Configuring Core default retention policy settings
The retention policy for the Core specifies how long the recovery points for a protected machine are stored in the repository.
The Core retention policy is enforced by a rollup process which is performed as one component of running nightly jobs. Then, recovery points beyond the age specified in the retention policy are “rolled up” (combined) into fewer recovery points that cover a less granular period of time. Applying the retention policy on a nightly basis results in the ongoing rollup of aging backups. This eventually results in the deletion of the oldest recovery points, based on the requirements specified in that retention policy.
Different retention settings can be configured for source and target Cores.
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NOTE: This topic is specific to customizing retention policy settings on the Rapid Recovery Core. When you save customized retention policy settings on the Core, you establish the default retention policy settings which can be applied to all machines protected by this Core. For more information on customizing retention policy settings for individual protected machines, see Customizing retention policy settings for a protected machine. |
- Navigate to the Rapid Recovery Core Console.
- On the icon bar, click
(Settings), and then do one of the following:
- From the list of Core settings on the left side of the Settings page, click Nightly Jobs.
- Scroll down on the right side of the Settings page until you can see the Nightly Jobs heading.
The Nightly Jobs settings for the Core appear.
- Under Nightly Jobs, click
Change.
The Nightly Jobs dialog box displays.
- To specify the time intervals for retaining the backup data as needed, in the Nightly Jobs pane, select Rollup, and then click Settings.
The Retention Policy dialog box for the Core default retention policy displays.
- To restore Core retention policy settings to the default values at any time, at the bottom of the dialog box, click Restore Defaults and then click Yes to confirm.
All settings are restored to the default values described in the table in step 6.
- Enter the default schedule for retaining recovery points as described in the following table. The first setting specifies the primary retention period for all recovery points saved to the repository. Each additional setting, when enabled, provides a more granular level of retention by specifying the intervals between which recovery points should be rolled up. These settings define the duration for which recovery points are maintained.
The retention policy options are described in the following table.
Table 147: Schedule options for default retention policy Text Box Description Keep all recovery points for n [retention time period]…
Specifies the primary retention period for all recovery points saved to the repository.
Enter a number to represent the retention period and then select the time period. The default is 3 days. You can choose from days, weeks, months, and years.
…and then keep one recovery point per hour for n [retention time period]
If selected, this setting keeps one recovery point per hour for a time period that you specify. The default is 2 days. You can choose from days, weeks, months, and years.
If you do not want to save at least one recovery point hourly, clear this option.
…and then keep one recovery point per day for n [retention time period]
If selected, this setting keeps one recovery point per day for a time period that you specify. The default is 4 days. You can choose from days, weeks, months, and years.
If you do not want to save at least one recovery point daily, clear this option.
…and then keep one recovery point per week for n [retention time period]
If selected, this setting keeps one recovery point per week for a time period that you specify. The default is 3 weeks. You can choose from weeks, months, and years.
If you do not want to save at least one recovery point weekly, clear this option.
…and then keep one recovery point per month for n [retention time period]
If selected, this setting keeps one recovery point per month for a time period that you specify. The default is 2 months. You can choose from months and years.
If you do not want to save at least one recovery point monthly, clear this option.
…and then keep one recovery point per year for n [retention time period]
If selected, this setting keeps one recovery point per year for a number of years that you specify. The default (1 year) is disabled by default.
If you do want to save at least one recovery point yearly, select this option and specify a number of years. If you do not want to save at least one recovery point yearly, clear this option.
The oldest recovery point is determined by the retention policy settings.
The following is an example of how the retention period is calculated.
Keep all recovery points for three days.
…and then keep one recovery point per hour for three days
…and then keep one recovery point per day for four days
…and then keep one recovery point per week for three weeks
…and then keep one recovery point per month for two months
…and then keep one recovery point per month for one year
In this example, the oldest recovery point would be one year and three months old.
- When satisfied with your retention policy settings, click Save.
The Retention Policy dialog box closes.
- In the Nightly Jobs dialog box, click OK.
The Nightly Jobs dialog box closes. The retention policy you defined is applied during the nightly rollup.
You can also to apply these settings when specifying the retention policy for any individual protected machine. For more information about setting retention policies for a protected machine, see Customizing retention policy settings for a protected machine.
Customizing retention policy settings for a protected machine
The retention policy for a protected machine specifies how long recovery points are stored in the repository. By default, each protected machine uses the retention policy established for the Core unless you specify a custom retention policy, as described in this procedure.
Starting with AppAssure version 5.4.1, Rapid Recovery includes the ability to set disparate retention policies between a protected machine on the source Core and the corresponding replicated machine on the target Core.
Use this procedure to define a custom retention policy for a protected machine, including a replicated machine.
