Recovering the NetBackup MSDP catalog
The NetBackup Media Server Deduplication Pool (MSDP) catalog contains critical metadata for deduplication operations. If the catalog becomes corrupted or lost, recovery is essential to restore deduplication functionality. NetBackup provides the following two primary recovery options for the MSDP catalog:
Automatic recovery from shadow copy: NetBackup restores the catalog from the latest shadow copy and replays the transaction log to ensure it is current. Manual recovery from a shadow copy is also available if needed.
Recovery from backup: If shadow copies are unavailable and a valid MSDP catalog backup exists, you can recover from the backup. This option should only be used as a last resort and ideally under Cohesity Support guidance to avoid data loss.
To configure and recover the MSDP catalog For Flex WORM, CloudScale, and Flex Scale, See Restoring from the external MSDP catalog backup.
Caution:
MSDP catalog disaster recovery (DR) is designed to recover the MSDP catalog only when both the MSDP catalog and its shadow catalog are missing or completely corrupted. This recovery process is highly specific and should not be used for any other scenario. Using either the automated or manual MSDP catalog recovery procedure outside of these circumstances may result in data loss or inaccessible backups.
You can perform the manual recovery or automated recovery of the MSDP catalog:
Automated MSDP Catalog Recovery
This method uses NetBackup utilities to streamline the recovery process, typically restoring from the most recent full and incremental backups. Automated recovery is suitable for straightforward scenarios and minimizes manual intervention.
Manual MSDP Catalog Recovery
Manual recovery provides granular control over the restoration process. It is required when you need to recover from a specific backup (not the latest), import images from the storage server, or address complex recovery scenarios.
This method involves verifying backup files, initializing MSDP, restoring to shadow directories, and synchronizing catalogs.