able to use DIAG24, for example

   vdev = '0181' /* Perhaps */

   parse value diag(24,vdev) with . 4 vdevflag 5 .
   read_only = '80'x
   if bitand(vdevflag,read_only) = read_only then
      ring = 'OUT'
   else
      ring = 'IN'

Best regards,
     Mark
"Let the excellence of your work be your protest." - Dr. William Lane