IBM Magstar 3494 manual Volume Categories, Category Hex Name Denition

The Enable Inventory Update option is also available from the Commands pull-down. This option allows the user to enable the inventory update process. Inventory Update would then be done on all doors at initialization and following manual mode and to all doors opened on the transition from pause to auto.

Inventory update determines if any cartridges have been added, removed, or moved, and the library manager updates the cartridge inventory. During inventory update, one of the three following activities takes place:

vIf a cartridge is found in its expected location, no update takes place.

vIf a cartridge is found that is not in the inventory, the inventory is updated, with volser added to the Insert category.

vIf a cartridge in the inventory is not found, it is placed in the manually ejected category.

vIf an unlabeled cartridge is found, the cartridge is ejected from the library unless the unlabeled cartridge was inserted by using the Unlabeled Tape facility and the unlabeled cartridge is found in its home cell.

See ªInsert Unlabeled Cartridgesº on page 184 for information regarding the use of unlabeled cartridges.

Volume Categories

The host can associate volumes into logical groupings in the library. A logical grouping is called a category, which the library manager identi®es by a hexadecimal number from 0000 to FFFF. Table 3 shows the assignment of the categories.

The library manager maintains the order in which volumes are added to a category. The volumes chosen from a category are managed by a ®rst-in ®rst-out (FIFO) rule. However, if during the choosing of a volume from a category, the next volume is in use, inaccessible, or misplaced, the volume is skipped and the next available volume is chosen.

Note: For logical volumes in a ªFast-Readyº category, an odd/even volser selection algorithm is used to maximize VTS performance.

Table 3. Volume Categories

Category
(in hex)	Name	De®nition
0000	Null	Set when the library command speci®es that the
		category already associated with the volume is to be
		used or the command does not specify a category.
		Using the null category does not affect the volume's
		order within the category to which it is assigned.
		Logical volumes are also added to the FF00 when they
		are inserted via the panel. See ªInsert VTS Logical
		Volumesº on page 163
0001 to	General programming	Assigned by the host control program.
FEFF	use

Note: Categories FF00 to FFFE are reserved for hardware functions.

48Magstar 3494 Tape Library Operator Guide