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NOTE: The following applies to environments upgrading from AppAssure release 5.3.x to release 5.4.1 or any version of Rapid Recovery Core. If you want to customize a retention policy for any replicated machine, first upgrade the source and target Cores to AppAssure Core release 5.4.1, and then perform the Checking Repository job on each repository in that target Core. Completing this job is likely to take a substantial amount of time, based on the size of your repository and the underlying storage system. For background information about this job, see About checking the integrity of DVM repositories. For information on how to perform this job, see Performing an integrity check on a DVM repository. |
- From the Protected Machines menu of the Rapid Recovery Core Console, click the name of the machine that you want to modify.
The Summary page for the selected machine displays.
- Click the Settings menu.
The Settings page displays, showing configuration settings for the selected machine.
- Optionally, click the Nightly Jobs link to scroll down in the Settings page to view nightly jobs settings.
- Under the Nightly Jobs heading, click
The Nightly Jobs dialog box displays.
- To specify the time intervals for retaining the backup data as needed, select Rollup and then click Settings.
The Retention Policy dialog box displays.
- If customizing retention policies settings for a replicated machine, and if you see a caution notifying you to perform an Integrity Check on your repository, proceed with this step. Otherwise, skip to step 7.
- If you are prepared to perform the job, click Check Integrity
- Click Yes to confirm the Integrity Check job.
NOTE: Running this job could take a substantial amount of time, based on the size of your repository. During this time, you can perform no other actions (snapshots, replication, virtual export, and so on) in the repository. For information about this job, see About checking the integrity of DVM repositories.
Once the Checking Repository job completes all child jobs successfully, return to this procedure and continue with the next step. - In the Retention Policy dialog box, do one of the following:
- To use the default retention policy for this protected machine, select Use Core default retention policy, and then click Save. The default policy is applied to this protected machine.
- To define a custom retention policy for this agent, select Use custom retention policy, and then continue with the next step.
The Retention Policy dialog box expands to show custom retention policy information. - Enter the custom schedule for retaining recovery points as described in the following table. The first setting specifies the primary retention period for all recovery points saved to the repository. Each additional setting, when enabled, provides a more granular level of retention by specifying the intervals between which recovery points should be rolled up. These settings define the duration for which recovery points are maintained.
Table 148: Schedule options for custom retention policy Text Box Description Keep all recovery points for n [retention time period]…
Specifies the primary retention period for all recovery points saved to the repository. Enter a number to represent the retention period and then select the time period. The default is 3 days. You can choose from days, weeks, months, and years.
…and then keep one recovery point per hour for n [retention time period]
If selected, this setting keeps one recovery point per hour for a time period that you specify. The default is 2 days. You can choose from days, weeks, months, and years.
If you do not want to save at least one recovery point hourly, clear this option.
…and then keep one recovery point per day for n [retention time period]
If selected, this setting keeps one recovery point per day for a time period that you specify. The default is 4 days. You can choose from days, weeks, months, and years.
If you do not want to save at least one recovery point daily, clear this option.
…and then keep one recovery point per week for n [retention time period]
If selected, this setting keeps one recovery point per week for a time period that you specify. The default is 3 weeks. You can choose from weeks, months, and years.
If you do not want to save at least one recovery point weekly, clear this option.
…and then keep one recovery point per month for n [retention time period]
If selected, this setting keeps one recovery point per month for a time period that you specify. The default is 2 months. You can choose from months and years.
If you do not want to save at least one recovery point monthly, clear this option.
…and then keep one recovery point per year for n [retention time period]
If selected, this setting keeps one recovery point per year for a number of years that you specify. The default (1 year) is disabled by default.
If you do want to save at least one recovery point yearly, select this option and specify a number of years. If you do not want to save at least one recovery point yearly, clear this option.
The following is an example of how the retention period is calculated.
Keep all recovery points for three days.
…and then keep one recovery point per hour for three days
…and then keep one recovery point per day for four days
…and then keep one recovery point per week for three weeks
…and then keep one recovery point per month for two months
…and then keep one recovery point per month for one year
In this example, the oldest recovery point would be one year, 3 months old.
- Click Save.
The Retention Policy dialog box closes.
- In the Nightly Jobs dialog box, click OK.
The Nightly Jobs dialog box closes. The retention policy you defined for this machine is applied during the nightly rollup.
Forcing rollup for a protected machine
You can bypass your scheduled retention policy by forcing recovery points to roll up at the protected machine level.
- From the Protected Machines menu of the Rapid Recovery Core Console, click the name of a specific protected machine.
The Summary page for the selection machine appears.
- Click the More drop-down menu at the top of the protected machine view, and then select
Retention Policy.
The Retention Policy page for the specified machine appears. - Click Force Rollup.
- In the dialog box, click Yes to confirm.
Rapid Recovery Core initiates rollup for this machine, regardless of the retention policy schedule.
Archiving
This section provides conceptual information about Rapid Recovery archives, including business cases for creating them, storage options, and uses. It also describes how to create a one-time archive, or how to create an archive that is continually updated on a schedule. Topics describe how to pause or edit scheduled archives, how to force or check an archive, and how to attach or import an archive.
Topics include: