The Clear  Tape command clears  the information  about the tape  labels
on  a specified  device.  This  allows new  data to  be written  to the
tape.   CLRTAP  can be used  for any purpose,  but can  be helpful when
using DUPTAP which does not  have a CLEAR parameter.  An  option exists
on  CLRTAP to  prompt  INZTAP using  the  current values  found on  the
tape.

A typical command would be:

         CLRTAP    DEV(TAP01)

CLRTAP assumes that the tape has already been initialized.

Unlike  INZTAP, the command  is simpler  to use and  retains the Volume
ID, the owner ID, and the existing density.

No inquiry  message  occurs if  active files  are  found on  the  tape.
They are just cleared without any warning.

The command  is slower  than INZTAP  as it  must determine the  current
Volume ID, Owner, and density.

As  with most  tape functions,  the previous files  still exist  on the
tape (they are not  erased), but the use  of tape marks prevents  their
access.  A CLEAR option exists to clear the remainder of the tape.

If  the tape  is already  clear  (no data  files  exist), a  completion
message is sent.

Command parameters                                    *CMD
------------------

   DEV           The device where the tape is mounted.

   VOL           The  tape  volume to  be  cleared.    *MOUNTED is  the
                 default  to mean the  volume that is  currently on the
                 device.

                 A specific volume ID may be entered.

                 If the  device specified  is a  media library  device,
                 then  the volume  specified  should  be the  cartridge
                 identifier to be mounted and used.

   ENDOPT        Whether  to   rewind  the  tape  at  the  end  of  the
                 command.  The  default is *REWIND.   *UNLOAD may  also
                 be specified.

   CLEAR         A *YES/*NO option  for whether to clear  the remainder
                 of  the tape.   See the  INZTAP CLEAR parameter  for a
                 full explanation.

                 *NO is  the  default.    This  retains  whatever  data
                 exists on  the tape  after the  new label is  written.
                 The  operating system  prevents access  of  this data.
                 New   data  will  be  written  over  the  top  of  any
                 existing data.

                 *YES may be  specified to clear  the remainder of  the
                 tape of  any data.   Note that this causes  the entire
                 tape to be written which can take a long time.

   PROMPT        A  *YES/*NO parameter  for whether  to prompt  for the
                 INZTAP command with  the current values.   *NO is  the
                 default.

                 *YES may be  specified to cause the  prompt for INZTAP
                 with the current values.

   INQMSG        A  *YES/*NO parameter  for whether an  inquiry message
                 should be sent  to the device's  message queue if  the
                 CPF6760  message  (tape   not  ready)  occurs.     The
                 typical  cause is that  no tape  has been loaded.   If
                 CPF6760  occurs, the  system does not  send an inquiry
                 message  to  the  device's  message  queue  (only  the
                 escape message occurs).

                 *NO  is the  default.   CPF6760 is  sent as  an escape
                 message.

                 *YES  may be specified  to send an  inquiry message to
                 the device's message queue and  wait for a C =  Cancel
                 or R = Retry response.

Restrictions
------------

None.

Prerequisites
-------------

The following TAA Tools must be on your system:

     RTVTAPID     Retrieve tape ID
     SNDCOMPMSG   Send completion message
     SNDESCMSG    Send escape message

Implementation
--------------

None, the tool is ready to use.

Objects used by the tool
------------------------

   Object        Type    Attribute      Src member    Src file
   ------        ----    ---------      ----------    ----------

   CLRTAP        *CMD                   TAATAPI       QATTCMD
   TAATAPIC      *PGM       CLP         TAATAPIC      QATTCL