
Managing Tapes
2-40 User Reference
Managing Tapes
Every tape used for a BIM-EPIC-controlled dataset is recorded in the DSN Catalog. Tapes
are identified in the DSN Catalog by volume serial number. New tapes are added to the DSN
Catalog automatically when BIM-EPIC-controlled datasets residing on those tapes are
processed. You can also enter tape information into the DSN Catalog by using the Online
Manager or the TSIDMNT ADD command. Volumes entered into an ACL are added to the
dataset name ‘***.VOLUME.DSN.**’ if they do not already exist.
Every controlled tape used must have a unique volume serial number. Even unlabeled tapes
must be identified with their own volume serial numbers. This strict identification simplifies
tape control and retrieval. For controlled datasets opened for output, BIM-EPIC checks the
volume serial number of any new tape against the DSN Catalog and requires you to enter a
new one or use a different tape if there is a duplication and still–active datasets on the tape.
Volume serial numbers can be any combination of alphanumeric characters, up to six
characters in length. However, volume serial number 000000 is reserved by BIM-EPIC. It is
used as a special marker in the DSN Catalog and cannot be used. Groups of volsers do not
have to be consecutive. Any unique volume serial number is valid. Since tape pools are
defined by ranges of volume serial numbers, it is helpful to initialize pool tapes with
consecutive volume serial numbers.
Scratch tapes are produced by the SCRATCH functions of the Online Manager and
TSIDMNT. In addition, the TSIDUTL SCRATCH function produces a report listing all
available scratch tapes. See 2-46 in this manual for more information. When a tape is
scratched in the DSN Catalog, it is automatically scratched in the ACL also.
You can use tape pooling to group similar types of tapes into tape pools. For instance, your
high quality tapes could constitute one pool, short tapes another, long tapes a third, and so on.
Datasets are assigned to tape pools through the DSN Catalog. When a pooled dataset is
created, BIM-EPIC requests the operator for a scratch tape from the appropriate pool.
Each pool is given a one–character pool code (A to Z or 0 to 9) and is assigned one or more
volume serial number ranges. If a volume serial number falls within a pool’s range, the tape
belongs to that pool. A pool tape can only be used to write datasets assigned to that pool. If a
volume serial number does not fall in any of the defined ranges, the tape is not a pool tape. It
can only be used to write datasets which are not assigned to a tape pool. Datasets can be
assigned to tape pools by manual or automatic cataloging.
If you use ACL support with pooling, the pools must be defined to the ACL system as
"POOL-x" where x is the one–character BIM-EPIC pool code. Refer to the ACL vendor’s
documentation for information about tape pools.
Tapes in the DSN
Catalog
Valid Volsers
How BIM-EPIC
Produces Scratch
Tapes
Tape Pooling
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