Initializing, erasing, and scanning tape volumes

DFSMSrmm samples provided in SAMPLIB

EDGJINER Sample JCL for Using the EDGINERS Utility for Initializing and Erasing Tapes
EDGLABEL Sample Started Procedure for Initializing, Erasing, and Scanning Tapes

Use EDGINERS to initialize, erase, and scan volumes. Run EDGINERS regularly as part of your inventory management processing.

EDGINERS writes BCD labels on 7-track tape volumes and ASCII (ISO/ANSI format) labels on tape cartridges or 9-track tape volumes. EDGINERS writes 7-track tape labels in even parity (translator on, converter off). You can label tape cartridges, 7-track tape volumes, or 9-track tape volumes with EDGINERS.

EDGINERS provides support for ISO/ANSI version 3 VOL1 and HDR1 labels and for ISO/ANSI version 4 VOL1 and HDR1 labels.

If you are authorized to change the label type, you can relabel tape volumes by specifying the label type in your JCL. This is done at the time of volume use to avoid a separate mount of the volume. When you change the volume label type at the time of use, you do not need to use either EDGINERS or the INIT action. DFSMSrmm allows the tape volume label to be created or overwritten at any time, regardless of the status of the volume, if the user has the required access to a security resource. See Authorizing DFSMSrmm users and ensuring security for more information about volume labels.

See z/OS DFSMSrmm Managing and Using Removable Media for operator procedures that describe operator tasks like responding to initialization messages, tape mount messages, and using the LABEL procedure to request EDGINERS processing. See Using the LABEL procedure for a description of the EDGLABEL procedure provided by DFSMSrmm.

Before initializing or erasing a volume, DFSMSrmm ensures that the correct volume is mounted by reading the volume label. For DFSMSrmm-defined volumes, it also ensures that the requested action is actually required.

When DFSMSrmm reads an existing volume label, the request might fail because the existing volume requires formatting of the servo tracks. If DFSMSrmm detects that a mounted volume has a servo track formatting error, DFSMSrmm issues message EDG6658I and fails the request to initialize or erase the volume.

Note: The recording technology and media associated with IBM new tape architecture products, such as 3590 and 3592, uses servo track. See IBM 3590 High Performance Tape Subsystem Introduction and Planning Guide, GA32-0330 and IBM TotalStorage Enterprise Tape 3592: Presentation Guide Introduction and Planning Guide, GA32-0464 for more information.

DFSMSrmm erases volumes using the hardware security erase feature when it is available. When erasing volumes, DFSMSrmm also reinitializes them so that the correct volume labels are written and the volumes are ready for reuse. If the hardware security erase feature is not available, DFSMSrmm overwrites volumes with a bit pattern of hex FF.

The EDGINERS SCAN function reads the VOL1 and header labels for the first file on the volume. If the labels exist and are read successfully, the label contents are displayed in the SYSPRINT file. For the operator command, the information is also displayed, but truncated, on the operator console. For SYSIN manual processing, the information is displayed in the SYSPRINT file. You can scan the labels of a volume regardless of whether it is defined to DFSMSrmm. If the volume is already defined to DFSMSrmm, the information read from the volume labels is compared with the information defined to DFSMSrmm. Any undefined volume is not automatically defined to DFSMSrmm. See Using the LABEL procedure for a description of the EDGLABEL procedure provided by DFSMSrmm.