RE: physical / virtual tape backup file at a time

To add to Joe's suggestion about using save files, if you use
DTACPR(*MEDIUM) on the SAV/SAVLIB/etc. commands the resulting save file
will normally be much smaller than the library being saved.  You may
also consider ACCPTH(*NO) if your situation is agreeable.

I have saved a 135GB library into a 16GB SAVF using DTACPR(*MEDIUM).
That's about an 85% reduction in space required, not to mention it leads
to a shorter amount of time spent transmitting the file to the remote
system.

Data libraries will generally get very good compression.  Program
libraries not so much.  BTW, DTACPR(*HIGH) may result in a slightly
smaller SAVF but will take a lot longer and use a lot more CPU.


Another alternative, although it would cost most than your desired
additional disk, would be to use some form of a high availability
product to mirror Timbuktu to a local machine.  That way you never bring
Timbuktu down at all; you just back up the local mirror.  And your local
mirror can be up-to-the-second current resulting in little to no data
loss in a disaster that takes out Timbuktu.  

But HA software is expensive.  I know; we just bought Mimix.