>My view on the slow restore problem is that it is down to the tape
>technology.  ...

Mark - Thanks for that corroboration.  Too many customers implement technology
       on the basis of popularity, without critical consideration of what it
really does, what its weaknesses are, or how well its capabilities meet site
needs.  As you observe, DLTs are inferior performers to Magstar technology in
real-world applications.  Some tape technology is just plain inefficient at
random positioning, taking considerable time to settle at a given location.
That is, while they are sold on the basis of their "streaming" (continuous
reading/writing) speed, the "start-stop" demands of real-world applications
like TSM makes them a liability in some environments.  (See the postings of
various customers in the List archives regarding their experience with this
factor.)
    When the non-TSM people in customer shops stick their tongue out at TSM
and cite the wonderful performance of some other backup/restore product,
they are of course just pointing out what it can do under certain limited
conditions.  In making a point, they certainly aren't addressing all the
things that other product *can't* do, but that TSM can.  If you want TSM to
perform fast - but inflexible - restorals, then do only full, or image,
backups.  You'll drive your tape in streaming mode and get optimum throughput.
TSM provides many choices and opportunities.  You can configure it to operate
in any number of ways.  It's all in the manuals and redbooks.  It's all a
matter of choice of technologies and configurations.
    One thing any storage administrator should do is perform periodic tests
of backups and restores.  I think what we're seeing in some postings is
administrators backed into a corner when finally confronted with a
production file system restoral.  Remember that configuration is not a
one-time thing: you need to periodically take stock and make adjustments
as necessary.  Don't let the stuff under your control catch you off-guard:
ride herd on it and really know what's going on and what can happen.  If
nothing else, you'll have a lot more real confidence.

   Richard Sims, BU