A question about retention

[rfn]

Hi,

I'm setting up a new VBR v11 server that will replace our current VBR 9.5u4 server. We're setting up new backup jobs and will simply stop the old one and let the new one create new backups.

The settings have changed a bit and one new thing is that we can setup GFS in the backup jobs and not only in Backup Copy jobs. We intent to use this but, but I'm unsure of the details.

If we for example wish to be able to keep 30 days of backup and 12 monthly backups, do we need to select "Keep weekly full backups for: 4 weeks"? Isn't that kind of redundant, if we have 30 days of backup in the repository? The documentation sugguest that monthly backups are dependent on weekly backups, so will it not be able to create monthly backups if we don't select "Keep weekly backups"?

What if a job is created with 7 days of retention and 12 monthly backups, but no weekly backups? That sound like something that is impossible, but will it somehow work? I think the documentation could be improved somewhat, even though it has animations and examples.

And should we create synthetic fulls each week for all jobs, as a best practice, independent on what the GFS settings are? We're using ReFS on the main server and XFS on the offsite repository, so the extra "fulls" and weekly/monthly backups don't take up that much extra space.

We will create Backup Copy jobs that have the same retention, that will copy everything to our new immutable repository on another site.

Thanks!

/René

[HannesK]

Hello,
weekly redundancy if for free with XFS / REFS: https://www.veeam.com/blog/advanced-ref ... suite.html

Weeklies will keep your incremental chain shorter. But you can also do monthlies only (that will give you up to 60 days as in increments do not merge with GFS enabled)

What if a job is created with 7 days of retention and 12 monthly backups, but no weekly backups?

up to 37 daily restore points + 12 monthly

Synthetic fulls only exist weekly. So with monthly you would have to run active full (or do some hacks / workarounds)

Best regards,
Hannes

[rfn]

Hi Hannes,

Thank you for your answer, but I'm not sure I get it 100% and I don't think touched all my questions. Actually I have more questions:

1. If I wish to have 30 days of retention and 12 monthly backups in addition, then I can just as well select 4 weekly and 12 monthly, because it's "free" with ReFS and XFS, right? I can see in the documentation, that GFS doesn't itself create weekly full backups, but depends on actualy full backups (synthetic or active). Should I set synthethic full to the same day that the weekly backup is set up? The default setting in VBR is synthethic full on Saturday and GFS weekly on Sunday,

2. Do I understand it correctly that if I create a job with 7 days of retention and 12 monthly backups, then VBR will actually create the missing daily backups so it's able to fullfill the monthly backup requirement?

3. Regarding you last comment about synthetic fulls, that only aplies to the sitaution with no weekly backups and only days+monthly. Right?

Thanks!

/René

[HannesK]

Hello,

1. Yes, synthetic fulls are free on XFS / REFS. Please see my initial answer and the blog post I linked to. Same day sounds easier to understand, yes.

2. If you have synthetic or active full is required for GFS. So there is nothing "missing" http://rps.dewin.me/rpc/ might help to visualize

3. You cannot set monthly GFS without creating fulls (synthetic or active). As you already said: GFS just keeps existing points. It doesn't generate any new ones. The UI gives you an error if you only set days without synthetic / active full.

For your requirements, please set the following
- 30 days
- weekly synthetic full

Best regards,
Hannes

[foggy]

I believe René is talking about the case where there's a daily backup with monthly active fulls and monthly GFS schedule, without weeklies in between. In this case, he is correct that Veeam B&R will continue the incremental chain during the entire month even if the job is configured to keep just 7 restore points.