Administration Guide › Managing Resource Pools › Creating Resource Pools › Using the CA VM:Tape Interface

Using the CA VM:Tape Interface

The CA VM:Backup-CA VM:Tape interface provides a single point of reference for defining the tapes to use in backup and MPC jobs. Although CA VM:Backup still manages resource pools for DASDtapes, CA VM:Tape assumes complete control over the maintenance of resource pools for cartridge media.

When CA VM:Backup is interfaced with CA VM:Tape, specify how CA VM:Backup is to ask CA VM:Tape for scratch tapes. You have two options in this situation:

• You can set up the resource pool to allow CA VM:Tape to select the pool from which it is to request scratch tapes.
• You can have CA VM:Backup specify the pool name from which CA VM:Tape requests scratch tapes.

Allowing CA VM:Tape to Select a Pool

To allow CA VM:Tape to select the pool from which to request scratch tapes, select Use VM:Tape scratch volumes on the Modify Resource Pool poolname screen. When you select this option, CA VM:Backup does not pass the specific name of a resource pool to CA VM:Tape. If the CA VM:Tape Tape Management Catalog (TMC) is set up as one large pool of scratch tapes (general scratch pool), CA VM:Tape requests an available tape that is defined in the TMC. If scratch pools are defined to CA VM:Tape, CA VM:Tape selects a pool using pool assignment rules and requests that a scratch tape be mounted from that pool.

Specifying a Specific Pool Name

To have CA VM:Tape request tapes from a specific scratch pool, do not select the Use VM:Tape scratch volumes option on the Modify Resource Pool poolname screen. If this option is not selected, CA VM:Backup requests that CA VM:Tape select tapes from the specific resource pool, poolname.

When CA VM:Backup is interfaced with CA VM:Tape, resource pool names can contain 1-16 characters. CA VM:Backup passes the specified pool name to CA VM:Tape. When CA VM:Backup is not interfaced with CA VM:Tape, resource pool names can contain only 1-8 characters.

Note: For more information about how to use the CA VM:Tape scratch pool facility, see the CA VM:Tape Administration Guide. For complete information about using CA VM:Backup with CA VM:Tape, see the CA Mainframe VM Product Manager Product Interface Guide.