Sounds like you mean using an ADSM server on the IBM mainframe.

You should be aware you have a choice - you can put the ADSM server on
the mainframe, or on one of your AIX servers, or on one of your NT
servers!  ADSM functions and is administered the same way on all
platforms.

We back up about 12 NT servers and 12 AIX servers on a 16 MB token-ring
network.  Altogether the servers have about 500 GB of disk.  We are
starting to implement desktop backups, and expect to have about 400
clients before we're done.  Doing backups has never cause us any kind of
token-ring bottlenecks, even for very large file systems.    The initial
backup of a large server takes a long time, but incremental backups
don't usually send all that much data.

"Availability" depends on your network configuration.  We get really
spiffy restore performance from a 9710 automated tape library attached
to the AIX server.  In your case, your biggest issue would probably be
the gateway to the mainframe - how fast is it, and do you have an
alternate path.  If either is a problem for you, it may be better to use
an ADSM server somewhere on the LAN.  Could also be cheaper to put it on
the network, depending.  You will need a significant amount of disk
space for the ADSM data base and storage pools.

ADSM does support backup of the Win95 and WinNT registry.  I have done
successful restores on both.

When backing up open files, you have a choice - you can tell ADSM to do
a "fuzzy" backup, and back up open files, or to skip open files.  If
Windows has a file locked for exclusive use, though, ADSM can't read it
to back it up.

Anyway, I think you should base your evaluation on the functionality and
history of the product, not on whether it is mainframe-based or
Lan-based.  You can set up ADSM either way.

(I personally have no experience with Arcserv.)

 =======================================================================
Wanda Prather
Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Lab
301-953-6000 X8769
wanda_prather AT jhuapl DOT edu

"Intelligence has much less practical application than you'd think."
              - Scott Adams/Dilbert
 =======================================================================





> ----------
> From:         Ken Hollomon[SMTP:khollomon AT AMERHONDA DOT COM]
> Sent:         Monday, June 16, 1997 6:32 PM
> To:   ADSM-L AT VM.MARIST DOT EDU
> Subject:      Re: ADSM on NT
>
> We are currently installing NT boxes for Sybase servers,,, We have IBM
> mainframes as well as AIX... The IBM folks would like us to use the
> ADSM
> product to backup our servers but we are leary. Most of us come from
> the
> LAN environment and are concerned about backing up servers across our
> Token
> Ring (16) and the availability of the backed up data when we have a
> problem. All the NT vendors are recommending LAN based software (ie
> ArcServe) and caution us that the ADSM product will not fully backup
> open
> files, and the registry...  I Was hoping that someone had some
> experience
> in this arena and could give us a headstart on evaluating these
> options.
>
> As far as the server /Client question - Were not sure ...  That
> depends on
> the response time and controls we will have in the envronment.
>
> By the way, All the servers are Compaq 5000 with - 4 200Mhz processors
> and
> 256MB RAM and 40GB DASD and four TR cards.
>
> Thanks in advance for the responses..,
>
> Ken
> -------------
> Original Text
> From dan thompson <thompsod AT USAA DOT COM>, on 6/15/97 9:30 PM:
> Ken,
>
>  Quite a few of us use ADSM on NT.  Are you interested in NT as ADSM
> clients or as a ADSM Server?
>
> Dan T.
>
> ----------
> > From: Ken Hollomon <khollomon AT AMERHONDA DOT COM>
> > To: ADSM-L AT VM.MARIST DOT EDU
> > Subject: ADSM on NT
> > Date: Friday, June 13, 1997 4:57 PM
> >
> > Hello, I'm new on this L.
> >
> > I was wondering if there is anyone on this list using ADSM on NT. I
> am
> > looking for issues  and recommendations.
> >
> >
> > Thanks in advance for your help,
> >
> > Ken Hollomon
> > American Honda
>