Device Selection

TPCF provides you with two ways to influence device selection during the z/OS allocation process:

You can use the VARY command to change the status of any device being managed by CA MIA. By assigning special types of device status, you can influence device selection as follows:
- Prevent a device from being allocated
- Make a device unavailable for allocation on one or more systems
- Make a device available for allocation on only one system
- Reserve a device for a certain job or group of similarly named jobs
- Assign device preference values, which causes TPCF to choose the most preferred device for an allocation whenever possible
You can use optional exit routines to customize allocation at your site, based on any number of device allocation criteria.

TPCF can respond automatically to messages issued by z/OS when no device is available for an allocation request. By automating responses or providing an exit routine during this point in allocation (known as allocation recovery), TPCF helps alleviate manual intervention, reducing the chance of delays in z/OS allocation.