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™ Administrator's Guide, Volume I
  3. Section V. Configuring backups
  4. Creating backup policies
  5. Policy Attributes tab
  6. Policy type (policy attribute)
NetBackup™ Administrator's Guide, Volume I

Policy type (policy attribute)

The Policy type attribute determines the purpose of the policy. Select a policy type from the list. The policy type you select typically depends on the type of client to be backed up. Some policy types are not used for client backups. For example, NBU-Catalog is not used for client backups.

The list of policy types changes depending on the NetBackup options that have been installed. Each policy type offers a unique combination of attributes. When you select a policy type, only the attributes that apply to that policy type are active.

You can change the policy type of an existing policy. However, the schedules for the policy may become invalid. If the schedules become invalid, NetBackup displays a warning message and then deletes the invalid schedules or changes the schedules to an equivalent type.

When you change the policy type of an existing policy, other selections or features of the policy may become invalid as well.

Table: NetBackup policy types describes the types of NetBackup policies that are available in the NetBackup web UI.

Table: NetBackup policy types

Policy type

Description

BigData

Use as a policy type to schedule and run a job for big data applications. For example, Hadoop Distributed File System (HDFS) or Nutanix Acropolis Hypervisor. This policy type requires the Enterprise Client license.

See Creating a BigData policy.

For information about the plug-ins that NetBackup supports, and which are available to download and install, see:

https://support.cohesity.com/s/article/article-100040155

Cloud

This policy type is only available in the NetBackup web UI.

Use for policies that back up in-cloud workloads. For example, assets in Amazon Web Services (AWS), Azure, Microsoft Azure and Azure Stack Hub, Google Cloud Platform (GCP), and Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI). For a complete list of compatible in-cloud workloads, refer to the NetBackup Hardware Compatibility List (HCL).

Cloud-Object-Store

This policy type is only available in the NetBackup web UI.

Use for policies that back up Cloud object stores. For example, Azure Blob Storage, AWS S3, Google Cloud Storage (GCS), and Hitachi Cloud Platform. For a complete list of compatible object stores, refer to the NetBackup Hardware Compatibility List (HCL).

DataTools-SQL-BackTrack

(UNIX only)

This policy type is only available in the NetBackup Administration Console.

Use for the policies that contain only clients with the NetBackup for SQL-BackTrack agent. For information on setting up this policy type, see the guide for this option.

DataStore

This policy type is used for database applications that NetBackup uses the Open Backup Services (XBSA) for backup or archive purposes.

DB2

Use for the policies that contain only clients with the NetBackup for DB2 agent. For information on setting up this policy type, see the guide for this option.

Enterprise-Vault

Use as a policy type to schedule and run an Enterprise Vault job.

FlashBackup

(UNIX only)

Combines the speed of raw-partition backups with the ability to restore individual files.

This policy type applies to UNIX clients only. Requires the Enterprise Client license.

For information on setting up this type of policy, see the NetBackup NAS Administrator's Guide and the NetBackup Snapshot Manager for Data Center Administrator's Guide.

FlashBackup-Windows

(Windows only)

Combines the speed of raw-partition backups with the ability to restore individual files. This policy type applies to Windows clients only. Requires the Enterprise Client license.

For information on setting up this type of policy, see the NetBackup NAS Administrator's Guide and the NetBackup Snapshot Manager for Data Center Administrator's Guide.

back up the virtual machines that reside on Windows Hyper-V servers, by means of on-host or off-host backups. This policy type requires the Enterprise Client license.

Users can upgrade pertinent policies to the Hyper-V policy type using one of the following methods:

  • Change the policy type in the NetBackup web UI or the NetBackup Administration Console.

    In the NetBackup Administration Console, change the type for only one policy at a time.

  • Change the policy type for multiple policies at one time using the bpplconvert script that is located in the following location:

    On Windows: install_path\NetBackup\bin\goodies

    On UNIX: usr/openv/netbackup/bin/goodies

For information on setting up this type of policy, see the NetBackup for Hyper-V Guide.

 

Kubernetes

Use to protect Kubernetes clusters.

Informix-On-BAR

(UNIX only)

Use for the policies that contain only clients with the NetBackup for Informix agent. For information on setting up this policy type, see the guide for this option.

