diff --git a/docs/runbooks/pbs-deployment.md b/docs/runbooks/pbs-deployment.md
index 414fa2d..0906e99 100644
--- a/docs/runbooks/pbs-deployment.md
+++ b/docs/runbooks/pbs-deployment.md
@@ -190,6 +190,23 @@ In the PBS web UI: **Datastore → Add Datastore**:
 The first time PBS writes to the datastore it initializes `.chunks/`,
 `.lock`, etc. Takes a few seconds.
 
+### 1.4b. Create per-hypervisor namespaces
+
+VMIDs are NOT globally unique across PVE hosts (esh-pve and sfsrv-ana
+both have VM 100 for instance). Without namespaces, their backups
+collide under the same `/vm/100/` path in the datastore. Create a
+namespace per hypervisor up front:
+
+```bash
+for h in pfi-pve nh3-pve esh-pve esh-pve-nas sfsrv-ana; do
+  proxmox-backup-manager datastore namespace create backups $h
+done
+proxmox-backup-manager datastore namespace list backups
+```
+
+Each PVE client later (Phase 2.1, 3.1, 4) sets its Namespace field to
+its own hostname when configuring the PBS storage.
+
 ### 1.5. Create an API token for hypervisors to use
 
 PBS web UI: **Configuration → Access Control → API Token → Add**:
@@ -239,12 +256,18 @@ Web UI: **Datacenter → Storage → Add → Proxmox Backup Server**:
 | Username | `root@pam!fleet-vzdump` |
 | Password | the token secret from 1.5 |
 | Datastore | `backups` |
+| **Namespace** | **`pfi-pve`** (match the hypervisor name — see 1.4b) |
 | Fingerprint | from 1.6 |
 | Content | VZDump backup file |
 | Nodes | `pve` (pfi-pve) |
 
 Click Add. Storage should show as available within seconds.
 
+> **Critical:** every hypervisor gets its own namespace value matching
+> its own name — `nh3-pve`, `esh-pve`, `esh-pve-nas`, `sfsrv-ana`.
+> Prevents VMID collisions (not-globally-unique VMIDs would otherwise
+> land in the same `/vm/<vmid>/` path).
+
 ### 2.2. Test backup of one VM
 
 Pick a small VM (e.g. an idle LXC like ana-filebot, VMID 112). Web UI: