> How does one select which tapes to move off to an overflow location?
> with out TSM requiring them the same day or even next.  also
> How do you monitor when the tape is needed?
>
Just one way. Oldest read date first, only primary pool tapes, FULL tapes
before FILLING.
I used to have a script running every 10 minutes which would query the 3494
library to get a count of empty slots, and then checkout enough tapes to
reach a minimum, with a hi/lo watermark like migration. (there are several
conditions to check for, eg all drives in use.) In the same script, I would
check for mount requests ("query requests), and email the operators to load
the tapes.  Also in that script, I would check for loaded volumes and check
them in private if they matched the right state, location, etc.

tsm: DIANA>select status,volume_name,date(lrd) as lrd,mt.stgpool_name \
cont>  from media mt,stgpools st \
cont>  where state='MOUNTABLEINLIB' \
cont>   and mt.stgpool_name=st.stgpool_name \
cont>   and pooltype='PRIMARY' \
cont>   order by 1 desc,3 asc

STATUS       VOLUME_NAME                   LRD     STGPOOL_NAME
--------     ------------------     ----------     ------------------
FULL         IBM039                 2002-02-27     3590POOL
FULL         IBM039                 2002-02-27     3590POOL
FULL         IBM041                 2002-02-27     3590POOL
FULL         IBM046                 2002-02-27     3590POOL
FULL         IBM048                 2002-02-27     3590POOL
FULL         IBM049                 2002-02-27     3590POOL
FULL         IBM047                 2002-02-28     3590POOL
FULL         IBM043                 2002-03-01     3590POOL
FILLING      000027                 2002-02-28     LTOPOOL
FILLING      000029                 2002-02-28     LTOPOOL
FILLING      000039                 2002-02-28     LTOPOOL
FILLING      IBM038                 2002-03-01     3590POOL