Using the MAS with ASCII Data/Labels

ASCII Data

In general, the Mainframe Appliance for Storage will handle ASCII data exactly as it handles any other EBCDIC data or binary data: the MAS never translates any data that passes through it in either direction. Data written by the mainframe is stored unchanged in the virtual tape file, and returned to the mainframe in exactly the same way. Binary or text, EBCDIC or ASCII — it's all the same to the MAS. It is up to the Host software to write and read the data in the desired format.

ANSI (ASCII) Labels

Starting with release 3.00 the MAS recognizes and supports ANSI labels to the same extent as IBM Standard (EBCDIC) labels. MAS Releases prior to 3.00 did not recognize ANSI labeled tapes as such, so the following section applies to MAS Release 2.xx only.

When tape volumes are written with ANSI labels to a Release 2.xx MAS, there may be a few operational differences compared to the usage of IBM standard (EBCDIC) labels. MAS Release 2.xx does not recognize ANSI labels as labels, but instead assumes they are simply data. Therefore:

1. If ANSI labels are written to a previously unlabeled volume, the MAS will not detect that the volume is now ANSI labeled. This will not cause any operational problem, but MAS messages will reflect that the volume is unlabeled.


2. If ANSI labels are written to a volume previously containing IBM standard labels, the MAS will determine that a labeled volume is being changed to an unlabeled volume. This will not cause any operational problem, but MAS messages will reflect that the volume is unlabeled.


3. When the MAS mounts a volume previously written with ANSI labels, it does not recognize that the volume is a labeled volume. This will not cause any operational problem, but MAS messages will reflect that the volume is unlabeled.


4. When ANSI labels are written, the MAS will not check that the volume serial number being written in the VOL1 label matches the volume serial number of the volume currently mounted. For example, if volume XXXXXX is mounted and the host writes an ANSI VOL1 label with a new volser of ZZZZZZ, the virtual tape file is not renamed from XXXXXX to ZZZZZZ as it would be if an IBM standard VOL1 label were being written.


5. The MAS itself never initializes new volumes with ANSI labels. The standard Load Display Mount message for an ANSI labeled tape ('MvolserA') is interpreted by the MAS as a request for an IBM standard labeled tape. The MAS initializes and makes the new volume ready as an IBM standard labeled tape. The Host will most likely object to the IBM labeled tape, and operator intervention on the Host may be required to make it accept the volume. If the Host then writes ANSI labels, issue #2 above will apply.


6. When the MAS receives requests from the mainframe to scratch (or unscratch or erase) virtual tape volumes, it verifies that the volser in the volume's VOL1 label matches the volser specified by the Host. Because the MAS doesn't recognize ANSI labels as labels, the request to scratch (or unscratch or erase) an ANSI labeled virtual tape volume will always fail. An ANSI labeled tape volume must always be scratched, unscratched, or erased manually on the MAS.


7. The MAS AWS Utility programs (awsdir, awsprint, etc.) do not recognize ANSI labels as labels. The utilities will recognize ANSI labeled volumes as multi-file unlabeled volumes.