Hello Jerry, It is an interesting question which has opened you up to many comments.
For background you could go look in the ABCs of z/OS System Programming Volume 1 SG24-6981 which can be found at http://www.redbooks.ibm.com/ Volume mounts can be done manually or the system can automatically do it for you. Manual mounts are done via Console Operator command. Automatic mounts are performed when allocation requires a volume not currently mounted. After finding a device on which to mount a volume the system issues messages via the Console requesting Operators to locate and physically load the volume, and then press the READY switch. These days Operators (aka. tape monkeys) are replaced by tape libraries (real and virtual). TSO users are restricted from allocating non-mounted devices unless they have MOUNT authority. (search the archives for some discussions on this earlier this year). Other tasks (batch jobs or started tasks) can request allocation of tapes. JCL DD cards can specify a datasetname cataloged on tape. DISP=SHR|MOD|OLD, preferably DISP=OLD. Or they can also datasetname, volume serial and unit type if the dataset is not cataloged. For DISP=NEW , the system will request a SCRATCH tape. This is an unused tape. The Operator or Tape Library (SILO etc) will know where to find an unused SCRATCH tape. You need to consult the local site to find out what type of tape drives are available. They could be model numbers, eg UNIT=3490, or an esoteric name, eg UNIT=TAPE Your system may be emulation based ( FLEX-ES or Hercules ) in which case you need to understand how the emulation recognises tapes (may be FAKETAPE). to recap: for existing tape //INPUT DD DISP=OLD,DSN=TAPE.DATASET.NAME for new tape //OUTPUT DD DISP=(NEW,CATLG), // UNIT=3480, // LABEL=(1,SL), // DSN=TAPE.DATASET.NAME (the label value indicates which file on the tape is your dataset). For verification: The D U,VOL=xxxxxx operator command will display the volume status if it is mounted. xxxxxx is the volume serial name. The D U,,,xxxx,1 operator command will display the status of the device. xxxx is the device number. For system requested mounts the device number is part of the message. On Wed, 1 Feb 2006 09:06:12 -0600, Jerry Ragland <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: >Hi all, > >Please let me know how to mount a tape and how to verify whether it is >mounted or not. > >Thanks in advance. >-Jerry > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the message: GET IBM-MAIN INFO Search the archives at http://bama.ua.edu/archives/ibm-main.html
