identifyvol

Purpose

Use the identifyvol command to load the specified volumes into a tape drive, read their volume labels, and return the volumes to their original storage elements.

This command is useful if an inventory command displays an invalid volume state such as occupied, or if you have a valid tape but do not know its contents. If a tape is not new or unlabeled, then you can use identifyvol to populate the inventory with the volume contents.

Prerequisites

You must have the right to manage devices and change device state to use the identifyvol command.

Syntax

identifyvol::=

ident•ifyvol [ --drive/-D drivename ] [ --import/-i ] 
[ --obtaropt/-o obtar-option ]... [ se-range ]

Semantics

--drive/-D drivename

Specifies the name of the tape drive to be used for identifying the volumes. If you do not specify a tape drive name, then the drive variable must be set.

--import/-i

Reads each backup image label on the specified volumes. By default identifyvol only reads the first label on the volume. You can specify this option to update the volumes catalog in an administrative domain with information about tapes generated in other domains.

identifyvol --import does not catalog the contents of the backup images on the volume. Example 4-27, "Cataloging a File System Backup Image" shows how to catalog the contents of a backup image with obtar.

--obtaropt/-o obtar-option ...

Specifies obtar options that are passed to obtar when the volumes are read. For example -J enables debug mode and provides more details in backup and restore transcripts. See "obtar Options" for details on obtar options.

Note:

obtool --import translates internally to obtar --zz. Thus, if you specify the --import option, then you cannot also use --obtaropt to specify options used in the obtar -c, -x, or -t modes.

se-range

Specifies a range of storage elements containing the volumes to be identified. If se-range is omitted, then the volume currently loaded in the specified drive is identified. Refer to "se-range" for a description of the se-range placeholder.

Example

Example 2-38 loads the volumes in storage elements 1 and 3 into drive tape1 and identifies them.

ob> lsvol --library lib1
Inventory of library lib1:
    in    1:             occupied
    in    3:             occupied
ob> identifyvol --drive tape1 1,3