IBM Magstar 3494 manual Failure and Exception Condition Reporting

representative handling. See ªFailure and Exception Condition Reportingº for the conditions and required actions.

2.Console messages concerning the library are being generated.

v A failure or exception condition occurred while the library is performing one or more requested operations. The library reports the condition to the host which generates a host console message to inform the operator that a problem exists with the library. See ªFailure and Exception Condition Reportingº for the conditions and required actions.

vThe library manager console provides information about many of the failure and exception conditions reported to the host. Although the host console messages are the primary source for problem determination, the information at the library manager is useful during operator and service representative problem resolution. See ªInformation Provided at the Library Manager Consoleº on page 276 for the information and required actions.

3.A service representative has requested time on the library to correct a problem.

In addition to possible host console messages, failures and exception conditions caused by hardware failures in the library or associated tape subsystems are logged in the error recording dataset on the host. MVS hosts, for example, log errors in ®le SYS1.LOGREC. A service representative reviews the datasets as part of normal diagnosis. Also, when errors that are recovered internally by the library exceed a threshold, the condition is also logged for action by the service representative.

The primary indication that a problem has occurred is a host console message. The following topic describes what actions to take based on speci®c console messages.

Failure and Exception Condition Reporting

Failures or exception conditions detected by the library are reported to the attached hosts for operator action. Most failures or exception conditions are also logged at the host for later use by a service representative. Failures or exception conditions fall into one of three categories:

1.A failure or exception condition is detected in a request from a host to perform a library function.

The requested function is rejected and the reason is reported back to the host immediately.

2.Some library function requests, such as mounting a cartridge, are queued within the library manager for subsequent execution. A failure or exception condition can be detected during the execution of a queued library function request.

The host that requested the library function is noti®ed that a failure or exception condition was detected during the execution of the request. The noti®cation also includes the reason for the failure or exception condition.

3.A failure or exception condition is detected that is independent of any speci®c requested library function.

All hosts attached to the library are noti®ed of the failure or exception condition.

When a failure or exception condition is reported to the host, the result is

dependent on the host's operating system. For an MVS host, the reported condition

results in a console message. ªDFSMS System Managed Tape Messagesº on

page 268 describes the console message generated by the MVS operating system

under the DFSMS System Managed Tape environment as a result of a library

260Magstar 3494 Tape Library Operator Guide