On Fri, 5 Feb 2016 11:20:16 -0800, Ed Jaffe <[email protected]> wrote:
>The 3584 has numbered SCSI element numbers for every slot, including
>those occupied by the drives themselves. Moving a tape from its current
>location in the library to the correct SCSI element effectively mounts
>it in the drive!!!
>
>If this is documented in the 3584 Operations guide, I never found it. It
>should be CLEARLY documented there as well as in the DSS stand-alone
>restore procedures section under "Using a Tape Library". I will submit
>an RCF to get the z/OS pub updated.
Ed, I don't think it's up to z/OS to document how to move cartridges around in
every tape library, nor appropriate for it to do so. The procedure will vary
with each generation or even model of the hardware. Rather, z/OS should be
very, clear, that you must MANUALLY mount the volume via the tape
library-provided management interface, which may be via a local console, web
browser, or a physical panel on the machine. There is no more "get the tape
and put it in the drive" (under normal circumstances) and all prose that
assumes that should be changed.
What I found confusing in the 3584 book is that it you "move" a tape, you don't
"mount" it. Once I realized what it meant to move a tape, I rapidly honed in
on the right procedure.
I think that the tape library books should all include phrases like
- manual mount ("You perform a manual mount by ...")
- manually mount ("You manually mount or move a tape to a drive by ...")
- manually move
At least in the index.
Finally, most (all?) of the IBM tape library books are horrible (IMO) at
documenting the actual procedure (pull down, select, right click) or showing
mockups of the windows. Unless you are logged into the device and can click
on HELP or the actual buttons, you're going to have problems. You can't
advise someone how to do it without actually doing it since you can't visualize
what's going on! (The z Systems HMC/SE HELP files have made their trek to
Knowledge Center, and life is somewhat better.)
Alan Altmark
IBM
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