At 12:26 PM 5/8/2001 -0400, Lindsay Morris wrote:

TSM can collocate (i.e, keep on the same tape) all files for one node, or
not.  If you tell it NOT to, then a FULL restore can be slow - but full
restores are the exception rather than the rule. A single-file restore will
still be fast.

Not collocating files is good because it lets several nodes share one tape
volume - better use of your storage than havin a bunch of tapes all 10% full
(because the client only uses 7GB and the tape holds 70GB).

Collocating files is good because restores are fast - only one (or few)
volume mounts.

I usually advise collocation on business-critical servers, non-collocation
on desktops and such.

This is quite true, but you can have the best of both worlds if the
tapepool for desktops is defined as collocated and with a MAXSCR defined as
less than the number of expected clients.  It requires careful watching as
the system is populated, but when you reach an equilibrium point, the worst
you can expect is for the client to be spread over a few, in our case 1-3,
cartridges.  That makes a difference if you have some users, as I do, who
"feel more comfortable" if they restore the whole folder for the sake of a
single file.