The ATLDS and the MTL support a multitude of IBM tape cartridge
types, depending on the tape devices and media types supported in
the library. Each tape volume is identified by a unique volume serial
number with the following requirements being enforced:
- All physical volumes residing in an ATLDS must have a supported external
barcode label readable by the automated tape library dataserver vision
system unless the unlabeled tape facility at the library manager is
being used.
- All volumes residing in a MTL should also have a supported machine
readable external label to be compatible with the ATLDS.
- All private volumes must have either an internal IBM standard
tape label or an International Organization for Standardization American
National Standards Institute (ISO/ANSI) label, unless bypass label
processing (BLP) or nonlabeled tape (NL) is specified.
- All private volumes must have identical internal and external
volume serial numbers, unless BLP or NL is specified. The internal
volume serial number is recorded in the tape volume label (VOL1 label).
- BLP or NL may be requested for input processing on specific volume
serial references. It may also be requested for output processing
on specific or nonspecific references.
- All volume serial numbers in the same SMS complex must be unique
across tape, DASD, and optical environments.
- A scratch volume cannot be requested using a specific volume serial
number.
- All volumes of a multivolume data set should reside in the same
library, or all should reside outside a library; however, if they
do not, the installation will be given the chance to enter the volumes
through the volume not in library installation exit (CBRUXVNL).
- All volumes of a multivolume data set must belong to the same
tape storage group.
- All volumes of a multivolume data set must be recorded using the
same tape recording technology.
- Volumes of a multivolume data set may be an intermix of media
types supporting the same recording technology.
- Volumes of a multivolume data set must be recorded either on all
rewritable media or on all WORM media and cannot be intermixed.