Re: Sizing an AIX platform and tape libraries




we are currently on S70's and 3590-B1A's and backup (across various tsm
servers) between 500 GB and 1.7 TB of "client compressed data" so that is
between 1.5 & 5 TB of client filespace nightly per S70 (6 major ones...)

If you use client compression you will find that the network is still the
bottleneck

Yes, gige...  across gige we have a sun E10K that can compress down the
data and peak at 113 GB/hr (which is actually close to 400 GB/hr of Unix
filespace data)  other environments max out at the 42 GB/hr max speed of
100 Mb/sec fast ethernet.

So knowing most AIX processors currently put S70's to shame... anything up
from an S70 ~should~ allow you to repeat the results we see here (if your
clients have enough processing power to compress the data before sending it
to the tsm server.

so here is what our last night looked like inbound data looked like  (as an
example)

03/23/2004 tsmsrv01   182,430,094 KB
03/23/2004 tsmsrv02   612,718,479 KB
03/23/2004 tsmsrv03 1,072,674,715 KB
03/23/2004 tsmsrv04 1,016,064,283 KB
03/23/2004 tsmsrv05   622,438,869 KB
03/23/2004 tsmsrv06    39,525,914 KB
03/23/2004 tsmsrv07   322,535,499 KB

Dwight E. Cook
Systems Management Integration Professional, Advanced
Integrated Storage Management
TSM Administration
(918) 925-8045




                      "Nancy R.
                      Brizuela"                To:       ADSM-L AT VM.MARIST 
DOT EDU
                      <Brizuela AT UWYO DOT ED        cc:
                      U>                       Subject:  Sizing an AIX platform 
and tape libraries
                      Sent by: "ADSM:
                      Dist Stor
                      Manager"
                      <[email protected]
                      .EDU>


                      03/23/2004 06:19
                      PM
                      Please respond to
                      "ADSM: Dist Stor
                      Manager"






Hello All,

We will be phasing out our OS/390 mainframe in the next few years.
Currently, we have our TSM server installed on the mainframe, so we will
need to move it off and on to something else.  Based on conversations to
this list and the Redbook, IBM Tivoli Storage Manager Implementation
Guide, I believe that we definitely need to move to AIX.  The above
Redbook is not very helpful as far as sizing the AIX machine, saying
that it is an "inexact" art.  Here are our current and future
requirements:

1)  Right now we are backing up about 150 GB/ night, but we need to add
Exchange and a new student information system (Banner) to this.  We are
estimating that we will soon grow to at least 500 -600 GB/night.

2)  Workload consists of 95 clients, consisting of from small 20-30gb
Unix and Windows systems, to DB (Oracle) and file servers with half to
one terabyte of storage.  This will grow to 120 or so clients soon.

3)  We are currently storing 10.7 TB total data in two libraries, one
local tape library and a second copy of everything at a remote tape
library (3494 ATLs w/3590 E drives).  Looks like this storage could
triple, given how much we will be backing up each night (15 TB in each
location).

4)  Network is Gigabit Ethernet.

5)  We would like to use one large server vs. multiple servers.

Does anyone have a similar scenario that is on AIX that works well?
Please describe, including tape libraries!  Does anyone know of any
additional guidance available on choosing an AIX platform size and
choosing an appropriate tape library?

Thanks!

Nancy Brizuela
University of Wyoming
IBM Systems Group
Ivinson Room 238
(307)766-2958