All,

I have a proposal in the SSC-3 working group that allows an application client to configure a zone before EW that will cause a check condition be returned when the first attempt to write data in it is made.  The intent (though not the only use) is to allow for application clients to empty any of their host buffers.  The current EW conditions still apply and allow for device buffers to be emptied.  
This proposal is "07-218r1 SSC: Configurable EW" and can be found at http://www.t10.org/ftp/t10/document.07/07-218r1.pdf

One outsanding issue is how to report this in the Read Position command.  A note to this question can be found in the proposal posted at the above location. The two possibilities are to have Read Position data indicate that current position of medium is:
1) between the Programmed Early Warning position and End-of-partition (EOP)
2) between the Programmed Early Warning position and Early Warning (EW).  If this option is chosen, then the indication would be turned off between EW and EOP.  This would make it possible that the indication for being between the Programmed Early Warning position and EW would never be seen by the application client (i.e. this zone was completely traversed without a Read Position command being issued and the current position is now between EW and EOP)

If you have a preference, please contact me at kdbutt@us.ibm.com or respond to the reflector at t10@t10.org

Thanks,

Kevin D. Butt
SCSI & Fibre Channel Architect, Tape Firmware
MS 6TYA, 9000 S. Rita Rd., Tucson, AZ 85744
Tel: 520-799-2869 / 520-799-5280
Fax: 520-799-2723 (T/L:321)
Email address: kdbutt@us.ibm.com
http://www-03.ibm.com/servers/storage/