Utilities › TMSTPNIT Utility—Initialize Tape Volumes

TMSTPNIT Utility—Initialize Tape Volumes

Use the TMSTPNIT utility to initialize tape volumes as SL, NL or AL.

TMSTPNIT verifies your request to initialize a tape volume by checking the TMC and, when possible, checking the tape label.

Important! Nonlabeled tapes and those which have not been written upon are considered valid for initialization. Standard OPEN and CLOSE are issued to process the tapes. Thus, SMS, CA Top Secret® Security, RACF, CA 1 and any other components or products receiving control during OPEN/CLOSE processing may be invoked. In an MVS environment, APF authorization and BLP authorization are required for TMSTPNIT and the modules it calls: CTSPARSE, CTSSIO, CTSTIO, TMSPRINT, and TMSSVC.

For any tape cartridges where a VOL1 record is present (this includes AL and SL labeled tapes), the VOLSER is obtained from the tape. For round tapes, the VOLSER can be obtained only when the tape is known to contain data (OLDTAPE), since any attempt to read a blank tape will cause the drive to search the entire reel for data. In all cases (except where the hardware indicates the tape contains no data), when a VOLSER cannot be obtained from the tape, the operator is prompted for one. To determine if the mounted tape is valid for initialization, the status of the obtained VOLSER in the TMC, the input command (INTAPE, NEWTAPE, OLDTAPE or OUTTAPE) and user exit (if any) is checked.

TMSTPNIT opens tapes with BLP input. Some security packages software protect the device if the user does not have BLP write authority to issue a CCW = x'7782??80'. This CCW causes the device to treat the tape as write-protected resulting in a write-protect error message from TMSTPNIT. In the case of when the user does not have BLP read authority, the system (without any indication or warning) treats BLP as NL. This can manifest itself either by successive mount/dismounts when the tape is blank or unreadable or in IECTMS1 messages. TMSTPNIT must be executed under a user ID which has read/write BLP authority.

The method of volume verification for TMSTPNIT differs depending on the request and type of device. The overriding rule is that the operator is prompted any time that TMSTPNIT cannot obtain sufficient information from the device to ensure that a live tape is not being overwritten. The procedure differs depending on whether the tape is being opened for input or output. Cartridges are always opened for input; reels are opened for output unless OLDTAPE is specified (opening up a blank reel for input will scan off the end of tape for data).

When a tape is opened for output with BLP, TMS intercepts the open and issues an IECTMS1 WTOR prompting the operator for the VOLSER of the tape that is mounted to ensure that a live tape is not over written. This is because once a tape has been opened for output, closing it will result in end-of-file marks being written which will destroy data. When OLDTAPE is specified for a reel, the user is indicating that the tape contains data; thus, the tape can be opened for input and the software can attempt to read an 80 character VOL1 record from the tape. If this read is successful, the software can determine the true VOLSER of the tape and the TMC can be checked to ensure that this is not a live tape. If there is no VOL1 record (NL) on the tape, a CAL0TN01 WTOR is issued. When a cartridge is being processed, the device can recover from attempting to read a blank tape (new, not erased) and provide sense data from the device to indicate that this is a blank tape not a live tape, so no verification message is issued. In most cases, when attempting to read a valid tape which can not be processed by this device (such as a 3480 with a 36 track tape), the device will return the VOLSER in the format 24 sense data and the TMC can be checked using this VOLSER without operator intervention. In all other cases when an error occurs attempting to read the VOL1 record (such as may be the case with a bulk erased tape) or no VOL1 record is present, a CAL0TN01 WTOR is issued.

TMSTPNIT uses both BLP and 98000 processing. Therefore, the proper security access must be set up to run TMSTPNIT. For more information see the Programming Guide.

CA 1 must be active or batch active to run TMSTPNIT.