> If you have manual devices for your backup, instead of some sort of library,
> can you use scratch volumes? If so is it practical?

In a previous job I administered an ADSM server running under AIX with no
automated tape library. I had no difficulty configuring it to use scratch
tapes, and I ran some tests that involved writing data to scratch tapes. In
the course of these tests I discovered a data integrity problem that ruled out
using scratch tapes in production. The ADSM server would refuse to write data
on a purported scratch volume containing unexpired data written by the ADSM
server itself. Unfortunately, there was no such protection for purported
scratch volumes containing unexpired data written by the MVS system in the
same room; the server would overwrite the contents of such volumes.

I would consider manual mounting of scratch volumes practical only if one of
the following conditions is met:

1.ADSM tape mounts are controlled by a real tape management system.
2.The ADSM server is physically isolated from any other system using
physically compatible tape media.