Actually, our issues had nothing to do with old backup methodology.  Cost of
open storage was a concern but we would have probably been OK with that.
The real issue is if a 3590K tape is dropped, the chances of it being
readable are bordering on slim and none, same is true for LTO and 9840.  The
Vault people are never going to admit they dropped a tape.  These people get
paid $6/hr and need the job.  So, it gets into physical protection of the
media and the ability to rely on its readability which is ultimately a data
integrity issue.  Data integrity is the reason we do this.

Paul D. Seay, Jr.
Technical Specialist
Naptheon Inc.
757-688-8180


-----Original Message-----
From: Mark Stapleton [mailto:stapleto AT BERBEE DOT COM]
Sent: Wednesday, October 23, 2002 8:28 AM
To: ADSM-L AT VM.MARIST DOT EDU
Subject: Re: Offsite Vaulting with Locked Canisters


From: ADSM: Dist Stor Manager [mailto:ADSM-L AT VM.MARIST DOT EDU]On Behalf Of
Seay, Paul
> Think for a second, if reclaimation supported a days option versus the
> current percent utilized option.  If that was the case you could set
> that number of days about 7 days less than when the closed boxes are
> to return and achieve the goal.
>
> Well, I have written the code to do just that via the MOVE DATA vvvvvv
> RECONSTRUCT=YES based on the change date in the drmedia table. We have
> been doing this for about 9 months now, very successfully.
>
> I still use DRM for its management functionality, but I would not
> require it to achieve the goal.

The point I was making (perhaps not too successfully) is that all attempts
to perform cannister-based "batch" offsiting are just trying to make TSM
mimic the behavior of <ahem> lesser backup systems. Backup Exec, Arcserve,
and Netbackup all work on the "batch of tapes" system of offsiting.

Granted, TSM's method of offsiting is based on manipulation of individual
tape volumes, which can be laborious when handling large numbers of tapes.
That's the way TSM works out of the box, and I for one don't see much reason
to go into elaborate scripting efforts and large-scale MOVE DATA and MOVE
NODEDATA gymnastics to get to a goal that TSM handles quite nicely all by
itself. As I've stated in the ADSM-L FAQ, you're not using your old backup
software anymore.

--
Mark Stapleton (stapleton AT berbee DOT com)
Certified TSM consultant
Certified AIX system engineer
MCSE