Input variables, which describe a metal strip prior to and after the passage of a rolling stand, are fed to a material flow model. An apparatus, especially a weighing apparatus, for carrying out such a method is also disclosed. Therefore, policies such as Internet Protocol security policies can be defined and implemented so that they more accurately reflect the network’s security requirements. With the top surface of the protrusion covered with a mask, the initial lower gap layer is etched in part to thereby form the lower gap. Thus, it is possible to prevent parasitic capacitance between the pixel electrode and the source line from becoming uneven in a display area, so that it is possible to reduce display unevenness of a liquid crystal display device using the present display device substrate. In response to a determination that one of the target volume copies is a boot volume copy, the copy management agent directs a provisioning agent to provision a new host for the target volume copies.