On Feb 20, 2006, at 6:17 PM, Robert Clark wrote:

Folks I talk to occasionally ask about reading TSM tapes written by
a TSM
server on a differing platform.

For example: TSM server that wrote tape runs on Windows 2003.
In DR exercise, TSM server runs on AIX 5.2, and attempts to read tape
written on Windows 2003.

As long at the TSM version is the same, can they expect to read tapes
across platforms?

Is there a table of OS/platforms that can read each other's tapes?
If not,
how does storage agent handle this situation?

Robert - Topic "Tape labels" in http://people.bu.edu/rbs/ADSM.QuickFacts
         and the TSM Wiki summarizes the fundamentals.
The product utilizes standardized recording for server-written tapes.
IBM Technotes 1154357 and 1193760 addresses the label issue.
And the product's Export/Import functions obviously demand consistency
of format.  I don't recall any customer postings over the years where a
server tape could not be read on another platform.
Obviously, fully utilizing a tape across platforms requires that the TSM
server database associated with those volumes be in place on the hosting
system.

   Richard Sims