We are in a bit of a pickle or soon will be anyway.... We have an
IBM/3494 atl in our TSM environment. Which has about 1,000 slots in it.
These slots are filling and fast. We're trying to make room for more
scratch tapes. Now I've tried everything from "move data" to weird
"reclaimation" sinareos. And we just can't seem to free up sificiant slots.
I had an idea of ejecting all tapes which haven't been written to in a
while there just waiting to expire, this way migration or backup storage
pool processes won't call for them, and once they're out rack them in the
data center and mark there location as: "rack". Now that will free up a ton
of spots in the atl. The problem is how can TSM manage those tapes even
though they are not in the ATL. I can check them in with check label = no,
and just mark there location as: "rack" this way the database will keep
updating them. The problem is what if reclaimation runs, now you can't do
it because the tapes can't be mounted they're in the rack outside the atl.
Unless the robot comes out to get them I don't see how this can work. It
seems that trying to come up with a solution to the problem of lack of
slots in the atl will just create more of a problem. Any thoughts? Or
ideas? on how I can manage these tapes even though they can't be mounted?.
P.S. = Yes it is collocated. Let me know if anyone has done this thanks!.

--Justin Richard Bleistein