Removing restore points from repo after decom

[EdSeibert3]

Today when a server is decommissioned it's automatically removed from the backup group, which is fine/by design.

However it will retain the restore points indefinitely?

How is everyone performing this cleanup today?

[foggy]

Hi Ed, do you mean deleting the VM from virtual infrastructure? In this case backups of this VM are subject to deleted VMs retention.

[stuartmacgreen]

The biggest part of understanding this setting IS at the bottom of this help page quoted.

If after decommissioning, the backups of the said server are still in the repository beyond the retention, even with the option set to remove deleted VM's is because of the types of backup job your doing.
What will remain however, is most likely the last backup chain. All others will have been deleted based on retention of the job.

You will have to manually delete backups otherwise.

I came across this two years ago myself.

[veremin]

What exactly you mean by backups that are stored in repository but are beyond the specified retention? Are you talking about imported backups? If so, then, yes deleted VM retention period won't apply to the backups that are not associated with backup/backup copy job. Thanks!

[foggy]

Hi Stuart, are you probably referring to this issue?

[EdSeibert3]

What exactly you mean by backups that are stored in repository but are beyond the specified retention? Are you talking about imported backups? If so, then, yes deleted VM retention period won't apply to the backups that are not associated with backup/backup copy job. Thanks!

Say I retain backups for 31 days. After the actual VM is removed from vCenter, I will continue to have 31 backups saved to my repository that are no longer needed as the VM is gone.

[veremin]

In your case the VM data will be subject to Deleted VM Retention policy mentioned by Alexander.

But my question was to Stuart - was trying to understand what he meant by the quoted statement.

Thanks!

[stuartmacgreen]

My bad. I've misread that help document. It has been improved I believed since I visited it prior to this time.
I did recall having some issue with this at least 18 months or so ago. Support or the forum got me to understand it better and the limitations back then, from what I had implemented.
My apologies @veremin for my misguided statement.

[veremin]

Glad to hear you've sorted it out - should other help be needed, let us know. Thanks!