Retaining and moving TAPECOPY tapes or DUPLEX tapes

The DFSMShsm TAPECOPY command and the DUPLEX tape feature create tapes that are called alternate tapes. Both the TAPECOPY command and the DUPLEX tape feature use the same naming convention for the alternate tapes.

To retain alternate tapes and to move them to another location, you can define two vital record specifications, one for backup copies and one for migration copies as shown in Figure 1.

Figure 1. Keeping tapes created by the DFSMShsm TAPECOPY command and DUPLEX tape feature

RMM ADDVRS DSNAME('mprefix.COPY.HMIGTAPE.DATASET') -
    COUNT(99999) CYCLES LOCATION(REMOTE) STORENUMBER(99999)

RMM ADDVRS DSNAME('bprefix.COPY.BACKTAPE.DATASET') -
    COUNT(99999) CYCLES LOCATION(REMOTE) STORENUMBER(99999)

mprefix: Specifies the DFSMShsm-defined migration data set prefix.
bprefix: Specifies the DFSMShsm-defined backup and dump data set prefix.
COUNT(99999): Specifies to retain all data sets forever or until DFSMShsm releases the volume by notifying DFSMSrmm through the EDGTVEXT installation exit.
CYCLES: Specifies that DFSMSrmm retain data sets based on cycles or copies of a data set.
LOCATION(REMOTE): Specifies the storage location called REMOTE to which the number of volumes for the data sets specified in STORENUMBER should be moved.
STORENUMBER(99999): Specifies that all copies should be kept in the specified storage location until they are returned to scratch by DFSMShsm. Specifying STORENUMBER as 99999 in the two examples ensures that when DFSMShsm release the original volumes, it also returns the alternate tapes.

As you create copies of migration and backup tapes with the DFSMShsm TAPECOPY command, DFSMSrmm recognizes the tapes, retains them, and identifies them for movement to the named storage location. During DFSMShsm RECYCLE processing, DFSMShsm releases an alternate tape when it releases the original tape. DFSMSrmm identifies that these volumes should return to the library after DFSMShsm releases the volume. You can use this mechanism to get copy tapes ejected from an automated tape library after creation and returned to the library after RECYCLE.

Use of DFSMSrmm to manage movement is only available for those alternate volumes you have created since implementing the new DFSMShsm TAPECOPY data set name format. The old naming format used for alternate volumes was the same as that used for the base volumes. If you have copies which were created with the old naming convention we suggest that you use DFSMShsm RECYCLE against the base volumes or take a new copy of the base volume. See Disaster recovery using DFSMShsm alternate tapes with DFSMSrmm for information on use of alternate tapes during recovery.