Good points - we could probably do an Abbot and Costello on this topic :-)

Your first paragraph outlines a scenario I have been advocating in my company
put a server in a remote office, with sufficient robotics to handle it.
Using constraints from V2, it could be managed centrally (via the existing
network - admin functions are a nit on bandwidth).  You could even set up a
copypool as well for DR issues.  All a local person would need to know would
be how to identify and remove the tapes for offsite, and replace them with
new ones - certainly not difficult skills to manage.

V3, with the server communications feature, would allow one to bring DR files
back to the central site, if the bandwidth allows.

And don't overlook Kelly's comments about "If you can recreate it, why back
it up?"  The obvious ones are things like browser cache, etc. - who really
needs this stuff - it's next to worthless. Many applications have extract
files from DBs - some done daily.   The important thing would be to backup
the data, then rerun the extract....

Jerry Lawson
jlawson AT thehartford DOT com


______________________________ Forward Header __________________________________
Subject: Re: ADSM with remote sites
Author:  INTERNET.OWNERAD at SNADGATE
Date:    11/4/97 11:39 AM


I'll chime in as well and echo Jerry's comments about the network.

Theoretically, you could "export" a clients data to tape and then import it
to another server, but as an everyday thing, I probably wouldn't do it.
 You could also put small robots at your remote sites to eliminate the need
for an onsite daily tape manipulation person.  This doesn't address the
disaster recovery scenario particularly well, though.  This approach would
allow you to "manage" the remote sites centrally using the admin clients
over the network.

Finally, does the rapidly changing data at the remote sites really need
backup?  What kind of data is it?  Can it be easily recreated?  This is the
basic principle I'm exploring here: if data doesn't require restoration, it
doesn't require backup.  Back up less, need less network!

Finally, if the data is really that important and local backup won't work,
then upgrade your network links.  Remember, all computing problems in the
world that can be solved with enough money.  What's it worth to you?

A point about ADSM V3 operation: the movement of data from one server to
another is really an archive of the first server's data on the second
server.  The good news is you can do this "archive" during off hours and
then only archive really important data to the second server.  But, as
Jerry mentioned, the restore of this data to the original client may be too
slow to meet business needs.

Bottom Line?  Get creative.

 Kelly