Re: Long SAVSYS

Expiring a tape is not erasing it, it simply means the files are available to be overwritten by another tape operation.

If you allow BRMS to mount the tape, the tape header will be updated to expire all the files.

I will not affect the actual data on the tape in any way.

Jim Oberholtzer
Chief Technical Architect
Agile Technology Architects


On 4/24/2013 7:36 AM, Steinmetz, Paul wrote:

BRMS only expires the volumes within its database. If you do a DSPTAP outside of BRMS, you will still see all the saved items, they can still be accessed and used.

Paul

-----Original Message-----
From:midrange-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:midrange-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Jim Oberholtzer
Sent: Wednesday, April 24, 2013 8:32 AM
To: Midrange Systems Technical Discussion
Subject: Re: Long SAVSYS

Yes, It will expire the tape and all the files on it. Otherwise the tape would not work for native commands outside of BRMS.

Jim Oberholtzer
Chief Technical Architect
Agile Technology Architects


On 4/24/2013 6:29 AM,rob@xxxxxxxxx wrote:

> Yes, there's an expire option. I've just wondered if that really
> expires the tapes, or just the data within BRMS. Since the tape
> doesn't need to be loaded or anything. At the time I was under stress.
>
>
> Rob Berendt
> -- IBM Certified System Administrator - IBM i 6.1 Group Dekko Dept
> 1600 Mail to: 2505 Dekko Drive Garrett, IN 46738 Ship to: Dock 108
> 6928N 400E Kendallville, IN 46755http://www.dekko.com From: Evan
> Harris<auctionitis@xxxxxxxxx> To: Midrange Systems Technical
> Discussion<midrange-l@xxxxxxxxxxxx>, Date: 04/23/2013 04:42 PM
> Subject: Re: Long SAVSYS Sent by:midrange-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxx You
> might try expiring the media using BRMS instead of inztap. Its an
> option on the work with media menu if I remember rightly. On Tue, Apr
> 23, 2013 at 11:41 PM,<rob@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:

>> > Jim,
>> >
>> > I don't throw the tapes away right away. We put them off to the side.

> If

>> > we start noticing that we are getting a bunch of errors we are
>> > often

> able

>> > to track it down to just one drive throwing the errors. Once
>> > we've replaced that drive, and ran an INZTAP with a CLEAR(*YES)
>> > we're able to put the tape back into circulation and it no longer
>> > has any errors. In all the years of LTO3 I think we really only have had one tape go bad.

> We

>> > have replaced a few drives.
>> > In summary, I'd retain the bad ones long enough to determine if
>> > there's

> a

>> > pattern in the drive.
>> >
>> > Since BRMS we rarely INZTAP. Basically we reserve it for a backup

> that's

>> > really gone bad and we want to use that same tape right now and
>> > not wait for expiration (since the reserve tapes are in another city...).
>> > CLEAR(*YES) is reserved for two purposes. Verifying a tape after
>> > a

> drive

>> > replacement, and for when we go to LTO4.
>> >
>> >
>> > Rob Berendt
>> > --
>> > IBM Certified System Administrator - IBM i 6.1 Group Dekko Dept
>> > 1600 Mail to: 2505 Dekko Drive
>> > Garrett, IN 46738
>> > Ship to: Dock 108
>> > 6928N 400E
>> > Kendallville, IN 46755
>> > http://www.dekko.com
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> > From: Jim Oberholtzer<midrangel@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
>> > To: Midrange Systems Technical Discussion<midrange-l@xxxxxxxxxxxx>,
>> > Date: 04/23/2013 07:29 AM
>> > Subject: Re: Long SAVSYS
>> > Sentby:midrange-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxx
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> > Or re-initialize the tape every time it's used. That resets the
>> > counter to make it almost worthless. I never reset the statistics
>> > so I can see if the tape is failing in any way over its lifetime.
>> > Also keep track of when you clean the tape drive and how that affects read/write errors.
>> > When you start seeing write errors to the tape, time for a new tape.
>> > Tape, cheap. Lost system that is not recoverable because the tape
>> > was failing, bankruptcy.....
>> >
>> > Jim Oberholtzer
>> > Chief Technical Architect
>> > Agile Technology Architects
>> >
>> >
>> > On 4/23/2013 6:12 AM,rob@xxxxxxxxx wrote:

>>> > > Have you tried PRTERRLOG TYPE(*VOLSTAT) VOLTYPE(3590)? Yeah,
>>> > I know

>> > 3590

>>> > > sounds silly for LTO drives, but it works. If you have a
>>> > bunch of

>> > errors

>>> > > it may be time to retire that tape. Prompt the command. You
>>> > may want

>> > to

>>> > > reset the statistics every so often. Since you are a brms
>>> > shop it

> will

>>> > > make more sense to you as you will not have multiple tapes
>>> > with the

> same

>>> > > volume id (like IBMIRD or some silly thing carried over from
>>> > S/36> diskette).

>> > --
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>> >
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