Understand how a tape device file works.
A tape device file allows access to data files on tape media. The device file contains a description of the format of the data, and a list of attributes that describe how the server should process the tape data file.
It is not necessary to have a separate device file for each tape device. Your application program can use a single device file for several different tape devices through the use of an Override Tape File (OVRTAPF) command. You can associate any number of device files with one device.
You can use the following tape device files that are shipped with the operating system:
These files are all program-described as data files in library QGPL. The record format names are the same as the file names. The files contain default values for most parameters.
You can create additional tape device files to fit your needs. For example, you can create an additional tape device file to contain the specific volume and label information for a tape data file that several programs can use.