As long as you provide for protection against disk failures in your primary pool, this is fine. You'll still need tape for copy pools, since they have to be sequential devices and you want offsite copies in any case, right? The premise behind migration from disk to tape is that tape is cheaper than disk, and that ain't necessarily so anymore.
_____________________________ William Mansfield Senior Consultant Solution Technology, Inc Salak Juraj <j.salak@ASAME To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] R.AT> cc: Sent by: Subject: Re: TSM, extending backup storage "ADSM: Dist Stor Manager" <[EMAIL PROTECTED] IST.EDU> 01/11/2002 06:35 AM Please respond to "ADSM: Dist Stor Manager" Hallo, not even as strange idea as you think. In fact, this configuration is recommended for backing-up directories since years, so this is only an uncommon idea expansion. I am just going to implement this for file server backup, but not for database backups. Given the high price tag for library slots and unfriendly price for TSM library licenseces (you do can start with library cheaper than corresponding tsm library license!!) as in contrast to falling prices for raid subsystems I find this scenario to be only naturall. I still will setup backup storage pool on tapes, but not in library, only on 2 single tape drives. No collocation, so I only hope for 1-2 tape mounts per week, plus daily tsm-database backups. Tape library will be only used for databases and some special data, like picture library from our PR department, so I can keep the library small an relatively cheap. Do calculate with correct Raid costs, inkluding your laboring, expensive housing and cabling, external support contracts. Do think about practicability of large raid sets - how long will it take to rebild a large raid, how long to format or fsck/chkdsk it. No known limits about size of diskpools - you can use many diskpool files to create one large diskpool. In one point I am not with you : of raid is by far not as simple as expansion of tape pool - in tape pool you simply define additional tapes. Well, you can end with too many tape checkouts, but you will have the space. You forgot one advantage: 100% usage of storage space (correlates to "no reclamation") Add tape pool with manual tape library (library in TSM sense, no necessary a real tape robotic system) and you will have both overflow space if your disk pool should grow too quickly and system for tsm database backup and system for backup of your primary backup. best regards juraj salak -----Original Message----- From: Rooij, FC de [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]] Sent: Friday, January 11, 2002 8:05 AM To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: TSM, extending backup storage Question: I think about a huge diskpool without migration to tape. Is there a limitation on the size of the diskpools? If not, are there things I have not thought about? The backup-service is separated from the original data by a dedicated building located 1 Km away from the original! I think we have a lot of benefits: * quicker restores * no waiting for the availability of tapeunits * less administrative overhead * migration from disk --> tape * no reclamation * less processor use * the admininistrative window will decrease, so the backup window can increase * no ATL * No tape-units * Easy exctending of storage capacity * ...........? I am aware this is a strange idea, but why not? with regards, Fred de Rooij Corus Information Services - Enterprise Services % +31 (0) 251 492215 - Fax : +31 (0) 251 471153 Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED]