EPIC/MVS

The EPIC/MVS architecture centered around automating tape management within z/OS environments. Key components included the Tape Volume Management module, responsible for tracking and managing tape volumes; the Dataset Tracking module, which maintained metadata about datasets stored on tapes; and the Reporting module, which generated reports on tape usage and system performance. These components communicated through z/OS system calls and internal interfaces.

The system relied on VSAM datasets to store metadata about tape volumes, datasets, and storage locations. Administration was performed via a command-line interface (CLI), with configuration files defining storage policies, tape volume attributes, and user access rights. Security was integrated with z/OS security mechanisms, including RACF, and employed access control lists (ACLs) to manage user permissions.

Given its unsupported status, organizations should migrate to modern solutions with more flexible architectures, such as those leveraging distributed systems and modern database technologies. Competing products like IBM Tape Management Solutions offer more advanced architectural designs.