This section discusses how to get the system set up and basic concepts of MEDIA configuration. Setting up the software is done in the following steps.

• Load the software: qualifier.)Parameter files Load the software onto the system by following the instructions in the Release and Installation Notes. The procedure automatically checks to see if any existing data files need to be upgraded.
• Configure the software: During the initial installation of the system, the minimum number of parameter values are established, so as to make the system operational on conclusion. This is done either in MCL see Section 5.6 for MCL auto configuration or in DCL as described in this section.¹² These values need to be reviewed and possibly changed.
• Load and catalog media: The initial installation of the system does not add any media into the MEDIA database. Any existing tapes or disks containing data and any blank tapes or disks need to be entered into the system.
• Create backup jobs: A main application of this system is BACKUP management. At this stage, create any backup operations you may need.
• Create other jobs: Any other jobs you may need should be set up at this time.

The basic fundamental concepts behind MEDIA configuration are discussed in this section and should be fully understood before attempting to configure the software. This applies to configuration either in MCL or DCL.

3.3.1.1 Queues, Types and Devices

In the MEDIA database, all media is categorized by type. Types can be subdivided in any number of ways, but usually are related to the physical characteristics (TK50, RX23 etc.) or the function (USERTAPE for user's tapes, SYSTAPE for system tapes) of the media. Queues are crucial elements of MEDIA that allow media jobs to access devices. Devices in MEDIA are the same as the devices that are you already presently using in your system.

There is a necessary hierarchical relationship that must be established between the TYPES, the QUEUES and DEVICES in MEDIA in order for the software to function properly.

The relationship is illustrated at it's most basic level in Figure 3-2.

Figure 3-2 Basic hierarchy of MEDIA queues

As this diagram shows, there must be at least one type referenced by each queue and at least one device referenced by each type. This, however is by no means a standard or typical example. For example, there are instances when it may be desirable to have multiple devices referenced by the same type.

Figure 3-3 illustrates a more complex example of the relationship between these three entities. This example shows a single CARTRIDGE queue which references three CARTRIDGE types. In this case the three types are all cartridges yet their capacities and densities differ. There are two devices referenced by the TK50 type because there are two TK50 drives on the system.

Figure 3-3 Extended hierarchy of MEDIA queues

Upon installation of MEDIA, there are some basic questions that should be asked to assure the queues, types and devices are configured to the optimal level. The manager should first consider what his goals are in setting up the queues. Will he be using many devices of the same type? Are some devices of similar type, possessing different characteristics? What will the job priorities be and how will this affect the queues? The answers to these kinds of questions should help \ establish a plan for setting up initial queues and types.

The installation process creates one queue, SYS$TAPE and assigns a media type, TAPE to that queue. By also using the Semi automatic method detailed in Section 5.6 a manager can begin to establish a structured approach to queues according to his system. Later, he can use DCL or MCL configuration methods to fine tune the queues easily.

Another helpful tip in initially configuring your types is to construct a default MEDIA record record for each type. When a new medium of this type is created, the default values are automatically loaded. The fields for which default values are loaded are: location, type, density, manufacturer and disk tape designation. See Section 5.2.5 for instructions on how to set up default values.

3.3.1.3 Device recognition

Depending on system configuration, there are two methods used to assure all devices are available to MEDIA when configuring. All devices are shared between nodes on a homogeneous cluster. The devices can be accessed by the configurator at any node. In the case of a homogeneous cluster, the "Device shared by multiple nodes" field must be selected in MCL configuration. See Section 5.2.2.3.

The other case is a heterogeneous cluster in which devices are only accessible by the local node. In order to access all devices on a heterogeneous cluster, the manager must log on to each node of the cluster and perform the configuration for that node. This will enable the manager to have access to each device in the cluster. Definitions of devices marked to be shared by multiple nodes are saved in the MEDIA2.VAR file. Definitions of devices only accessible to the local node are saved in MEDIA.VAR.

Dynamic devices can either be marked as shared or be node specific (the default). A dynamic device is a device that does not exist until a command or command procedure is used to create it. Infoserver devices or DFS disks are examples of these. Typically these are devices that exist somewhere else in the network and are dynamically served over to the local node using software. You should configure your dynamic devices based on your specific needs.

