TSM server 5.3.1 on 2K server. Libraries are one Overland Neo 4100 with 2
LTO2 drives, and an Overland Neo 4100 with 2 LTO3 drives.

I'm restoring a windows client workspace. Client is running TSM backup
client version 5.3.0. Originally, the client was 5.1.9.0, and it was with
this version that we first created the backup of the workspace drive on
the client.

Now I'm trying to restore that workspace filespace to the new system. The
restore started fine, 30MB+/sec in our GigE network. But at times the
restore speed slows to a halt, and restore speeds are less than 1MB/sec,
sometimes only 200-300K/sec. Then a little later it will start to go
30MB/sec again. It is switching back and forth, sometimes in the middle of
a file! The server is currently trying to restore an 86MB file, but it's
doing so only at 300K/sec. Being that the workspace is 244GB, this is
unacceptable speed.

The client data is on the LTO2 library. There is absolutely nothing
unusal in the logs that would indicate any kind of problem on the drive or
the tape. No errors are being reported whatsoever.

The client filespace is NOT compressed on the client side. Compression
happens on the drives (HP).

The client hardware is excellent, dual AMD opteron, with 3G SATA drives in
striped RAID, XP Pro. Plus the client at times restores at 30+MB/sec so I
know it can do it.

Network on the client is not busy, and the network switch is not
saturated, in fact there is very little network activity.

It just seems like the server decides to go fast at times and then
sometimes very slow. But with nothing in the logs I don't know what to
troubleshoot. Any idea where to start troubleshooting this problem? Anyone
seen this type of behavior before?

Thanks!

Alex