Product Overview › CA VM:Tape Features

CA VM:Tape Features

CA VM:Tape does the following:

• Manages tape drive allocation. When users request tape mounts, CA VM:Tape automatically locates and allocates appropriate tape drives as soon as they are available.
• Allows time for tape retrieval. CA VM:Tape offers a Setup facility that allows the system administrator to direct mount requests to a special operator. The operator releases the mount requests to CA VM:Tape only when the tapes are available.
• Automates selection of scratch tapes. CA VM:Tape offers an Automatic Scratch Volume Selection (Autopick) facility that can automatically select scratch tapes to satisfy scratch tape mount requests.
• Automates tape mounting. CA VM:Tape can interface with automatic cartridge loaders (ACLs) and automated robotic mounters (ARMs). ACLs are attached to tape drives and automatically load tapes to satisfy mount requests for general scratch, standard-labeled tapes. ARMs contain tapes and can automatically load saved tapes, specific scratch tapes, and general scratch tapes. CA VM:Tape can interface with the following ARMs:
  • Automated Cartridge System (ACS), the StorageTek ARM
  • Automated Tape Library (ATL), the Sutmyn ARM
  • Tape Library Data Server, the IBM ARM
• Synchronizes the CA VM:Tape TMC and ARM catalogs. CA VM:Tape notifies the ARM your site is using when a tape has been scratched so the ARM can update its catalogs and remain consistent with the TMC.
• Verifies tape mounts. For each mount request, CA VM:Tape makes sure that the correct tape is being mounted by comparing the internal or external tape label of the tape that is mounted against the specifications on the mount request.
• Uses multiple scratch tape pools. You can define multiple pools of scratch tapes to CA VM:Tape.
• Offers flexible tape expiration. CA VM:Tape offers four methods for expiring tapes: explicit expiration date, retention period from creation date or from last use, and cycle control. You can also specify that a tape is never to expire.
• Processes multiple events simultaneously. CA VM:Tape can satisfy mount requests from many users simultaneously.
• Audits tape usage. The CA VM:Tape Audit file tracks all tape access, including foreign tape mounts, and all online changes to the TMCs. The Audit file provides backup if the TMC is destroyed.
• Reports on tapes and tape activity. CA VM:Tape provides a full set of reports. Sites can also design customized reports. Reports that CA VM:Tape provides include:
  • Forecast of tapes that will be scratch within the next seven days
  • List of scratch tapes that are currently available
  • List of tapes by data set name
  • Summary of tape activity
  • Tape summary
• Offers a Bin system for tapes. CA VM:Tape offers a Bin system that allows sites to reference tapes by bin number instead of internal volume serial number. Sites can easily access and manage tapes with duplicate or nonstandard tape numbers using this system. This system is especially useful in an environment that has high tape turnover.
• Maintains a catalog of information about tapes and data sets. CA VM:Tape manages tapes through its Tape Management Catalog (TMC). The TMC is a CMS or OS disk file that contains volume information (such as volser and expiration date) and data set information (such as data set name and expiration date) about each tape under CA VM:Tape control. Each time a tape is mounted, CA VM:Tape updates the tape's record in the TMC. A CA VM:Tape command also allows you to make manual changes to certain data stored in the TMC.
• Checkpoints interface and drive statuses. CA VM:Tape stores the status of tape drives and of interfaces between CA VM:Tape and other products (such as ARMs) so that those statuses are retained when CA VM:Tape is restarted.
• Coordinates tape management for multiple VM and z/OS systems. CA VM:Tape coordinates tape management for VM and z/OS systems with shared DASD by sharing the following:
  • Tapes. CA VM:Tape interfaces with the tape database of a z/OS system to maintain a single tape library for both VM and z/OS tapes. MVS-created tapes are available to VM users and VM-created tapes are available to z/OS users.
  • Tape drives. CA VM:Tape can control sharing of tape drives among multiple VM systems by interfacing with the Shared Tape Allocation Manager (STAM) or CA MIA without STAM. In the shared tape drive environment created by interfacing with one of these products, the operator does not have to manually switch tape drives from one system to another, vary them offline or online, or attach them to users' virtual machines.
  • Scratch pools. CA VM:Tape can use tapes from scratch pools defined to CA VM:Tape and from scratch pools defined by CA 1 on MVS.
  • TMC and Audit data sets. If sharing with MVS, CA VM:Tape updates the CA 1 TMC and Audit data sets.