Avamar: How to Create an NDMP User on NetApp using Command Line Using "ndmpd" User Add

Summary: When configuring a Dell Avamar backup to a NetApp NAS, the Network Data Management Protocol (NDMP) user must be created using command line (SSH as root) using `ndmpd user add -u -p `; the UI‑created user is not usable. NetApp is the only NAS Avamar supports that allows a name other than "NDMP" for this user. ...

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Instructions

Create NDMP User on NetApp for Avamar NDMP Backup.

Prerequisites

  • SSH client installed
  • Root credentials for the NetApp storage system
  • Required NDMP username and password

Procedure

  1. Open an SSH session to the NetApp appliance.
  2. Log in using the root account.
  3. Run the NDMP user creation command, replacing placeholders with your values.
  4. Replace [NDMP_USER] with the required username and [PASSWORD] with the password
ndmpd user add -u [NDMP_USER] -p [PASSWORD]

Verification

  • Confirm the command returns no error messages.
  • Proceed with NDMP backup configuration using the newly created user.

CAUTION: Creating the NDMP user from the NetApp UI generates an unusable account for Avamar NDMP backups. Always use the command‑line method described above.

Affected Products

Avamar, Avamar Plug-in for NDMP
Article Properties
Article Number: 000207428
Article Type: How To
Last Modified: 22 Oct 2025
Version:  7
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