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Administrator's Guide


Preparing Media for Automated Libraries

Prepare tape and optical disk volumes by labeling them and checking them into the library volume inventory:

Task Required Privilege Class
Labeling Media System
Checking Media into Automated Library Devices System
Obtaining Element Addresses for Library Storage Slots Any Administrator or Operator

Labeling Media

All media require labels. Labeling media with an automated library is different from labeling media with a manual device because an automated library requires you to check media into the library. The extra check in processing can be done at the same time that the volume is labeled. If you label volumes with the Labeling Wizard, you can select check in processing in the wizard. If you label volumes with the LABEL LIBVOLUME command, you can issue the CHECKIN parameter.

A label cannot include embedded blanks or periods and must be valid when used as a file name on the media.

Labeling Media with an Automated Library

Insert the media into storage slots or entry/exit ports and invoke the Labeling Wizard.

  1. From the TSM Console, expand the tree for the machine you are configuring.
  2. Click Wizards, then double click Media Labeling in the right pane. The Media Labeling Wizard appears.
  3. Click Library Media Labeling in the right pane of the TSM Server Utilities.
  4. Click the Start button. The TSM Autochanger Media Labeling Wizard appears.
  5. Follow the instructions in the wizard. In the last wizard dialog, check the box named Checkin Tapes.

By default, the label command does not overwrite an existing label on a volume. However, if you want to overwrite existing volume labels, you can specify OVERWRITE=YES when you use the LABEL LIBVOLUME command. See Labeling Volumes Using Commands.

Attention: By overwriting a volume label, you destroy all of the data that resides on the volume. Use caution when overwriting volume labels to avoid destroying important data.

Labeling Media for use with a Bar Code Reader

Libraries equipped with bar code readers can obtain volume names using the reader instead of prompting the administrator. Administrators labeling media with the labeling wizard can check the bar code check box in the wizard. Administrators labeling media with TSM commands can issue the LABEL LIBVOLUME command with the SEARCH=YES and LABELSOURCE=BARCODE parameters. TSM reads the bar code and the media are moved from the entry/exit port to a drive where the information on the bar code label is written as the internal label on the media. After the tape is labeled, it is moved back to the entry/exit port or to a storage slot if the CHECKIN option is specified.

Because bar code scanning can take a long time for unlabeled volumes, do not mix volumes with bar code labels and volumes without bar code labels in a library.

Bar code support is available for TSM-controlled libraries using the TSM device driver or the RMSS LTO Ultrium device driver. Bar code support is unavailable for devices using the native Windows device driver or devices whose media are managed by Removable Storage Manager (RSM). See Using Removable Media Managers With Tivoli Storage Manager.

Checking Media into Automated Library Devices

After volumes have been labeled, make the volumes available to TSM devices by checking the volumes into the library volume inventory using the CHECKIN LIBVOLUME command. You can save time by checking in volumes as part of the labeling operation. See Labeling Media.

The CHECKIN LIBVOLUME command involves device access, and may take a long time to complete. For this reason, the command always executes as a background process. Wait for the CHECKIN LIBVOLUME process to complete before defining volumes or the defining process will fail.

You can specify that TSM read media labels for the volumes you are checking in. When label-checking is enabled, TSM mounts each volume and reads the internal label before checking in the volume. TSM checks in only volumes that are properly labeled. Checking labels can prevent errors later, when TSM selects and mounts volumes, but it also increases check in processing time.

Checking a Single Volume into an Automated Library

You can check single volumes in by specifying the CHECKIN LIBVOLUME command with the SEARCH=NO parameter. TSM issues a mount request identifying a storage slot with an element address. The media can be loaded directly into a single storage slot or into one of the device's entry/exit ports, if it is equipped with them. For example, an administrator checks a scratch volume named VOL001 into a library named TAPELIB by entering the following command:

checkin libvolume tapelib vol001 search=no status=scratch

TSM finds that the first empty slot is at element address 5, and issues the following message:

ANR8306I 001: Insert 8MM volume VOL001 R/W in slot with element
address 5 of library TAPELIB within 60 minutes; issue 'REPLY' along
with the request ID when ready.
 

