HP BB118BV - StorageWorks Data Protector Express Package User Manual page 179

For example, suppose you have a file or application server with a large RAID device attached. Backup
jobs using this RAID device will run fastest when the backup device is placed on the same machine as the
RAID device. On the other hand, the catalog may be best located on another machine other than the file
or application server. This is because if the file or application server were to become inoperable (for
example, the drive were to fail), you would still be able to use the catalog to restore the file or application
server volumes. Had the catalog been located on the file or application server, however, the catalog must
first be restored before other files could be restored. This can be a lengthy, time-consuming process.
A good strategy to consider is to place the backup device on the file or application server for maximum
speed, but to locate the catalog on a separate machine. Consider this example. Two file or application
servers are connected on an Ethernet network. Each file or application server has its own backup device,
which helps the jobs run faster and more efficiently. The storage management server for all three
machines is located on a separate machine, which can be called a "storage management server." Jobs can
be run from this storage management server ; additionally, they can also be run from any other machine
on the network as well.