TSM will select a tape with status "FILLING" that has enough capacity for
the object or aggregate that is being backed up.  It will not use a new
scratch tape unless there are no FILLING tapes to use.  I have no idea what
algorithm it uses to choose a tape if there are several candidates.  But it
sounds like you may have a bunch of FILLING tapes that have enough space
for only one or a few objects....

Robin Sharpe



                    "Brazner,
                    Bob"
                    <Bob.Brazner@ To:    ADSM-L AT VM.MARIST DOT EDU
                    JCI.COM>      cc:    (bcc: Robin Sharpe/WA/USR/SHG)
                                  Subject:
                    05/31/01             Excessive tape mounts for backup
                    02:50 PM
                    Please
                    respond to
                    "ADSM: Dist
                    Stor Manager"







We recently converted a client to backup direct to tape.  In the client
log, I'm seeing excessive "waiting for mount of offline media" messages.
Normally, I would expect to such a message after a complete tape's worth of
data had been transmitted, but I'm seeing the messages repeatedly come out
after as little as 100MB have been transferred.  TSM server is 4.1 (AIX)
and client is 3.7 (NT).  Storage pool is not collocated.  Tape is 3590E in
3494 ATL.

Bob Brazner
Johnson Controls, Inc.
(414) 524-2570