Storage locations are not part of the removable media library because the volumes in storage locations are not generally available for immediate use. A storage location is comprised of shelf locations that you define to DFSMSrmm. A shelf location in a storage location is identified by a bin number. Storage locations are typically used to store removable media that are kept for disaster recovery or vital records. DFSMSrmm manages two types of storage locations: installation-defined storage locations and DFSMSrmm built-in storage locations.

You can define an unlimited number of installation-defined storage locations, using any eight-character name for each storage location. Within the installation-defined storage location, you can define the type or shape of the media in the location. You can also define the bin numbers that DFSMSrmm assigns to the shelf locations in the storage location. You can request DFSMSrmm shelf-management when you want DFSMSrmm to assign a specific shelf location to a volume in the location.

You can also use the DFSMSrmm built-in storage locations, which are LOCAL, DISTANT, and REMOTE. Although the names of these locations imply their purpose, they do not mandate their actual location. All volumes can be in the same or separate physical location. For example, an installation could have the LOCAL storage location on-site, as a vault in the computer room, the DISTANT storage location could be a vault in an adjacent building, and the REMOTE storage location could be a secure facility across town or in another state. DFSMSrmm provides shelf-management for storage locations so that storage locations can be managed at the shelf location level.

Although DFSMSrmm automatically shelf-manages built-in storage locations, you must first define the bins you want to use to DFSMSrmm. For bin numbers in built-in storage locations, the numbers are fixed in range, starting at bin number 000001. For installation-defined storage locations, you can use any alphanumeric characters.