While I cannot speak to HP hardware guidelines, because I am an IBM RS/6000 Admin. However, here are some general thoughts to keep in mind when picking a TSM Server.
IMHO, in order of importance:
1) Evaluate your Environment -- The TSM server runs on lots of boxes, but you need to weigh the risks/benefits of putting a TSM server on any given box. These are many factors to consider. These include I/O volume, growth, and expandability. So, ask your self, beyond the simple will it run: yes or no. What kind of other factors am I going to face 3 monthes or a year from know and will this box still be the right choice.
2) TSM is quite I/O intensive -- You want to pick a hardware platform which is capable of moving lots of I/O's at a decent rate. Otherwise, you could be waiting a LONG time for some operations to complete.
3) Expansion slots/Expandability --- TSM is one of those platforms which become a central infrastructure item in a corporation. This usaully means you will get more requests to put more clients on it ( it may turn out to be more than you could of possiblty imagined (usaully due to pent up demand)). If your limited in your expansion/expandability your going to do lots of migraton practice ( or DR simulations) to get to a suitable sized server.
4) Plenty of Memory & Disk --- As you know a TSM server needs lots of memory for buffering network traffic, and handling diskpool traffic. Make sure your choosen server is capable of having and processing lots of these resources. Obviousily, this ties in with the items above, but it is a differant aspect to them. This is another place where CPU speed will impact your performance.
Lastly, I have a bit of advise. Plan for the worst and hope for the best.
