Agent Backups Seven Day Retention

[Technogod]

I have a B&R V10 Protection Group. Job Mode is Managed by Agent. I have keep backups set to 14 days. Backups are only being kept for 7 days. If I open VAW on one of the computers it shows 7 days. How do I change it to 14 days?

[Technogod]

I have a feeling the answer is to use a backup copy job. If so, why does the backup job let me change it to 14 days? Is this a bug?

[Dima P.]

Hello Technogod,

Looks like there is a UI glitch that affects the retention for all newly created jobs and retention remains set to 7 days. We are working on a private fix, so you can raise a support case in order to get it. Cheers!

[Technogod]

B&R 10.0.1.4854 fixed the problem.

[Dima P.]

Technogod,

The fix is included in Veeam Backup & Replication 10a, thank you for the confirmation that it works as it should. Cheers!

[scottmlew]

Using 10.0.1.4854, I am still not seeing the correct retention for agent backups. For example, right now, I have it set to keep backups for 3 days, and I am showing 15 snapshots, going as far back as 1 Aug.

[wishr]

Hi Scott,

Could you please make sure that your job has performed a run after 10a was installed?

Thanks

[scottmlew]

Yes, it has. I even tried changing the days kept to force an update, but that didn't help.

[wishr]

Hi Scott,

I have doublechecked that the fix is included in both v10 CP2 and v10a.

Please, try changing the retention to another value, apply the change by completing the backup policy configuration wizard steps, then set the retention to the desired value, go through the wizard steps again and then let the job perform a run.

If the aforementioned procedure does not help, please create a support ticket, upload the log files and the database so we could take a look at them, and share your support case ID here.

Thanks

[scottmlew]

It appears that the set of retained backups is only trimmed after a scheduled execution, and not after a forced execution. I had run many backups after the update (using "start backup" from the context menu) and no snapshots were trimmed. But now that a schedule execution has occurred they are trimmed. I am not sure if this is the expected behavior, but I am glad that it looks like things will work as expected now.

[wishr]

Thank for coming back. Yes, this is the expected behavior.

[scottmlew]

I don't see where that linked document says that this is the expected behavior. In fact, the last paragraph implies that this is NOT the expected behavior, since it says it treats the manually created backup like a regular backup.

In any case, I'm glad things are sorted out now.

[wishr]

Hi Scott,

From the documentation:
"The active full backup resets the backup chain. All incremental backup files use the latest active full backup file as a new starting point. A previously used full backup file and its subsequent incremental backup files remain on the disk. After the last incremental backup file created prior to the active full backup becomes outdated, Veeam Agent for Microsoft Windows automatically deletes the previous backup chain."

Thanks

[PTide]

@scottmlew,

If your retention settings units are "days", then all is good and expected - when you manually trigger the job it creates another restore point but still on the same day.
However, if the retention settings units are "points", then the observed behaviour is weird.

Please clarify

Thanks!

[scottmlew]

@wishr -- yes, I see that. But it does not differentiate between manually initiated and scheduled backups

@ptide -- I don't see how to set retention for agent backups by points; the dialog is hard coded for days. But I still think I was seeing something weird...I understand that the new manual backup is on the same day, so creating it won't automatically push the oldest backup out of the retention window. But I had excess backups built up from the bug in v10 (fixed in v10a) and those weren't cleared until a scheduled backup was run.

[PTide]

don't see how to set retention for agent backups by points; the dialog is hard coded for days.

"Points" mode is available if you choose "Server" operation mode in the backup job settings.

But I had excess backups built up from the bug in v10 (fixed in v10a) and those weren't cleared until a scheduled backup was run.

Oh...in this case you should contact support team so they can investigate the issue and provide a fix (if required).

Thanks!