Even in this age of "Web 2.0" and FiOS (see Verizon), it's amazing that Internet bandwidth just isn't suitable for terabytes of data transfer.
See here: FedEx Still Faster than Internet.
Of course, when using SnapMirror or SnapVault, you could easily use the LREP tool (for QSM). With VSM, you could seed it via tape or disk offline.
Even the SnapMirror Best Practices doc states, "...but the initialization transfer (baseline) can be crippling in a WAN environment". Fortunately, easy-to-use bandwidth throttling controls exist! ;)
Call me sometime and I'll tell you my Internet2 story -- seriously!!
