Understanding Tape Retention

Every data center has its own tape retention philosophy, but the following conditions generally apply to most data centers:

Most data sets can be retained by a data center standard.
Specific data sets require unique handling.
Critical data sets, such as backups of major applications, are moved offsite for safe storage. They are stored in various facilities, including cabinets, and boxes. In case of a disaster, they are returned to the data center for recovery purposes. Some data sets are moved from one offsite location to another. When the data set is no longer needed, the tape is returned to the data center for reuse as a scratched tape. Different data sets have different retention criteria and movement patterns.

CA TLMS furnishes the Retention Master File (RMF), which enables you to satisfy these and other data set retention and movement requirements.