About Vault NetBackup catalog requirements and guidelines
Use Vault to vault the NetBackup catalogs. A current catalog backup is a critical component of an effective disaster recovery plan. Although you can rebuild the catalog by importing all of your backup media manually, it is a time-consuming process.
Vault requirements and guidelines are as follows:
Perform the catalog backup step in Vault. Vault creates a new catalog backup with up-to-date information, it does not duplicate an existing NetBackup catalog backup. A NetBackup catalog backup is not a substitute for a Vault catalog backup. It does not include the latest information about duplicated media and media location.
Use only one vault to do Vault catalog backup.
Use a dedicated volume pool for Vault catalog backups.
If you have a robot attached to the master server, use it for the Vault catalog backup. In most circumstances that master server creates the NetBackup catalog that remains on site.
See the discussion of NetBackup catalog backups in the NetBackup Administrator's Guide, Volume I.
Retain the three most recent catalog backups. In most circumstances, you do not need to retain vaulted catalog backups for the same length of time that you retain other vaulted backup media. Although you only need one catalog backup in your off-site vault, maintaining the three most recent catalog backups in your off-site vault is a good practice for extra protection. The Recovery Report for Vault lists only the three most recent catalog backups in the off-site vault regardless of how many actually reside in the vault.
To retain only the three most recent catalog backups, specify an appropriate retention level. Specify a level that dictates that older catalog backups expire and are recalled from off-site storage and only the three most recent catalog backups remain in off-site storage.