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CA MIA

CA MIA automates tape device sharing, allowing tape devices to be shared among z/OS sites, z/VM sites, and mixed z/OS and z/VM sites with CMS users and z/OS guests.

CA MIA performs the following tasks:

• Serializes access to tape devices across the complex, while guaranteeing data integrity.
• Automates the allocation recovery process by canceling or holding a job until a device is available, or by letting the operator respond with a device that is offline.
• Modifies the selection process for tape devices according to physical location, type of job, and other user criteria. This feature also lets operations reserve devices for important jobs.
• Integrates with Sun Storage Tek, Memorex Telex, and IBM Automated Tape Libraries, enabling z/OS or z/VM systems to share robotic devices transparently.
• Supports continuous operations by providing the capability to dynamically change the list of devices managed by CA MIA, without stopping and restarting the product's started task.
• Lets CMS users and z/OS jobs share tape devices in a mixed z/OS and z/VM site. To prevent data corruption, CA MIA coordinates global tape device allocation by keeping track of both z/OS and z/VM allocations.
• Provides SMF records with statistics about global device usage and mount times to assist in managing tape devices.
• Provides an Application Programming Interface (API), callable from an external program, to capture global information about the status of tape devices. This information includes the following:
  • Allocation status
  • The name of the volume mounted
  • The preferencing status
  • The online or offline status
  • The name of the allocating job