What is the maximum days to configure for immutability?

[redZonk]

Hello all

I have a customer, where we need to expand the backup storage within the next month. At the moment we have two physical repository server with local disks. Each of them is located in a different site. The first one has SAS disks as a backup job target and SATA drives as copy job target. The second one only has SATA drives as a backup copy job target. I have configured some backup and backup copy jobs to move the data to the 2nd location.

Now I am thinking about to purpose a S3 storage for long-term backup in the second site. As far as I understand the immutability function, this will offer me also some additional protection against ransom war and crypto viruses.
At the moment I have a copy job which has the following GFS schema:
7 Restore Point, 4 weekly, 12 monthly and 1 yearly.

Now what I couldn't find in the documentation is the maximum of days I can configure the immutability. Is it 30 days which is mentioned as default value?
If I want to protect all my 4 weekly and 12 monthly, would I need to configure two SOBR with different S3 buckets and a different amount of immutability days?

Is this a possible scenario or what would be the best way to protect all weekly and monthly fullbackup files?

Thanks for your feedback
Patrick

[dalbertson]

In the interface you can set immutability up to 90 days. There is a way with powershell to make it longer but it was decided to do it less to limit potential issues.

While it can be done, have you looked at using other options like VTL? Its not really locked like object lock but it is offline WORM.

[SteveH]

Hi Dustin
I understand that leveraging a VTL might be a better way forward but are you able to share the powershell commands for increasing the immutable days past 90 days? I'm unable to find these commands anywhere.
Regards
Steve

[oleg.feoktistov]

Hi Steve,

For S3 Compatible:

Code: Select all

Set-VBRAmazonS3CompatibleRepository -Repository <VBRAmazonS3CompatibleRepository> -ImmutabilityPeriod <int32>

For Amazon S3:

Code: Select all

Set-VBRAmazonS3CompatibleRepository -Repository <VBRAmazonS3Repository> -ImmutabilityPeriod <int32>

Best regards,
Oleg

[SteveH]

Thanks Oleg information is greatly appreciated. Regards Steve

[dbewernick]

Is there a maximum of days which can be set through powershell? A customer is asking me for 5 yrs of immutability for backup copy jobs and wants to move the fulls to object storage after a few days and keep them for loooong. So no direct copying of the incremental retention points.

[oleg.feoktistov]

Yes, it's 999 days.
Does he intend to offload GFS fulls only?
Because that's what backup copy allows you to offload to capacity tier.
Thanks!

[veremin]

A customer is asking me for 5 yrs of immutability for backup copy jobs and wants to move the fulls to object storage after a few days and keep them for loooong.

He might wait for v11 and make use of Archive Tier functionality - the feature that allows you to archive oldest GFS backups to Amazon S3 Glacier or Microsoft Azure Archive Tier. Thanks!

[mark49808]

Hi lighting back up an old thread. In a regulated industry there is often a need to preserve certain records (in an immutable format) for up to 7 years. Maybe more in the future. Any way to increase immutability for 7+ years? 999 days is not enough.

[veremin]

Have you thought about using GFS restore points and Archive Tier? In Archive Tier the immutability period for GFS restore point will be equal to its retention period at the moment of archiving. So if there is a GFS restore point with 7-year retention, it will be made immutable for 7 years, once it lands on Archive Tier. Thanks!

[chris.childerhose]

I think you need to look at multiple ways to archive data when it comes to 7+ years and the Archive Tier is a great option here as noted by @veremin. I don't think they will change it past 999 days.

[mark49808]

I have. But archive tier requires glacier or azure correct?


"One of the following cloud-based object storage repositories providing "cold" data storage can be added as the archive extent:

Amazon S3 Glacier
Microsoft Azure Archive Storage"

Can't I do this for on-prem object?

Also GFS with weekly as the most granular does not always work out. I may need daily for some cases to hit something with 7 year retention. A week is a long time in some industries with lots of data churn.

[veremin]

Can't I do this for on-prem object?

Correct, on-prem object storage can play the role of Capacity Tier only, for long-term retention you will need Archive Tier backed by S3 Glacier or Azure Archive Tier.

I may need daily for some cases to hit something with 7 year retention.

In this case you can export a specific restore point. Exported restore points are also offloaded to Archive Tier.

Thanks!