Hi,
I am currently testing my NetBackup environment to backup to VTL. We are seeing great backup performance but it seems like it requires a slight re-architecture to the current environment. I am being told to eliminate multiplexing... You can multiplex to a virtual drive but when it comes time to restore and to duplicate off to physical tape from a virtual cartridge that was multiplexed the performance is not very good. The Vendor said that multiplexing should be eliminated and instead of increasing multiplexing you can simply create additional virtual drives when needed. Since adding virtual tape drives in theory has no cost associated with it why not do this and eliminate multiplexing and SSO all together (that is the approach/mentality).

So my question to the forum is have others deployed VTLs in a similar fashion (i.e. MPX = 0) and how have things scaled and is there any associated management headaches? The couple con's of the above approach in my mind would be:
* Slower responding NBU GUI because there will be so many devices it will have to manage/query
* More BPTM processes since each tape drive in use requires one an additional BPTM process
* Slower backups on a per stream basis (which is OK because you have many drives I guess)

Can anyone comment if they foresee other drawbacks to this approach or have best practice recommendations?

Thank in advance for any feedback...
-Bill