Backup Retention not working as defined in the backup job

[agrob]

Good Day

We have VAW Workstation / Server Licneses in use. Installations are managed over Veeam Backup Server. On several Clients, Backup retention is not working as defined in the backup job. For example i have a job with two VAW Server. Backup job is configrued to keep 31 restore points on disk. periodic active full backups are configured as well, but none are running until now (because scheduled only every 3 months). So i should have 31 Restore points on the repository for those two servers. instead i have 50 recovery points so far. (both servers in the job have 50 restore points)
if i login to one of the servers, open VAW and check the configuration (it says it is centrally managed and the options are greyed out - so this is fine), i can see that there is shown 31 retention points (configuration). But as i say, on disk i have 50 right now.
if i connect the configuration db (veeambackup.mdf) to an SQL server and check the table "BJobs" in the "options" i can also see that <retaincycles>31</retaincylces> are set correctly. It does not seems to clean up after 31 retention points

I also had this on other centrally managed workstation jobs. sometimes it helps to reinitialize the DB on the client localy and then apply the job settings again from crentralised server. but it does not help on all clients. this only happens to centraly managed installations. Standalone Free version do not have this issue.
Is this a known issue? we have several installations with this problem. Some weeks ago i already opened a case and reinitialzing worked then, but i have discovered that we have other configurations with exactely the same problem...

thanks

[Dima P.]

Hello Andre,

periodic active full backups are configured as well, but none are running until now (because scheduled only every 3 months)

With periodic full backup option enabled your backup chain automatic merge stops working. Instead, the entire backup chain gets removed after the last incremental backup in this chain is retired. Retired chain gets removed only after Active Full backup is performed. Take a look at this Help Center article for more details on how retention works with active full being enabled.

[agrob]

Hi Dima

Thanks for your answer. But this is not the problem. I only have one VBK file and 49 vbi files. But there should only be 30vbi files. The job was newly configured some weeks ago, the first active full for the job is running in september. i also have this issue on other jobs (without active full enabled).
regards

[Dima P.]

Andre,

Retention wont affect restore points (even though they are expired) unless new backup chain is started with active full backup.

[agrob]

Just to check if i understand it correct
I have configured a backup job in VAW, Retention Point are set to 31.
Same Job has configured Active full backup every 3 Months.
Lets say we have 01.01.2019, first active full is configured for 01.April 2019. If i start normal backup job on 01.01.2019, after 31 Days (retention period), oldest restore point should be removed. But when i get you right, you say that retention point is removed when active full is starting, this would be 01. April 2019. So i would have 3 months retention point on disk even if i say i only need 31?

[ArthurDaley]

Hi all,

I also have problems with this. Please check my enclosed screenshot:



The way I see it it should kill all backups that are older than 5 days.....only it doesn't, as you can see in the explorer-window.

Do I do anything wrong here? External harddrive gets filled and old backups are not deleted...any ideas on this?

Thanks,
Arthur

[Dima P.]

Arthur,

I see that the sessions in the Veeam Agent UI are marked with warning, can you please clarify what warning notification you get there? Thanks!