procedure to seed data on replication target

[FelixZhou]

we have a need to replicate CIFS volumes to remote site through WAN, the network is slow and take too many hours to complete. Just wonder if we can seed the data on the replication site by using backup and restore method. Is there any procedure we have to follow? how can we allow system to identify or index the restored data in replication target? Please share your experience. thanks in advance. 

[Ontapforrum]

SMTAPE feature (Smtape is used to replicate data that cannot be sent over a WAN) comes to my mind, though I haven't really used it for a very long time but it does the job.

Couple of Kbs to explore:

SMTAPE:
https://kb.netapp.com/Advice_and_Troubleshooting/Data_Protection_and_Security/SnapMirror/Considerations_for_using_Smtape_to_seed_a_SnapMirror_relation...

When restoring a backup image, ensure the destination is no more than two versions later than the source:
https://kb.netapp.com/Advice_and_Troubleshooting/Data_Protection_and_Security/SnapMirror/SMTape_backup_fails_when_restoring_to_newer_version_of_ONTAP