Hi Everyone:

I have the opportunity to get an EMC Clarion Disk Library for a very, very
low price and was wondering if anyone out there has any experience, pro or
con with this system. Here are my thoughts.

1. Since it's emulating tape drives, and I can't multiplex multiple
sessions to a single tape drive with TSM, using this as the primary backup
destination might be a major pain. I'd have to create as many virtual tape
drives as I run concurrent backup/archive sessions... right? I can't
imagine having a couple hundred drive and path specifications. What a
nightmare.

2. I think I can get around the previous problem by fronting this device
with a diskpool big enough for one night's backup, then using the CDL as
the "next" and migrating it off. Then, I could copy those nightly files to
tape for offsite vaulting. (I guess I could do it in the opposite order
too...).

3. It seems like an easy way to get a large primary disk pool without
having to go through the work of optimizing the file size, RAID groups,
LUNS, filesystem v.s. no filesystem, devtype of file or disk etc.... The
EMC sales folks say "Hey, just plug it in!!!" But, you know the old adage,
"If it seems to good to be true, it probably is."

4. It might be nice as to use for my NDMP backups of our NetApp filers.
Now, I don't have to assign physical tape drives to the backup, just
create another virtual or two and it's off and running.

Do any of you have any experience with this product, or others like it
with TSM? If so, what are your thoughts?

Curtis Stewart