DSM/Tape Catalog Operator Interface (MEDIACOM) Manual

MEDIACOM Commands
DSM/Tape Catalog Operator Interface (MEDIACOM) Manual—429828-010
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ADD TAPEFILE Command (Super Group Only)
Considerations

Tape file names
At the time a tape file is created, its name is written to the tape’s label and to the
file catalog entry. The tape label can store a maximum of 17 characters, so for tape
file names of 1 through 17 characters, the tape labels and the catalog entries
contain the same names.
However, a TAPECATALOG DEFINE can specify a tape file name of up to 60
characters. When a tape file is given a name longer than 17 characters, the
rightmost 17 characters of the name are written to the tape’s label, and the entire
name is written in the catalog entry.
When restoring an entry for a tape file that has a name longer than 17 characters,
you must specify tape-file-id as the name originally given to the file. The
rightmost 17 characters of tape-file-id must match the characters stored in
the tape’s label. Otherwise the command fails.

Using the EXPIRATION option
Unless the EXPIRATION option is used, ADD TAPEFILE catalogs the tape file
using the expiration date in the tape’s label. If that date is the current date or
earlier, the restored entry is already expired and disappears during the next clean-
up run.
To solve this problem, use ADD TAPEFILE with the EXPIRATION option to
recatalog the file with a new expiration date. (For information on the clean-up
process, see the DSM/Tape Catalog User’s Guide.)
A tape file entry accidentally erased by DELETE TAPEFILE was an entry that had
not expired. In this case, restoring the entry with the expiration date from the tape
label is usually all right. If you must recatalog the file with the expiration date it had
before the deletion, you also must have a recent INFO TAPEFILE report that tells
you what the expiration date was. With this information, you can use ADD
TAPEFILE with the EXPIRATION option.
When cataloging tape files that have never been in a DSM/TC system, you might
need to use the EXPIRATION option to give the tape files different expiration dates
than the ones in the tape labels. Check with the files’ owners before cataloging
them.
If a tape’s label has no expiration date and you do not use the EXPIRATION
option, ADD TAPEFILE displays an error message on your home terminal and
stops. Rerun the command using the EXPIRATION option.

Dealing with expiration and multiple tape files/appended backups on the same tape
media
The tape will not expire until all the backups on the appended tape expire.