If your current tape management system allows special expiration dates (such as EXPDT=99000) in JCL to identify management and retention requirements for system-managed volumes, you can manage those volumes by using management class to handle the special dates.

You can also use vital record specification management values to manage both system-managed volumes and non-system-managed tape volumes with JCL expiration dates that are specified with special dates. A vital record specification management value is a one-to-eight character name defined by your installation and used to assign management and retention values to tape data sets.

You define the management policies for management classes and for vital record specification management values using vital record specifications.

Use the EDG_EXIT100 installation exit as described in Using DFSMSrmm installation exits to assign vital record specification management values to new tape data sets.

During inventory management VRSEL processing, DFSMSrmm uses the vital record specification management value as either the primary or secondary VRS, as determined by the VRS matching performed by VRSEL processing.