The problem is that the operating system does not know how to mount a VTAPE. In the MVS world, there was what was known as a DCB Exit that could be activated at EOV and EOF. It could be taught to determine the type of tape and either do a VTMOUNT (VTAPE) or VMTAPE MOUNT (real tape) at EOV. But that is customer, not vendor, code. I do not know if the same is true in VSE (or even z/OS, for that matter).
I have to agree about the black hole. I have gotten replies to neither mail, dumps nor phone calls since the first of May. I wish Rick Bourgeois well and hope that the staff soon learns how to support the products half as well as he did. This has probably been a tough time for them, but they do need to step up and carry the load. Regards, Richard Schuh > -----Original Message----- > From: The IBM z/VM Operating System > [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Hughes, Jim > Sent: Wednesday, June 17, 2009 7:22 PM > To: [email protected] > Subject: Re: Trace I/O for a 3490 tape drive > > When IDCAMS is run in VSE with a real 3490 tape drive and it > reaches EOT, it asks for another tape. Run the same job > again and when either the Library Mdisk assigned to the > virtual tape volume runs out of space or the SIZE limit > assigned to the virtual tape volume is reached, I'd expect > IDCAMS to ask for another tape volume. Instead the IDCAMS job > aborts with Intervention required. > > Same program and different results at EOT. > > I wish the VTAPE support people would talk to us a little > more. They are a black hole at this point. We could really > use VTAPE in our environment too. > > _____________________ > Jim Hughes > x5586 > "It is fun to do the impossible." Quote from Walt Disney > > ________________________________ > > From: The IBM z/VM Operating System on behalf of Schuh, Richard > Sent: Wed 6/17/2009 4:08 PM > To: [email protected] > Subject: Re: Trace I/O for a 3490 tape drive > > > > You will probably find that you must write exit routines to > run in your guest. I do not know the capabilities of VSE > along those lines, but the MVS line, at least at one time, > supported all sorts of different DCB exit routines. At a > former job, we had exit routines that wee used in > applications where it was critical that they be allowed to > continue using another tape. These routines checked to see if > the tape was real or VTAPE, and either issued a VTMOUNT > (VTAPE) or a VMTAPE MOUNT. > > I think that you will find that the VSSI product is true to > the device being simulated. It is probable that the s/w that > interfaces with the device is unaware of VTAPE and tries to > get a real tape mounted at EOT. It is not that the device is > presenting something different to the O/S (not to IDCAMS), it > is that the O/S is unaware that VTAPE is involved. > > The usual EOT indication is, if my memories are current with > today's tape hardware, to present a Unit Exception in the > status. What happens beyond that is purely the business of > the operating system and access method. > > Regards, > Richard Schuh > > > > > -----Original Message----- > > From: The IBM z/VM Operating System > > [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Hughes, Jim > > Sent: Wednesday, June 17, 2009 12:29 PM > > To: [email protected] > > Subject: Re: Trace I/O for a 3490 tape drive > > > > Here is the problem. > > > > We are evaluating VTAPE from VSSI. Our VSE machines get > Intervention > > Required when EOT is sensed when running an IDCAMS backup. > > > > I am want to organize a trace to a real 3490 tape drive so > I can see > > the behavior when a real 3490 presents EOT to IDCAMS. > > > > Then I want to do the same thing using a Virtual tape drive and > > compare the tape commands and interrupts. > > > > If we cannot get beyond this problem with VTAPE, we won't > be able to > > buy the product. The vendor isn't offering much in the way > of support > > so I'm trying to get ahead of the game and give the vendor as much > > information about the nature of the problem as possible. > > > > If you are telling me that I won't see any interrupts or commands > > using TRSOUCE except for a few xSCH commands, then I am on a fool's > > errand. > > > > Since you know what I am trying to do, perhaps you can recommend a > > better method. > > > > Suggestions welcomed. > > > > ____________________ > > Jim Hughes > > 603-271-5586 > > "It is fun to do the impossible." > > > > ==>-----Original Message----- > > ==>From: The IBM z/VM Operating System > > [mailto:[email protected]] On ==>Behalf Of Alan Altmark > > ==>Sent: Wednesday, June 17, 2009 2:25 PM > > ==>To: [email protected] > > ==>Subject: Re: Trace I/O for a 3490 tape drive ==> ==>On > Wednesday, > > 06/17/2009 at 12:58 EDT, "Hughes, Jim" > > ==><[email protected]> wrote: > > ==>> I?d like to trace all i/o, interrupts, etc for a 3490 > tape drive. > > ==>... > > ==>> My trace command is: > > ==>> CP TRACE IO 181 CCW INS INT BOTH RUN ==>> ==>> I?ve used > > various other combinations of TRACE SIO and TRACE SSSCH and ==>etc? > > ==>> with no happiness. > > ==>> > > ==>> I can get the TSCH and SSCH commands to appear and > nothing else. > > ==>> > > ==>> What can I do to get ALL the tape i/o for address 181 > to show up? > > ==> > > ==>What other I/O were you expecting? If the guest is in a > TSCH loop, > > it ==>typically won't get I/O interrupts. They will be > drained by the > > TSCH. > > ==> > > ==>Alan Altmark > > ==>z/VM Development > > ==>IBM Endicott > > >
