DFSMSrmm manages the movement of volumes between the removable media library and storage locations, as well as among libraries within the removable media library. When you define a vital record specification for a data set or volume, you say where it should be retained to override any location set for the volume. When you run storage location management processing, a DFSMSrmm inventory management function, DFSMSrmm identifies a volume move and automatically assigns the volume a shelf location if the volume is moving to a shelf-managed storage location.

A volume's starting location is also known as its home location. Home location is set when you first define the volume to DFSMSrmm.

If the home location is a system-managed tape library, you cannot use SHELF to move a volume to a location in a non-system-managed tape library using vital record specifications.

You can change a volume's home location without initiating a move request, by using the RMM CHANGEVOLUME subcommand with the HOME operand. You can also change a volume's home location to any other location other than a storage location by using the RMM CHANGEVOLUME subcommand with the LOCATION. This request, however, initiates a volume move.

If you want to move a volume from a system-managed tape library to a non-system-managed library, use the Change Volume Details panel or the CHANGEVOLUME subcommand. See Manually requesting volume movesfor more information.

The EDGRRPTE REXX report, REPORT17, is a helpful tool to aid with stacked volume management. See z/OS DFSMSrmm Reporting for additional information on REPORT17.