Creating a BVIR data set

The TS7700 series VTS controllers from IBM® write statistical data to virtual tape volumes in response to a request written first on that same volume. This is referred to a Bulk Volume Information Retrieval or BVIR. The OMEGAMON® for Storage product writes a BVIR request and collects and analyzes the response data at every VTS collection interval.

If you are experiencing a problem with VTS reporting on TS7700 series devices and the matrix says you should submit a BVIR data set, you can do this very easily by submitting JCL similar to this:

//STEP1 EXEC PGM=IEBGENER
//SYSPRINT DD SYSOUT=*
//SYSIN   DD DUMMY
//SYSUT2  DD DSN=bvir_virtual_tape,
//  DISP=(NEW,CATLG,DELETE),UNIT=ts7700_unit,
//  DCB=(RECFM=F,LRECL=80,BLKSIZE=80,TRTCH=NOCOMP)
//SYSUT1 DD *
VTS BULK VOLUME DATA REQUEST
HISTORICAL STATISTICS FOR 297
/*
//STEP2 EXEC PGM=IEBGENER
//SYSPRINT DD SYSOUT=*
//SYSIN   DD DUMMY
//SYSUT1  DD DISP=bvir_virtual_tape,
//  VOLUME=(,,REF=*.STEP1.SYSUT2),
//  DCB=(RECFM=U,BLKSIZE=24000)
//SYSUT2 DD DSN=bvir_dataset_to_support,
//  DISP=(,CATLG,DELETE),SPACE=(CYL,(5,5)),
//  UNIT=SYSDA,DCB=(RECFM=U,BLKSIZE=24000)

The first step writes the request to a virtual tape. Name the tape appropriately and specify a UNIT parameter which assures the data will be written to the TS7700 device. The controller will immediately write the response data and it will be read in STEP2 and written back out to a data set on disk that you can TERSE and submit to IBM support.