RE:Verifying installation tape

["Simon Coulter" <shc@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

I managed to trash the original note from Walden Leverich but ....

You could run CPYF over the tape and force the copy to omit all data.  For 
example

CPYF       FROMFILE(QSYSTAP) TOFILE(*PRINT) INCCHAR(*RCD 1 *LT X'00')

A single page of spooled file will be generated but  no data actually copied.  
You need to use CPYF 
rather than CPYFRMTAP because the INCCHAR keyword is not supported on 
CPYFRMTAP.  That causes other 
problems because you then need to override the tape file to point to the 
correct tape drive, etc.

You may also need to experiment with the blocking factors used but since most 
installation tapes are 
in SAV/RST format the following will work.

OVRTAPF    FILE(QSYSTAP) DEV(&DEV) VOL(*NONE) +
             REELS(*SL) SEQNBR(&SEQNBR) RCDLEN(*CALC) +
             BLKLEN(32760) RCDBLKFMT(*U) ENDOPT(&ENDOPT)

You can use the DEV field to specify the tape device, the SEQNBR field to limit 
the files checked, 
and the ENDOPT field to control tape handling.

I have a utility (VFYSAVTAP) which performs this check -- let me know if you'd 
like a copy.  Note 
that this will not verify the data, only that each byte of the tape is readable 
-- no media errors.  
I also believe a similar tool was provided in QUSRTOOL (but I think it used a 
different technique).

Regards,
Simon Coulter.

//----------------------------------------------------------
// FlyByNight Software
// AS/400 Technical Specialists
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// Email: shc@flybynight.com.au

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