Path: utzoo!utgpu!water!watmath!clyde!rutgers!cmcl2!husc6!think!ames!pasteur!ucbvax!LBL.GOV!nagy%warner.hepnet
From: nagy%warner.hepnet@LBL.GOV (Frank J. Nagy, VAX Wizard & Guru)
Newsgroups: comp.os.vms
Subject: Tape management systems (was Re: BACKUP)
Message-ID: <880322070817.2d200fdd@LBL.Gov>
Date: 22 Mar 88 15:08:17 GMT
Sender: daemon@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU
Organization: The Internet
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> I appreciate your remarks concerning BACKUP. Indeed, due to all the replies
> I have received, I have learned a good deal about the parameters associated
> with BACKUP. This has led me to a broader question: Is it possible to manage
> tapes sensibly on VMS?  I used a CDC Cyber for many years and I cannot find
> anything under VMS to approach the LABEL command under NOS.  In general, I
> am concerned about the issue of security and device allocation/deallocation.
> Have you addressed these issues in your shop, or do you know of anything
> on the DECUS tapes or commercially available that addresses this issue?
     
No, the general issue of labelled tapes etc. has not been addressed even
in the main high end VAXCluster at Fermilab.  Tape drive allocation is
managed by an inhouse tape daemon and rights identifiers to allow tapes
to be (mostly) used from batch jobs (all the cluster machines are always
running at 100% capacity except the 8800 which runs at 200%) with some
drives reserved for system backup usage and some allowed for interactive
access.

There is a commercial product called TAPESYS available.  The vendor name
escapes me.  I have no experience with it so someone else will have to
respond.

Finally, Digital has a new product in the works to manage tapes and disk
(optical) disks.  This is rumored to be announcing within the next few
months (I've heard everything from March to May/June; like other things
it *probably* requires VMS V5.0 so might be waiting on that).  Contact
your Digital Sales Rep for more information (probably on a non-disclosure
basis).

= Frank J. Nagy   "VAX Guru & Wizard"
= Fermilab Research Division EED/Controls
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