A coupla comments...

Have you checked the performance of monthly backupsets using v5???  (There
are supposed to be some performance improvements in there, somewhere.)

You mention that monthly archive is "driven by the server..., so less
fiddling at the client" -- how is that so?  Aren't you just going to script
the thing to choose the "monthly" or "yearly" -archmc?!?

Also, to relieve the TSM-db consumption, have you considered either of (a)
export the node (then later reincarnate the node) or (b) use a separate TSM
server, and start a new db once each year?  Using export node, you could be
using "incremental" for the monthly/yearly -- as a "poor man's" archive of
the yearly data that requires indefinite storage;  Re-starting the TSM-db
once every 2-5 years, to "reclaim" db space used by the annual snapshot is
another alternative.

Don France
Technical Architect -- Tivoli Certified Consultant
Tivoli Storage Manager, WinNT/2K, AIX/Unix, OS/390
San Jose, Ca
(408) 257-3037
mailto:don_france AT att DOT net

Professional Association of Contract Employees
(P.A.C.E. -- www.pacepros.com)