Lotus-Notes

Use for the policies that contain only clients with the NetBackup for Lotus Notes agent. For information on setting up this policy type, see the guide for this option.

MongoDB Ops Manager

Use for the policies that contain only clients with the NetBackup for MongoDB Ops Manager agent. For information on setting up this policy type, see the guide for this option.

MS-Exchange-Server

(Windows only)

Use for the policies that contain only clients with the NetBackup for Exchange Server agent. For information on setting up this policy type, see the guide for this option.

This policy type applies to Windows clients only.

MS-SharePoint

(Windows only)

Use to configure a policy NetBackup for SharePoint Server.

This policy type applies to Windows clients only.

MS-SQL-Server

Use for the policies that contain only clients with the NetBackup for SQL Server agent. For information on setting up this policy type, see the guide for this option.

MS-Windows

Use for the policies that contain only Windows clients of supported Windows operating system levels.

Standard and MS-Windows policy types are the only policy types that support the following options:

  • Checkpoint restart for backups or restores

    See Take checkpoints every __ minutes (policy attribute).

  • Synthetic backups

    See Policy type (policy attribute).

  • Collect disaster recovery information for Bare Metal Restore

    See Collect disaster recovery information for Bare Metal Restore (policy attribute).

NAS-Data-Protection

Use the policy to configure dynamic data streaming for NAS workloads.

For information on setting up this type of policy, see the NetBackup NAS Administrator's Guide and the NetBackup Snapshot Manager for Data Center Administrator's Guide.

NBU-Catalog

Use for catalog backup jobs.

NDMP

Use for the policies that contain only clients with the NetBackup NDMP option. This policy type is available only when the NetBackup NDMP is installed and licensed. For information on setting up this policy type, see the guide for this option.

Nutanix-AHV

NetBackup web UI supports policy to backup Nutanix-AHV assets.

On the NetBackup web UI, click Protection > Policies. Click Add and select Nutanix-AHV as the Policy type.

Note:

This policy type requires the Enterprise Client license and only available in web UI.

For more details, see NetBackup for Nutanix-AHV Administrator Guide > Protecting AHV virtual machines > Backup AHV VMs or intelligent groups using Policy section.

Oracle

Use for the policies that contain only clients with the NetBackup for Oracle agent. For information on setting up this policy type, see the guide for this option.

SAP

Use for the policies that contain only clients with the NetBackup SAP Agent. For information on setting up this policy type, see the guide for this option.

Standard

Use for UNIX clients (including supported Mac clients), except for those clients that are covered by specific products, such as Oracle.

Standard and MS-Windows policy types are the only policy types that support the following options:

  • Checkpoint restart for backups or restores

  • Synthetic backups

  • Collect disaster recovery information for Bare Metal Restore

Sybase

Use for the policies that contain only clients with the NetBackup for Sybase agent. For information on setting up this policy type, see the guide for this option.

Universal-Share

Use as a policy type to schedule and run a job that protects data in a universal share. The universal share must be created on a specified MSDP storage server using NetBackup storage APIs or the NetBackup web UI .

Vault

This policy type is only available in the NetBackup Administration Console.

Use as a policy type to schedule and run a Vault job. This policy type is available only when Vault is licensed.

VMware

For backup of any virtual machines that reside on VMware vSphere servers, by means of off-host backups. This policy type requires the Enterprise Client license.

Users can upgrade pertinent policies to the VMware policy type using one of the following methods:

  • Change the policy type in the NetBackup web UI or the NetBackup Administration Console.

    In the NetBackup Administration Console, change the type for only one policy at a time.

  • Change the policy type for multiple policies at one time using the bpplconvert script that is located in the following location:

    On Windows: install_path\NetBackup\bin\goodies

    On UNIX: usr/openv/netbackup/bin/goodies

For information on setting up this type of policy, see the NetBackup for VMware Guide.

For information about off-host backups, see the NetBackup NAS Administrator's Guide and the NetBackup Snapshot Manager for Data Center Administrator's Guide.

Feedback

Was this page helpful?
Previous

Policy Attributes tab

Next

Data classifications (policy attribute)

Feedback

Was this page helpful?