If the library is equipped with entry/exit ports, the administrator can load the volume into a port without knowing the element addresses of the device's storage slots. After inserting the volume into an entry/exit port or storage slot, the administrator responds to the preceding message at a TSM command line by issuing the REPLY command with the request number (the number at the beginning of the mount request):

reply 1

Checking Volumes In Using a Library's Bar Code Reader

You can save time checking volumes into libraries equipped with bar code readers by using the characters on the bar code labels as names for the volumes being checked in. TSM reads the bar code labels and uses the information on the labels to write the internal media labels. For volumes missing bar code labels, TSM mounts the volumes in a drive and attempts to read the internal, recorded label.

For example, to use a bar code reader to search a library named TAPELIB and check in a scratch tape, enter:

checkin libvolume tapelib search=yes status=scratch
checklabel=barcode
 

Checking Volumes in from the Library's Entry/Exit Ports

You can check multiple volumes into automated libraries by issuing the CHECKIN LIBVOLUME command with the SEARCH=BULK parameter. TSM searches the device's entry/exit ports for labeled volumes that it can check in automatically. To have TSM load a cartridge in a drive and read the label, you must specify the CHECKLABEL=YES option. The CHECKLABEL=NO option is invalid with the SEARCH=BULK option. After reading the label, TSM moves the tape from the drive to a storage slot. When bar code reading is enabled with the CHECKLABEL=BARCODE parameter, TSM reads the label and moves the tape from the entry/exit port to a storage slot.

Checking Volumes in from the Library's Storage Slots

You can check multiple volumes into automated libraries by issuing the CHECKIN LIBVOLUME command with the SEARCH=YES parameter. TSM automatically searches the storage slots for new volumes that have not yet been added to the volume inventory. Issuing the SEARCH=YES parameter eliminates issuing an explicit CHECKIN LIBVOLUME command for each volume.

For example, for a SCSI device you can simply open the library access door, place all of the new volumes in unused slots, close the door, and issue the CHECKIN LIBVOLUME command with SEARCH=YES.

See Obtaining Element Addresses for Library Storage Slots.

Checking In Private Volumes

Private volumes are volumes that are either predefined to a storage pool or volumes that are partially-written. You can check in private volumes, but you must ensure you assign a private status to them before checking them in. Private volumes cannot be accidentally overwritten when a scratch mount is requested. The server does not allow the administrator to check in a volume with scratch status when that volume already belongs to a storage pool.

Partially written volumes are always private volumes. Volumes begin with a status of either scratch or private, but once TSM stores data on them, their status becomes private. See Returning Partially-Written Volumes to Automated Library Devices.

Checking Volumes into A Full Library

You can check volumes into devices that are fully populated and have no empty storage slots by enabling tape swapping. Swapping allows TSM to select and eject volumes to store in a different physical location. TSM selects the volume to eject by checking first for any available scratch volumes, then for the least frequently mounted volumes. Without tape swapping, the check-in fails. See Setting Up and Managing a Volume Overflow Location for an Automated Library Device

Checking Volumes into an IBM 3494 Library

When a volume is first inserted into an IBM 3494 library, either manually or automatically at the convenience I/O station, the volume is assigned to the insert category (X'FF00'). You can then change the category number when issuing the CHECKIN LIBVOLUME command.

Obtaining Element Addresses for Library Storage Slots

If a library has entry/exit ports, you can add and remove media by loading the media into the ports. If there are no entry/exit ports, you must load tapes into storage slots. In this case, you must reply to mount requests that identify storage slots with element addresses. An element address is a number that indicates the physical location of a storage slot or drive within an automated library.

Administrators need device names and element addresses when:

Element addresses for IBM-supported devices are available through the Device Configuration Wizard and at Web site (http://www.tivoli.com/support/storage_mgr/tivolimain.html) or see the device manufacturer's documentation.


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