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. Cohesity Data Cloud for NetBackup™ Administrator's Guide
  3. Provisioning the storage
  4. About Direct-IO storage configuration for Cohesity Data Cloud
Cohesity Data Cloud for NetBackup™ Administrator's Guide

About Direct-IO storage configuration for Cohesity Data Cloud

NetBackup integrates with the SpanFS storage backend using a layered storage configuration model. Each layer serves a distinct purpose, and the components must be created in a specific order before storage can be used by NetBackup policies.

Note:

In the NetBackup web UI, you can create storage domains and logical storage units (LSUs) as part of the disk pool creation workflow.

The storage configuration hierarchy is Storage server → Storage domain → Logical storage unit (LSU) → Disk pool → Storage unit.

Each object builds on the previous one to define how data is stored, managed, and accessed by NetBackup.

  • Storage server

    A storage server represents the SpanFS cluster in NetBackup. It establishes secure communication between NetBackup and SpanFS and enables NetBackup to discover storage domains and LSUs. A storage server must be created before any disk pools can be configured.

    See Adding the Direct-IO storage server using the NetBackup web UI.

  • Storage domain

    A storage domain defines how data is stored on the SpanFS cluster. It controls data layout characteristics such as deduplication, compression, encryption, fault tolerance, quotas, and WORM behavior. A storage domain is required before you can create an LSU.

    See Creating a storage domain using the NetBackup web UI.

  • Logical storage unit (LSU)

    An LSU is a logical container created within a storage domain. NetBackup uses LSUs as storage volumes for backup data. Each LSU belongs to a single storage domain and maps one to one with a disk pool in NetBackup.

    See Creating a logical storage unit (LSU).

  • Disk pool

    A disk pool is a NetBackup object that associates a SpanFS storage server with an LSU. It represents NetBackup's view of available storage and defines disk level properties such as high and low water marks. A disk pool is required before you can create a storage unit.

    See Creating a disk pool for a SpanFS storage server.

  • Storage unit

    A storage unit is the object that NetBackup policies reference. It is created from a disk pool and controls how backup jobs write data to storage, including concurrency and capacity behavior.

    See Creating a storage unit.

Feedback

Was this page helpful?
Previous

Provisioning the storage

Next

Adding the Direct-IO storage server using the NetBackup web UI

Feedback

Was this page helpful?