Exploiting SMS management class attributes

You can exploit the SMS management class attributes for both system-managed and non-system-managed volumes. For non-system-managed volumes, you must set the EDGRMMxx parmlib option SMSACS(YES).

The EDGRMMxx parmlib option operand MCATTR enables the use of SMS management class attributes that are relevant for tape management by DFSMSrmm. These attributes are the ‘Expire after Date/Days’ and ‘Expire after Days Non-usage’ management class expiration attributes, but not the 'Retention Limit' attribute.

Depending on your MCATTR setup, the management class attributes are:

Not used at all, if you specify MCATTR(NONE).
All used as appropriate, if you specify MCATTR(ALL).
All used as appropriate, except that the ‘Expire after Date/Days’ is ignored if the dataset is on a volume managed by the VRSEL retention method, if you specify MCATTR(VRSELXDI). This option is recommended if you want that the processing of volumes managed by the VRSEL retention method will not change starting from release V2R1.

The management class attributes are retrieved by DFSMSrmm during OPEN for output for a new data set. ‘Expire after Date/Days’ is used to set the expiration date for the tape data set, depending on the MCATTR setting and the retention method of the volume the data set resides on. ‘Expire after Days Non-Usage’ is used to set the LASTREF extra days in the tape data set record on volumes managed by the EXPDT retention method. This is a one-time action, thus avoiding any overhead of repeating the policy decisions as part of inventory management. At OPEN for input or at OPEN for output with disposition MOD for an existing data set, the management class attributes are not considered for processing.

Regardless of whether the management class attributes are used or not for a tape data set, the management class name is recorded in the data set record and, if the volume is managed by the VRSEL retention method, it is used for VRS matching during VRSEL processing. You can change the management class name with a TSO RMM CV MANAGEMENTCLASS command, but this will not cause the exploitation of the management class attributes.

The following policy will assign the management class EX2015 to all data sets with the high level qualifier DS1:

 PROC &MGMTCLAS

/***************************************************/
/* RMM POLICY FILTER LISTS                         */
/***************************************************/
  FILTLIST TAPEUNITS INCLUDE(TAPE*,T3420*,A3480*,A3490*,
                             *TAPE,'3420','3480','3490E')

/***************************************************/
/* SELECT VALID MANAGEMENT CLASS
/***************************************************/

  SELECT
    WHEN (&HLQ EQ 'DS1')
      SET &MGMTCLAS = 'EX2015'
    OTHERWISE
      SET &MGMTCLAS = ''
  END

  WRITE 'ACS ROUTINE - MGMTCLAS ASSIGNED: ' &MGMTCLAS

 END

You need to define a management class with the expiration attributes that you want to assign to your tape data sets. For example, you can define a management class that will set the expiration date of the data set to 2015/12/31, and the LASTREF extra days of the data set to 20. Expiration attributes are retrieved only once when the data set is created. The values are bound to the DFSMSrmm data set record.

                           MANAGEMENT CLASS DISPLAY                Page 1 of 6
Command ===>

CDS Name  . . . . . . . : SYS1.SMS.SCDS
Management Class Name . : EX2015

Description  : Keep until end of 2015 or as long as referenced



Expiration Attributes

  Expire after Days Non-usage  . : 20
  Expire after Date/Days . . . . : 2015/12/31
  Retention Limit  . . . . . . . : NOLIMIT





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If 'Expire after Date/Days' and 'Expire after days Non-usage' are both NOLIMIT then the expiration date of the DFSMSrmm data set record is set to PERMANENT.

If 'Expire after Date/Days' is NOLIMIT and 'Expire after days Non-usage' is set then the expiration date of the DFSMSrmm data set record is set from the value from the default PARMLIB option RETPD.

If 'Expire after days Non-usage' is NOLIMIT then the LASTREF extra days of the DFSMSrmm data set record is set from the default PARMLIB option RETENTIONMETHOD(EXPDT(LASTREF(extra_days))).