At 06:12 PM 6/30/98 -0700, Jeff "CI am He" Vance wrote:
>...
>That is, the exiting output is unchanged for LDEVs up to 3 digits and
>then shifts right by up to 2 more digits to accomodate the largest
>anticipated LDEV number.

Oooohhh!!    NO!

Not only is this a more complicated solution to code, but it is much harder
to parse (most people use fixed column parsing, I'd bet). Why not just
accept a new fixed field width (5 digits seems reasonable)?

>This leaves 9 bytes for a disk model number
>before we have to shift the output again.  Today we have 8 byte model numbers
>(although the output field only shows 7 bytes) but we expect to need to
>support up to 24 byte model numbers.

Several people have commented on the "tremendous" need for a 24 byte model
number. How about floating a proposal to limit model numbers to 12
characters. This does, after all, allow for 36^12 (4.738 * 10**18) model
numbers, which allows each of the inhabitants of the earth since life
appeared to have 2 personal model numbers and then some over!

>
>We could:

>4) apply rule 3) but make the field width 12 bytes rather than 9.  This
>   would look like:
>
>   LDEV-TYPE       STATUS      VOLUME (VOLUME SET - GEN)
>  ----------      --------    --------------------------
>12345-C23456789    MASTER      MEMBER1         (MPEXL_SYSTEM_VOLUME_SET-0)


I prefer #4, always assuming, of course, that the real data is available
both from an intrinsic and also from a command wrapper!
Tony