3576 and more tapes

Background: The 3576 is a tape library and cannot be configured as
sequential. As a result you get familiar with a host of commands like:
WRKTAPCTG, ADDTAPCTG, SETTAPCGY, RMVTAPCTG. Some might use BRMS and let
that run everything.

We had a partition grow quite considerably. As a result the full system
save stopped with a "feed me" message. Options were "C" or enter in the
volume id to use. Well, on this library it's not a simple matter of
opening the tape drive, taking the old one out and placing an initialized
tape into it and going on. You end up having to do stuff like
SETTAPCGY TAPMLB06 *DEMOUNTED
RMVTAPCTG TAPMLB06 CATEGORY(*DEMOUNTED)
Open drive. Remove tape. Close drive while empty. Let it click. Open
drive. Insert tape(s)
ADDTAPCTG...
SETTAPCGY TAPMLB06 *MOUNTED
answer message.
Well, during a full system save you have no command line access and cannot
execute any commands.

I ended up cancelling the backup. Loading more tapes than I can fathom
using, and starting over. (It's a real hoot when you grow from one tape
to three. Think adding 8 domino servers and two guested lpars.)

I don't suppose there was some magic way of using the 3576 web interface,
facing Mecca, or any other trick that would have avoided blowing the
backup and starting over, was there? I have a feeling that this may
happen again.

Ever run into an idiot that named their volume id's "C"? :-)


Rob Berendt