On Jan 26, 2013, at 7:43 AM, Zoltan Forray <zforray AT VCU DOT EDU> wrote:

> With 7-TSM servers (with more TSM servers in my future to address the need
> to backup many thousands of faculty/staff/student "desktops") transferring
> data from disk-to-tape, all day long, I need spindles not necessarily
> storage capacity.  We currently have 17-TS1130 drives and more than half
> are in use, constantly (I have one Notes server that backs up >9TB every
> 2-weeks)

If you need mount points, perhaps it's time to start looking at virtual tape 
libraries or other disk-based backup media. IBM will show you their ProtectTier 
line; EMC has a variety of DataDomain products to show you; Oracle has their 
7400 line of storage devices; and HP has a 4300 line of virtual tape libraries. 

If you go to virtual tape or FILE devices, you ought to be able to have dozens 
of mount points and have backups go straight to sequential media for all but 
the smallest incoming items. Remember, too, that TSM 6.3 has support for VTL 
devices -- like SCSI, but no expectations that every physical activity takes at 
least a second! Faster mounts! Faster dismounts! More sunlight! Well, maybe not 
the last one.

Admittedly, the entry points for this technology aren't cheap, but it might 
still be worth starting to study. 

Just a thought,
Nick