Patent ID: 7516250

Claim:
An apparatus, with executable code stored in a computer storage medium, to manage components in a computer system, the apparatus comprising: a recognition module comprising executable code stored on the computer storage medium, executable by a processor, and configured to recognize a newly installed component, wherein the newly installed component is a data storage drive of an automated data storage library; a receiving module comprising executable code stored on the computer storage medium, executable by the processor, and configured to receive a component identifier stored on the newly installed component and determine a component receptor for the newly installed component in the automated data storage library, wherein the component receptor is a drive slot; a comparison module comprising executable code stored on the computer storage medium, executable by the processor, and configured to compare the identifier of the newly installed component with one or more component identifiers stored in a computer system memory, each component identifier comprising a serial number that identifies a physical component, and determine whether the newly installed component is a field replacement component for a previously installed component; and an update module comprising executable code stored on the computer storage medium, executable by the processor, and configured to update the one or more component identifiers stored in the system memory if the newly installed component is a field replacement component, said update comprising storing the component identifier of the previously installed component as the component identifier of the newly installed component and storing an original component identifier of the newly installed component associated with the component identifier of the previously installed component.