Has anyone been able to interface VM:Tape to permit sharing tapes with z/OS -- specifically using the z/OS "IBM DFSMSrmm" database (a VSAM file)? RMM has a field labeled "RVVMUSE", which is apparently used by tapes reserved for "VM use", but I have not found anything that indicates what might use that field. Perhaps IBM's new "IBM Tape Manager" product uses that field?
CA has repeatedly and steadfastly rejected development of any interface between VM:Tape and IBM DFSMSrmm. Our use of CA-1 has dropped to a few hundred tapes shared between z/OS and z/VM, while at the same time our z/OS DFSMSrmm library is reportedly grown to become the largest in the world. I keep getting significant and unrelenting pressure to remove CA-1 for tape sharing between z/VM and z/OS. Our z/OS CA-1 version (not in my area of responsibility) is somewhere around 11 releases behind the current release, and certainly unsupported. A CA-1 upgrade is reported to be a significant effort. It would be easy to say "just install the IBM Tape Manager product", but we're so deeply involved with VM:Tape that the conversion would not likely be feasible (consider the VM:Backup, VM:Archiver, and VM:Secure interfaces, all the home-grown EXECs that issue VMTAPE commands and process the results,etc.). Still, it would be interesting, and I'll research that more at SHARE in Baltimore in a few weeks. So the requirement keeps coming down to writing our own interface between VM:Tape and DFSMSrmm - not a trivial effort. But if someone has already done it, or gotten part way down the slope, perhaps we could share ideas. Mike Walter Hewitt Associates The opinions expressed herein are mine alone, not those of my employer. The information contained in this e-mail and any accompanying documents may contain information that is confidential or otherwise protected from disclosure. If you are not the intended recipient of this message, or if this message has been addressed to you in error, please immediately alert the sender by reply e-mail and then delete this message, including any attachments. Any dissemination, distribution or other use of the contents of this message by anyone other than the intended recipient is strictly prohibited.
