The NIH Computer Center’s MVS South System switched to a new tape management system, Control-T, in December. Despite extensive planning and testing, a number of problems occurred. We regret the inconvenience and frustration users experienced during this period. As an apology the Computer Center has refunded the tape storage charges for December and did not charge for tape storage in January.

Unforeseeable glitches are to be expected with the installation of new technologies, but we encountered an unusual number in this case. Through &PUBLIC.TAPES we kept users informed and recommended actions for coping with problems. Most problems have now been resolved. We are continuing to work closely with the vendor to address the remaining problems.

As part of our effort to move to commercial software, Control-T was selected as the product that offered the best combination of features and vendor support. Despite the recent turmoil, we believe that Control-T will, in the long run, offer improvements in tape storage management for both the Computer Center and our users.

Your forbearance during this transition period is very much appreciated.