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. Veritas NetBackup™ Deduplication Guide
  3. Configuring deduplication
  4. Configuring MSDP fingerprint cache seeding on the storage server
Veritas NetBackup™ Deduplication Guide

Configuring MSDP fingerprint cache seeding on the storage server

On the storage server, the NetBackup seedutil utility creates a special seeding directory for a client. It populates the seeding directory with image references to another client and policy's backup images. The following is the pathname of the seeding directory:

database_path/databases/catalog/2/#pdseed/client_name

(By default, NetBackup uses the same path for the storage and the catalog; the database_path and the storage_path are the same. If you configure a separate path for the deduplication database, the paths are different.)

When a backup runs, NetBackup loads the fingerprints from the #pdseed directory for the client. (Assuming that no fingerprints exist for that client in the usual catalog location.)

Information about when to use this seeding method and how to choose a client from which to seed is available.

See About seeding the MSDP fingerprint cache for remote client deduplication.

To seed the fingerprint cache from the storage server

  1. Before the first backup of the remote client, specify the clients and the policy in the following format:

    UNIX: /usr/openv/pdde/pdag/bin/seedutil -seed -sclient client_name -spolicy policy_name -dclient destination_client_name

    Windows: install_path\Veritas\pdde\seedutil -seed -sclient client_name -spolicy policy_name -dclient destination_client_name

    Note:

    NetBackup treats long and short host names differently, so ensure that you use the client name as it appears in the policy that backs it up.

    See NetBackup seedutil options.

  2. Repeat the command for each client that you want to seed with fingerprints.
  3. Verify that the seeding directories for the clients were created by using the following command:

    seedutil -list_clients

  4. Back up the clients.
  5. After the client or clients are backed up, remove the seeding directories for the clients. The following is the command syntax:

    seedutil -clear client_name

    After one full backup for the client or clients, NetBackup clears the seeding directory automatically. If the first backup fails, the seeded data remains for successive attempts. Although NetBackup clears the seeding directory automatically, Veritas recommends that you clear the client seeding directories manually.

Feedback

Was this page helpful?
Previous

Configuring MSDP fingerprint cache seeding on the client

Next

NetBackup seedutil options

Feedback

Was this page helpful?