Yes Lucian, that is right.

Once a full backup of the database is taken the concept is it should be
removed from the library, and hopefully sent offsite with your offsite copy
pool, and other information (like the plan file if you use TSM DRM).

Yes, it does seem wasteful, such a 'big tape' and so little data, but in the
grand scheme of things it is not real bad.  I wish that DRM data was stored
on the tape too, but such is not the case (I make a floppy with plan file
data that goes offsite with the dbbackup tape as a set daily).  Once the DB
backup tape expires, it will be a scratch tape, so it does come back!  In
general, just plan on having the number of TSM database backup tapes as you
have work days in your offsite rotation for the database.

Also, set your reuse time for your offsite copy pool to the same number of
days you have in your database rotation.  That way tapes you need for
restoring ANY of the days you have data for offsite will be available if
needed.  If you don't (by setting your reuse delay to zero or very short)
you will have tapes turn back to scratches faster, but the data will not be
on the tapes if you need to restore from a prior date.

-----Original Message-----
From: Lucian Greis [mailto:lgreis AT MKV DOT DE]
Sent: Wednesday, September 15, 2004 8:14 AM
To: ADSM-L AT VM.MARIST DOT EDU
Subject: each dbbackup to new tape?

Hi list,

I'm rather green with TSM, actually working through my first
client-project with it and have come to a (small for sure) problem
System: TSM 5.2 on SuSe SLES8, feeding an Adic Scalar24 with one IBM-LTO2.
Basically, the system works.
Whenever I command a dbBackup, wether full or incremetal, TSM wants to
write to a scratch tape only. If i give the volser of a tape used for an
earlier dbbackup explicitly, TSM says the tape is full (which it is not).
Can someone point me to the right direction?

Regards, Lucian Greis
MKV GmbH