Controlling private tape pool definitions

The ability to define a private pool is typically restricted. Only a system administrator or an authorized user can define a private pool and the private pool must be uniquely identified by a pool owner and a pool name. The pool owner must be a valid CMS file name and the pool name must be a valid CMS file type of one to eight characters.

A non-system administrator with permission to define pools can only define pools that are owned by him/her. The owner of a pool defined by an administrator does not have administrative privileges for the pool by default and cannot change the pool attributes. Non-system administrators that define their own private pools will have administrative access to any pools they define.

The Tape Manager configuration file (SYS CONFIG) controls pool definition authorization. Set the PoolAuth parameter to "Y" to indicate pool definition authority is to be controlled by system administrators or set PoolAuth to "N" to indicate that pools can be defined by any user. If PoolAuth is set to "Y", the PoolDef parameter specifies the default pool definition authority:

  • If PoolDef is set to NONE, the permission to define pools must be granted by a system administrator using the POOLACC command.
  • If PoolDef is set to ALL, any user can define pools, but permission to define pools can be restricted by a system administrator using the POOLACC command.

When PoolAuth is set to "N", the PoolDef keyword is ignored, but authorizations can still be made with the POOLACC command to prepare for a switch to set PoolAuth to "Y" at a future time.

The default access to a pool can be altered using the POOLACC command. If you have restricted the authority to define pools, you can grant permission to specific individuals by using the POOLACC command with the SYS POOL parameter. This is helpful if you need to grant permission to non-administrative users that require pool definition authority.

Note: If you plan to use an external security manager to control private tape pool definitions, refer to Using an External Security Manager to control Tape Manager resources.