A seed file contains a list of seed systems to be discovered. A seed system can be specified as a name or an IP (v4 or v6) address.

When using manual discovery without autodiscovery, the IP Manager will discover just the seed systems. Accordingly, a comprehensive seed file is required. A comprehensive seed file can be created only if the network topology information is complete and accessible.

In situations where the network topology information is incomplete, unavailable, or constantly changing, manual discovery is combined with autodiscovery. The seed file can be much smaller because the seed systems that are specified for manual discovery also serve as a starting point for autodiscovery.