I imagine the checkl=barocde was introduced to shorten audit, without
it you would have to mount every tape in library - which would take
some considerable time with some libraries!  What you are doing is
checkinbg the barcode label in library memory as opposed to checking
the
magnetic tape label header.

The ideal short way is to have the library do it's inventory, which
reads
barcodes and is quick, then do audit with checkl=barcode.  Whole
process shouldn't take more than a few minutes - there may be some
library units that take longer.  This complete process should take
care
of anything that has gotten out of sync.  I have had a few cases where
there was still something out of sync and had to do detailed
examination
to correct.

It can have  a problem reading the barcode if the laser scanner
couldn't
read the label.  That can happen some times - especially if you don't
use
original manufacturers labels.  If you have AIX server and use
tapeutil
with inventory action, it will show the slot status for tapes like
these
in "abnormal" status.  When the audit with checkl=barcode runs it
finds
this and no barcode label for that slot and mounts the tape in that
slot
to read the magnetic label and update TSM's inventory.

A brief overview as I have seen it in action many times.



David B. Longo
System Administrator
Health First, Inc.
3300 Fiske Blvd.
Rockledge, FL 32955-4305
PH      321.434.5536
Pager  321.634.8230
Fax:    321.434.5509
david.longo AT health-first DOT org


>>> msimpson AT UKY DOT EDU 10/22/02 01:44PM >>>
At 11:29 AM -0400 10/22/02, David Longo said:
>With checklabel=barcode, what happens is that TSM reads the internal
>memory of the library as to what the library's inventory says is
>where.

So checklabel=barcode doesn't really mean read the barcodes?  It just
means check the library's internal memory?  I guess that's still
useful in some circumstances, if there'e a possibility that TSM and
the library have gotten out of sync.
But it would be nice if things mean what they say.  Suppose I really
want it to read the barcodes?  Suppose I think the library's internal
memory has gotten confused somehow, and I  want to do a physical
audit of barcode locations to compare with the internal memory?  Is
this possible? Or is it a function of the library (which I guess
might  make more sense).

>So generally that won't take long.  And a drive needs to be available
>for
>the case where library had a problem reading a barcode label, that
>tape
>can be mounted in a tape drive to verify - even if using checkl=b.

But how can it have a problem reading the barcode label if check-=b
doesn't even try to read the labels?



--


Matt Simpson --  OS/390 Support
219 McVey Hall  -- (859) 257-2900 x300
University Of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40506
<mailto:msimpson AT uky DOT edu>
mainframe --   An obsolete device still used by thousands of obsolete
companies serving billions of obsolete customers and making huge
obsolete
profits for their obsolete shareholders.  And this year's run twice as
fast
as last year's.


"MMS <health-first.org>" made the following
 annotations on 10/22/2002 02:04:16 PM
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