3.3.2 Parameter settings

The individual parameters are discussed below, grouped according to the part of MEDIA they affect. These groups are further divided according to the type of function they control. Each subsection starts with a table of the relevant parameters, the format in which they are set, the default value at installation and a brief description of the parameter. This is followed by a brief discussion and an example of the parameter settings.

Please see Section 3.3.3 for a discussion of how to change the parameters.

3.3.2.1 Parameter files

The parameter file SYS$MANAGER:MEDIA.VAR is created during installation. It is read by all the programs and contains the basic device, queue, and general information to control the execution of the various system components.

The file can be split into two parts, SYS$MANAGER:MEDIA.VAR and SYS$COMMON:[SYSMGR]MEDIA2.VAR, for convenience in managing a cluster system. In a cluster system, it is convenient to put the CPU-specific device characteristics into in the file SYS$SPECIFIC:[SYSMGR]MEDIA.VAR and put all the cluster-wide queue definitions and HSC type of devices into the cluster file SYS$COMMON:[SYSMGR]MEDIA2.VAR.

See chapter 12 for the description of each parameter that may be included in these files.

3.3.2.2 Media parameters

The parameters that affect the MEDIA program can be divided into the following sections; allocation controls, device definitions, queue controls, user action controls, database controls and operator communication. Each of these types of parameters is discussed in a subsection below.

3.3.2.2.1 Allocation controls

The TIMEOUT parameter specifies the maximum time allowed for waiting for an allocation request to complete. The default TIMEOUT of thirty minutes is adequate for most situations. If you routinely have more active jobs requesting a drive, then there are drives then you should increase this value. To increase this value enter:

MEDIAS> SET TIMEOUT == 60

This situation readily arises if you allow interactive users to allocate drives. Thus forcing any MEDIA batch jobs to wait for the interactive user to finish.

The UNLOAD parameter can be set to a 3 to force a DISMOUNT operation to unload a medium. If at your site you expect MEDIA jobs to requesting the same medium repeatedly, leave this at zero. This allows the system to automatically clear jobs that require the same medium for execution without requesting any operation assistance. If you always want jobs to unload media when the job completes set this value to a 3.

MEDIAS> SET UNLOAD == 3

There are four parameters that control what basic actions that a user can do. These controls are:

Parameter format	Default	Description
BATCH=0 (no) or 1 (yes)	1	specifies whether any device command can be executed in batch. 0 (no) disables all batch job commands.
INCORE=0 or 1	1	determines whether the INCORE temporary medium definition can be used.
INTERACTIVE=0 or 1	1	specifies whether a device command can be executed interactively.
USER_ADD=0 or 1	1	specifies whether users other than managers and operators can use the ADD command to catalog their own media into the database.

3.3.2.2.2 Device definitions

The SYNONYM parameter allows you to define synonyms for device names. This situation arises whenever you are using allocation classes in a cluster environment. Take the case where you have a HSC70 with a tape drive MUA0 and two CPU's attached to it with the allocation class set to 2. In this case you will need to enter the following settings so that MEDIA can properly identify all variations of the drive name as being the same drive. ¹³

MEDIAS> SET NODE1$MUA0 == "$2$MUA0" MEDIAS> SET NODE2$MUA0 == "$2$MUA0"

Leave all leading underscores and trailing colons off of both names.

The TYPE parameter defines the association between a TYPE word and a physical device. Whenever a medium is to be mounted on a drive this parameter is used to determine what physical device names can be used. The basic format of the parameter is one of the following formats: ¹⁴

type||n="[TAPE,]ddcu:[LENGTH=n][DENSITY=(m,m,m)]" type||n="DISK,ddcu:"

The words in the above definition are interpreted as follows.

