Ransomware attackers specifically target and attempt to destroy backup systems to increase the probability of payment. Hardening your system is critical. Please ensure you have reviewed your platform security using the Security Hardening Checklist
Cohesity

COHESITY Documentation

Explore our documentation to get started, discover products & new features, access troubleshooting guides, register sources, platforms support.

Products
Data Security Alliance
Visit Cohesity.com
Demos
Support
Blogs
Developers
Partner Portals
Cohesity Community
© 2026 Cohesity, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Terms of Use|
Privacy Policy|
Legal|
  1. Home
  2. NetBackup™ Troubleshooting Guide
  3. Disaster recovery
  4. Options to recover the NetBackup catalog
  5. About recovering the NetBackup databases
  6. Recovering the NetBackup database from staging
NetBackup™ Troubleshooting Guide

Recovering the NetBackup database from staging

During a catalog backup, the data and the metadata of the NetBackup databases (BMRDB, NBAZDB, and NBDB) are copied to the staging directory. The recovery option that restores the image files and the configuration files also restores the data and metadata for the NetBackup databases to the staging directory.

See About recovering the NetBackup catalog image files.

You can recover the NetBackup databases (BMRDB, NBAZDB, and NBDB) from the staging directory.

See About processing the NetBackup database in staging.

Two recovery procedures from the staging directory exist, as follows:

The database is not corrupted

See “To recover the NetBackup database from staging if the database is not corrupted”.

The database is corrupted

See “To recover the NetBackup database from staging if the database is corrupted”.

To recover the NetBackup database from staging if the database is not corrupted

  1. Run the following command on the primary server to recover NBDB from staging:

    UNIX: /usr/openv/db/bin/nbdb_restore -dbn NBDB -recover -staging

    Windows: install_path\NetBackup\bin\nbdb_restore -dbn NBDB -recover -staging

  2. Stop and restart NetBackup, as follows:

    UNIX:

    /usr/openv/netbackup/bin/bp.kill_all
    /usr/openv/netbackup/bin/bp.start_all

    Windows:

    install_path\NetBackup\bin\bpdown
    install_path\NetBackup\bin\bpup

To recover the NetBackup database from staging if the database is corrupted

  1. If the NetBackup services are running, stop them as follows:

    UNIX: /usr/openv/netbackup/bin/bp.kill_all

    Windows: install_path\NetBackup\bin\bpdown

  2. Move the NBDB, NBAZDB, or BMRDB from the database directories to a temporary directory.

    The following are the default locations for the database files:

    install_path\NetBackupDB\data\nbdb
    install_path\NetBackupDB\data\nbazdb
    install_path\NetBackupDB\data\bmrdb
    
    /usr/openv/db/data/nbdb
    /usr/openv/db/data/nbazdb
    /usr/openv/db/data/bmrdb
  3. Start the NetBackup Scale-Out Relational Database server, as follows:

    UNIX:

    /usr/openv/netbackup/bin/nbdbms_start_stop start

    Windows:

    install_path\NetBackup\bin\bpup -e vrtsdbsvc_psql

  4. Create an empty database, as follows:

    UNIX: /usr/openv/db/bin/create_nbdb -drop

    Windows: install_path\NetBackup\bin\create_nbdb -drop

  5. Stop and restart NetBackup, as follows:

    UNIX and Linux:

    /usr/openv/netbackup/bin/bp.kill_all
    /usr/openv/netbackup/bin/bp.start_all

    Windows:

    install_path\NetBackup\bin\bpdown
    install_path\NetBackup\bin\bpup
  6. Run the NetBackup tpext command to update the device mapping files, as follows:

    UNIX: /usr/openv/volmgr/bin/tpext -loadEMM

    Windows: install_path\Volmgr\bin\tpext -loadEMM

  7. If you used the nbdb_move command to relocate NetBackup database, recreate the directory where the database was located when you backed up the catalog.
  8. Start the NetBackup Device Manager, as follows:

    UNIX: /usr/openv/volmgr/bin/ltid -v

    Windows: Start the device manager service.

  9. Run the following command on the primary server to recover NBDB from staging:

    UNIX: /usr/openv/db/bin/nbdb_restore -dbn NBDB -recover -staging

    Windows: install_path\NetBackup\bin\nbdb_restore -dbn NBDB -recover -staging

  10. Clean up allowed list cache for all hosts.
  11. Stop and restart NetBackup services on all hosts, as follows:

    UNIX:

    /usr/openv/netbackup/bin/bp.kill_all
    /usr/openv/netbackup/bin/bp.start_all

    Windows:

    install_path\NetBackup\bin\bpdown
    install_path\NetBackup\bin\bpup
  12. After the services are restarted, renew the certificates:
    • If NetBackup (or host ID-based) certificates are used in your NetBackup domain, do the following:

      On a non-clustered setup:

      UNIX:

      /usr/openv/netbackup/bin/nbcertcmd -renewcertificate

      Windows:

      install_path\netbackup\bin\nbcertcmd -renewcertificate

      On a clustered setup:

      UNIX:

      /usr/openv/netbackup/bin/nbcertcmd -renewcertificate -cluster

      Windows:

      install_path\netbackup\bin\nbcertcmd -renewcertificate -cluster
    • If external CA-signed certificates are used in your NetBackup domain, do the following:

      On a non-clustered setup

      UNIX:

      /usr/openv/netbackup/bin/nbcertcmd -enrollCertificate

      Windows:

      install_path\netbackup\bin\nbcertcmd -enrollCertificate

      On a clustered setup:

      UNIX:

      /usr/openv/netbackup/bin/nbcertcmd -enrollCertificate -cluster

      Windows:

      install_path\netbackup\bin\nbcertcmd -enrollCertificate -cluster

    If the command fails with the exist status 5988, refer to the following topic:

    See Steps to carry out when you see exit status 5988 during catalog recovery.

Feedback

Was this page helpful?
Previous

Recovering the NetBackup database from a backup

Next

About processing the NetBackup database in staging

Feedback

Was this page helpful?