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Utilities and Procedures › CATVMFX - Build a New VMF with EXTEND › CATVMFX EXTEND Process

CATVMFX EXTEND Process

To perform an EXTEND or a TEST, run CATVMFX as a started task or batch job. Edit the parameters in the PARMS data set. Run CATVMFX as a started task overriding the DO parameter with the mode. CATVMFX issues commands to all instances of TLMS that are sharing the VMF and writes the commands in the VMF control record. Each instance of TLMS responds that the command completed or failed. CATVMFX waits for all TLMs to complete processing the command before issuing the next command. TLMSs post their completion status to the VMF control record. Once all steps are complete, CATVMFX terminates.

CATVMFX performs the following steps during EXTEND:

  1. Prompts you to verify the parameters for the EXTEND.
  2. Issues an attention command to all TLMSs. This command instructs all TLMSs to start checking the VMF control record every 30 seconds instead of every 3 minutes.
  3. Issues a test access command to all TLMSs. This command instructs all TLMSs to verify update access to the new VMF and ability to create a VMF alias.
  4. Issues a drop allocation for DDs CAIVMFS and TAPEDB.
  5. Issues an add VMF command to all TLMSs. This command instructs all TLMSs to add a secondary VMF and write duplex records during tape processing.
  6. Copies all active records from the old VMF to the new VMF. Changes to active records during this step (resulting from tape activity) are dynamically updated through duplex writes. The primary and secondary VMFs remain in sync.
  7. Issues a switch command to all TLMSs. This command instructs all TLMSs to use the new VMF as their primary VMF, and write duplex records to the old VMF.
  8. Issues a recatalog command to all TLMSs. This command instructs all TLMSs to point the VMF alias on their system to the new VMF. New batch jobs and online sessions now reference the new VMF through the alias.
  9. Issues a drop VMF command to all TLMSs. This command instructs all TLMSs to wait for all jobs using the old VMF to terminate. Then it drops the secondary VMF (stops writing duplex records).
  10. Poisons the old VMF to prevent new jobs from using it.
  11. Issues a return-to-normal command to all TLMSs. This command instructs all TLMSs to resume checking the VMF control record every 3 minutes.

CATVMFX TEST Process

CATVMFX performs the following steps during the TEST:

  1. Performs steps 1 through 6 of the CATVMFX EXTEND process.
  2. Skips steps 7 and 8 of the CATVMFX EXTEND process. The secondary VMF is still the new VMF (VMF2).
  3. Issues a drop VMF command to all TLMSs. This command instructs all TLMSs to drop the secondary VMF, that is, stop writing duplex records.
  4. Does not poison the secondary VMF in the TEST mode letting you check the new VMF for accuracy.
  5. Issues a return-to-normal command to all TLMSs. This command instructs all TLMSs to resume checking the VMF control record every 3 minutes.