Deleting backup files after they are written to tape

[TaylorB]

I'm only about 8 weeks into using Veeam now. I backup to a local SAS array and then write the backup files to tape after it completes. I only have enough storage to keep 2 weeks worth of backups on disk. So then I have been deleting the files older than that as the disk fills to make room for the upcoming weeks' jobs. I'm just deleting them from disk using windows explorer. I get the feeling that this is not the best way to do this as veeam still shows restore points that are no longer on disk and sometimes recreates files I have deleted, only with a 8MB file size. How should I be handling migrating files to tape and removal of files from the Veeam local storage after 2 weeks?

Thanks

[Vitaliy S.]

Taylor,

The way you remove files is not recommended, because as you've already noticed you still have restore points available in the UI. This happens because restore points records are not being removed from the SQL database. The only way to remove both the files and the SQL database records is to use a retention policy.

That said, could you tell me what backup mode are you using (Forward or Reversed Incremental) and what is the retention policy defined?

As for your question about tape backup handling, the most common approach to move backup files to tapes is using "post-backup job script". To get more details, you can search these forums for real-life examples from our existing customers.

Thank you.

[Gostev]

The only correct way to do this is to set correct retention policy that will delete backups automatically for you. Thanks.

[TaylorB]

Thanks guys.

We are transitioning to disk based backups, so in the future this will not be an issue. For now, I need to offload to tape, though. I am doing a once a week active full backup for the majority of my VMs and I have a small set of daily regular incremental with a weekly active full.

[Vitaliy S.]

Well... all you need to do now is to correctly specify the retention policy settings. To do that please check the backup modes comparison table in sticky FAQ topic for clear understanding of the process. Thanks!

[TaylorB]

I am probably missing the obvious, but I can't find this info in the FAQ. I have a single weekly full going set to 2 restore points and yet I have 5 huge files in my folder, a weekend of failed jobs, and 4KB of free space on my storage array. Obviously I am doing something wrong.

[Gostev]

Do you want to contact support for assistance? Too little information to say what you are doing wrong. We can by guessing forever, when we do not even know what those "5 huge files" are. No such issues during live webex...

[TaylorB]

Do you want to contact support for assistance? Too little information to say what you are doing wrong. We can by guessing forever, when we do not even know what those "5 huge files" are. No such issues during live webex...

The 5 large files are full backup .vbk files

I can certainly call support, though, as that is probably better for specific problems. Thanks.