I second this issue. These puppies are a real problem to get
labeled. We have our IBM CE check that we had the latest and greatest
drivers installed (tape drive microcode, Atape drivers, atldd software), but
the problem persists.
        In our case, we also seem to have a higher incidence of the 'K'
tapes logging an error and being marked as readonly. We change the tape back
to readw, and it continues to write and read the tape with no problems.

        The new tapes just seem to be very sensitive, and throw up the panic
flag more often.

Ben Bullock
Unix system manager
Micron Technology Inc.


> -----Original Message-----
> From: Richard Sims [mailto:rbs AT BU DOT EDU]
> Sent: Friday, May 11, 2001 9:51 AM
> To: ADSM-L AT VM.MARIST DOT EDU
> Subject: More on 3590K tape quality issues
>
>
> Postings from customers using 3590K tapes have, over the past months,
> noted problems which most conspicuously turn up when trying to label
> the tapes.  I had the same problem of I/O errors on several tapes
> two months ago, in the labeling process.  I persisted in performing
> the label operation on the problematic ones, and finally got them all
> labeled.  Once labeled, no problems.
>
> Today I received a fresh shipment of 3590K tapes (IBM part
> number 05H3188)
> and labeled 70 of them.  Three exhibited labeling problems,
> on different
> drives. I repeated the Label Libvolume on those three: two of
> them then
> successful, one failed.  Repeated on the last tough one and
> it finally went
> through.
>
> Such is the current state of 3590K tape and drive harmony, at least at
> this site.
>
>     Richard Sims, BU
>