Keyword	Meaning
type||n	device TYPE and member number
TAPE	indicates a sequential tape device
DISK	indicates a direct access disk drive
ddcu:	physical name of the device
LENGTH=n	maximum length the specified tape drive can handle
DENSITY=m	available densities (800, 1600, 3200, 6250,6666, 10000, 39782, 42550, 79564)

For example on your system you have two TU78's and one TA90 attached to a HSC70. All your 9 track reel tapes are cataloged into the system with a TYPE word of REELTAPE and the TA90 cartridges are cataloged with a TYPE word of CARTRIDGE. In this case you would need to define the following types:

MEDIAS> SET REELTAPE0 == "TAPE,$2$MUA0:,DENSITY=(1600,6250)" MEDIAS> SET REELTAPE1 == "TAPE,$2$MUA1:,DENSITY=(1600,6250)" MEDIAS> SET CARTRIDGE0 == "TAPE,$2$MUA8:"

This means that 9 track tapes can be use on both $2$MUA0 and $2$MUA1 and TA90 cartridges can only be used on $2$MUA8.

3.3.2.2.3 Queue controls

The QUEUE parameter defines which queue is to be used during a job command to submit the specified medium for processing. Each queue can be associated with up to ten different media types. ¹⁵

For example on your system you have two TU78's and one TA90 attached to a HSC70. All your 9 track reel tapes are cataloged into the system with a TYPE word of REELTAPE and the TA90 cartridges are cataloged with a TYPE word of CARTRIDGE. You want all the CARTRIDGE media to execute one at a time in a queue called SYS$CARTRIDGE and all REELTAPE media to execute two at a time. ¹⁶

in a queue called SYS$TAPE. To do so you enter the following commands:

MEDIAS> SET QUEUE0 == "SYS$TAPE,REELTAPE" MEDIAS> SET QUEUE1 == "SYS$CARTRIDGE,CARTRIDGE"

Once the job has been entered into the queue all the standard VMS operator function can be performed. These include changing the queue priority, changing the job priority, holding jobs, canceling jobs, moving a job between queues, stoping the queue, starting the queue, and other similar functions.

3.3.2.2.4 User action controls

Several parameters exist to allow or disallow certain functions to an ordinary user. Certain facilities you may not want to make available at your site. The various parameters are listed in the following Table.

The BATCH parameter allows the use of device commands¹⁷ in batch when set to 1 (yes) by an ordinary user. Setting BATCH to 0 (no) disables the job commands and all batch job commands. This is useful if no operator is available to respond to batch requests and you want to suppress the batch commands. To change this setting enter:

Parameter format	Default	Description
BATCH=0 (no) or 1 (yes)	1	specifies whether any device command can be executed in batch. 0 (no) disables all batch job commands.
INCORE=0 or 1	1	determines whether the INCORE temporary medium definition can be used.
INTERACTIVE=0 or 1	1	specifies whether a device command can be executed interactively.
USER_ADD=0 or 1	1	specifies whether users other than managers and operators can use the ADD command to catalog their own media into the database.

MEDIAS> SET BATCH == 0

The INTERACTIVE parameter is the equivalent of the BATCH parameter for interactive users. It determines whether a device command can be executed interactively. When set to 0 (no) this forces users to create batch jobs.¹⁸ Preferably this is done through the use of MEDIA job commands.Users with the OPERATOR privilege can use the device commands interactively regardless of this setting. The parameter, as installed, is set to allow interactive use. You can change this setting by entering:

MEDIAS> SET INTERACTIVE == 0

The MEDIA system allows each user to create a temporary catalog entry that is resident in his process space rather than in the MEDIA database. This entry behaves exactly the same as a permanently cataloged entry. This can be very useful for handling medium that are brought in for use once and then shipped out. The INCORE parameter allows users to create and use this facility. To disallow this feature you enter:

MEDIAS> SET INCORE == 0

The USER_ADD parameter specifies whether users other than managers and OPERATOR can use the ADD command to catalog their own media permanently into the library. Each medium cataloged into the library is identified as either user-added or operator-added. Media can only be removed or renamed by a user of equal or higher access level. If a user has added a medium, it can be removed or renamed by that user or by an OPERATOR or MANAGER. To disable this feature you enter:

MEDIAS> SET USER_ADD == 0

MEDIA will insist on unique names. ¹⁹ However, you will need to insist on a sensible naming convention which does not interfere with the main library numbering system if you enable this feature.