Advanced Topics › How You Control the Response of TPCF During Allocation Recovery › Removing Devices from the Offline Device List

Removing Devices from the Offline Device List

TPCF removes devices from the offline device list as follows:

1. TPCF always removes overgenned devices from the offline device list. Therefore, all devices that are defined in the IOGEN or HCD, but do not physically exist, should be assigned OVERGENNED status, using the VARY OVERGENNED command. Additionally, devices reserved for other jobs, devices eliminated by the TPCEDLXT, and any other devices marked ineligible (for example, by robotic software) do not appear in the offline device list.
2. TPCF removes NOTAVAILABLE and externally DEDICATED devices from the offline device list according to the following rules:
   • When WAIT is an option on the z/OS IEF238D message, TPCF always removes the devices.
   • When WAIT is not an option, TPCF tries to list other offline devices first.
     • If all offline devices are NOTAVAILABLE, externally DEDICATED, or both, then TPCF lists the devices as determined by the values specified on the SETOPTION AUTOREPLY=(NOWAIT= (EXTDEDDISP=YES/NO,NOTAVLDISP=YES/NO)) options.
     • If SETOPTION AUTOREPLY=(NOWAIT=(EXTDEDDISP=YES,…) is specified, then TPCF displays any externally DEDICATED devices.
     • If SETOPTION AUTOREPLY=(NOWAIT=(EXTDEDDISP=NO,…) is specified, or there are no externally DEDICATED devices, then TPCF displays any NOTAVAILABLE devices if SETOPTION AUTOREPLY=(NOWAIT=(…,NOTAVLDISP=YES) is specified.
     • If there are no NOTAVLDISP devices, then no devices are displayed (that is, TPCF eliminates all offline devices).
3. After TPCF has removed devices from the offline device list, TPCF responds to the IEF238D message according to the value specified on the SETOPTION AUTOREPLY IEF238D= parameter.
   • IEF238D=CANCEL

     If there are no devices left in the offline device list, TPCF replies CANCEL or asks the operator to reply CANCEL based on the SETOPTION AUTOREPLY NOWAIT=(CANCEL=) parameter. If at least one device remains in the list, then TPCF asks the operator to reply.

   • IEF238D=WAIT

     If WAIT is an option, then TPCF replies WAIT. If WAIT is not an option and devices exist in the offline device list, then TPCF asks the operator to reply. Otherwise, TPCF replies CANCEL or asks the operator to reply CANCEL based on the SETOPTION AUTOREPLY NOWAIT=(CANCEL=) parameter.

   • IEF238D=CONDITIONAL

     Any time there are devices in the offline device list, TPCF asks the operator to reply. If there are no offline devices and WAIT is an option, then TPCF replies WAIT. If there are no offline devices and WAIT is not an option, then TPCF replies CANCEL or asks the operator to reply CANCEL based on the SETOPTION AUTOREPLY NOWAIT=(CANCEL=) parameter.

   • IEF238D=MANUAL

     TPCF asks the operator to reply.

Whenever TPCF asks the operator to reply, it issues the MIM2060 message with the reply options. When you need to reply and you can use an offline device, TPCF reissues the z/OS IEF247I message as message MIM2042. The MIM2042 message lists the offline devices you can use.

Note that we recommend using IEF238D=CONDITIONAL. When using CA MIA, all devices available for allocation on a system should be varied online to the system. All other tape devices should be varied OVERGENNED, NOTAVAILABLE or be externally dedicated, as appropriate. In other words, there should not be any offline devices in the offline device list. Then, every time WAIT is an option, CA MIA will reply WAIT. If CA MIA does not reply WAIT when WAIT is an option, then there are devices in the offline device list. This should be an indication to operators that the devices in the list should either be brought online or varied OVERGENNED, NOTAVL, and so on as necessary. Specifying IEF238D=WAIT will ensure that WAIT is replied every time WAIT is an option. But IEF238D=WAIT will reply WAIT even when there are offline devices in the offline device list. This could hide the fact that there may be offline devices that should be online or varied with another status.