Technical data

Using BACKUP
11.9 Understanding OPCOM and Volumes
11.9 Understanding OPCOM and Volumes
If you have a standalone workstation or easy access to disk and tape drives
at your facility, you probably can mount and initialize your own volumes. At
some sites, however, an operator performs these tasks. Using the services of an
operator might be necessary because the drive you want to use is located remotely
or because you do not have the necessary privileges to manipulate a volume.
To communicate with the operator at your site, consult the operator about
site-specific procedures. Depending on how your system is customized, using the
operator communication manager (OPCOM) might be necessary. The OPCOM
system process allows you to request assistance from the operator and allows the
operator to respond to your requests. (Section 2.4 explains OPCOM.)
11.9.1 Requesting Operator Assistance
Note
Please consult your operator about your site-specific procedures. Your site
may not use OPCOM or may use it differently from the examples in this
section.
If you want the operator to mount a tape for you, use OPCOM to ask the operator
to mount the tape.
How to Perform This Task
Enter either the REQUEST/REPLY or the REQUEST/TO command:
• The /REPLY qualifier assigns your request a unique number to which the
operator can respond.
• If your facility is very large, several operators might each have specific tasks.
If this is the case, use the REQUEST/TO command, which allows you to send
a message to a specific operator (identified by a keyword).
If you request operator assistance and an operator is not available, you receive
the following message:
%MOUNT-I-NOOPR, no operator available to service request
This indicates that the operator has disabled the operator’s terminal. To abort
your request, press Ctrl/Z.
You can also use the /[NO]ASSIST qualifier with either the BACKUP or the
MOUNT command:
• If a mount request fails and you specified /ASSIST, mount failure messages
appear on the operator terminal (if OPCOM is enabled). The /ASSIST
qualifier is the default for both the BACKUP and MOUNT commands.
• If you specified /NOASSIST, mount failure messages appear on your terminal
instead of on the operator terminal.
• If you are on a workstation but forget to specify /NOASSIST, OPCOM (if
OPCOM is running) requests that the operator load the next volume.
If you have the OPER privilege, you can respond to the request by using
another terminal window to enter the following commands:
$ REPLY/ENABLE=TAPES
$ REPLY/TO=identification-number "message text"
11–18 Using BACKUP