Matt,

   We run DRM and don't have this problem. We are TSM 3.7.1 with 3494/3590-E
drives. Not sure if that means it device related or not. We do have a
problem with tapes getting "lost" while they are offsite at the vendor. We
lose tapes during checkin. I've looked at it a couple of times and haven't
quite figured out what we are doing wrong. It appears to be related to our
database backup tapes. (I think !)

   Once a month or so I request an inventory from the offsite location and
compare it and find tapes that are no longer known to DRM.

Curt Magura
Lockheed Martin
Enterprise Information Systems
Gaithersburg Md.
301-240-6305


                -----Original Message-----
                From:   Long, Matt [mailto:Matt.Long AT MARRIOTT DOT COM]
                Sent:   Wednesday, March 15, 2000 10:26 AM
                To:     ADSM-L AT VM.MARIST DOT EDU
                Subject:        Checking tapes out using DRM

                To Fellow ADSM'ers,

                        Has anyone else had issues with using the DRM
process to manage
                tapes being checked in and out of the library? Currently,  I
had to create a
                script which checks tapes out manually using a STK9710 silo.
The silo only
                has a 14 cell cap door capacity.  Therefore, if the move
drmedia process has
                more than 14 tapes that need to come out of the silo for
offsite storage,
                the rest of the tapes after the 14th never make it out of
the silo and
                disappear within ADSM's inventory.  This is because ADSM
puts the tape into
                an offsite status and does not check the tape out physically
because the cap
                door is full and the tape remains inside the silo.  Does
anyone know a
                easier way to deal with this issue because ADSM loses track
of the tapes
                that do not get checked out?  I know I can issue a series of
checkins to fix
                the visibility issue but I need a better way to get these
tapes out of the
                silo.  Is there a third party tool out there to manage this
process?  Thanks

                Matt Long
                Systems Administration
                Marriott International
                301-696-2690