Thanks for that Richard. Reclamation should not be an issue because the content 
of a full tape in this pool never changes. Once full, the tapes just sit there 
taking up space. I've noticed in TSMManager that I have the option to checkout 
a tape to onsite storage so I may experiment with that.

I agree that the real solution is more library capacity but in a cash-strapped 
environment with wildly differing budgets from year-to-year, it's neccessary to 
take a creative approach sometimes. Once you add in the fact that the system is 
*actually* managed by an external company that nevertheless has no in-house 
Tivoli skills you can start to appreciate the situation I find myself in all 
too often ;-)

-----Original Message-----
From: ADSM: Dist Stor Manager [mailto:ADSM-L AT VM.MARIST DOT EDU]On Behalf Of
Richard Sims
Sent: 18 July 2007 15:12
To: ADSM-L AT VM.MARIST DOT EDU
Subject: Re: [ADSM-L] Checkout full, unchanging tape volumes


On Jul 18, 2007, at 8:40 AM, Angus Macdonald wrote:

> So can I take it my suggestion won't work?

Checking tapes out of a library will work to create empty cells in
the library, but is problematic in that it is an "out of band"
measure.  TSM is enterprise software, with a rules set and regimen to
assure that all pieces are consistent and aware of one another such
that automated operations can work.  It is implicit that investing in
enterprise level software involves an equivalent commitment to
enterprise hardware, with adequate capacity and performance -
including all data being resident in managed libraries.  By TSM
conventions, tapes which leave a library are to be copy storage pool
volumes marked as Offsite, where their life cycle can be tracked by
automated facilities and be dealt with appropriately in all phases.
For example, Reclamation will not sit in a stupor waiting for such a
tape to be mounted, instead calling for mounts of the primary copy of
the data, which is still in the library.  As you can see from the
Managing a Full Library topic in the Admin Guide, you have to go
through gyrations to fabricate an alternate reality for primary
storage pool volumes, including dealing with mount requests and
allied handling of tapes which are outside the library.  This is not
something you really want to do.

    Richard Sims