Housekeeping / Disk Space usage on the VBR Server

[stuartmacgreen]

This is more a housekeeping/maintenance query on the server running Veeam Backup and Replication server.

ISSUE: Disk space was running out on the drive (E:) where i store the VBRCatalog on my Veeam Backup & Replication server. Sure, I could just add more disk space but I had a look around at what was taking up space. I found there are directories with old dates past any retention period I have set in the program within the directory "VBRCatalog\Index\Machines\" Can these old directories just be deleted.? Then I had a look further at the other directories on E: and on the C: drive where Veeam Backup & Replication Server and Enterprise Manager is installed as that was coming to within 3% free space.

So I looked into what housekeeping could be performed. Here is my configuration and findings and questions about specific directories and their subdirectories and files.

Veeam Backup & Replication Server and Enterprise Manager installed on the C: drive of a Windows 2008 R2 server (VM) which is 40GB in size.
Note: Running v7.0 (upgraded from v6.5 in SEP 2013) Installed Veeam 18 months ago on this platform.

Configuration
- Options/History: Show only last 500 sessions; Keep only last 51 weeks session history retention
- Configuration backup set to 10 restore points on disk and enabled to default backup repository - the C: drive
- VBRCatalog is pointed at a separate drive on the same server (E:)
- MS SQL Express provided with VBR is installed on the same server and database and logs are saved on the C: drive
- A domain user is used to "Run Service as.." for the Veeam program services.
- The Veeam logging directories are the default setting and location : setting 4 (Above Normal) and logging is on the C: drive

Retention
The longest retention I have for one of my jobs is 90 days of backups and 60 days retention after the VM deleted. Every other job is either also 90 days or less retention. When I refer to old files I mean some were 15 months old or going back from when I installed Veeam for the first time (APR 2012)

So, Veeam files and disk usage. But what are they for and are they auto purged or require manual deletion.

mount_cache{SSID} (C:)
The domain user directory C:\Users\domainuser_veeam\AppData\Local\
- this directory has some old files named "mount_cache{SSID}' Old in the respect they fall outside any retention periods set within the program. Some are 70MB each, some are 5MB each. But cleared over 1.8GB of space from selection of old files in there.
What is there purpose.?

domainuser_veeam Temp sub-directories (C:)
The domain user directory C:\Users\domainuser_veeam\AppData\Local\Temp\
- this directory had a large set of subdirectories going back in time with GuestData.zip and other sundry files contained within each.
- these are obviously working sets of temporary data.
Again candidates to delete are probably 'old' sets of data. recent dated sets of data omit from a delete.
What is the purpose of these? How long are they kept for? Does Veeam purge them eventually? Or manual delete?
Or is it ok to delete if no backups running?

VBRCatalog (E:)
- subdirectory has named 'Wastebin' with loads of files over 960MB and some dated well over retention periods set.
What is the purpose of this? And can it be cleared/cleaned manually?
- subdirectory has named 'Journal' containing thousands of files and directories and some dated well over retention periods set.
What is the purpose of this?
- subdirectory has named 'Index\Machines'. Have old VM servers (deleted) with directories named and subdirectories with Guestdata.zip files contained. Should they not be deleted based on the Job setting?

Veeam Logging (C:)
Can turn logging down to reduce disk space usage which in Veeam B&R 6 has a default logging set at 4 (Above Normal) in the following reg key
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\VeeaM\Veeam Backup and Replication\LoggingLevel

Change to 1 lowest or 5 to highest and restart the Veeam Backup service

----
Yes, I could just throw more disk space at this but I would rather understand the programs files that it creates that are necessary and to be kept and those that are not, as I will just keep revisiting this same problem.

Anyone elses insight would be greatly appreciated into housekeeping on your Veeam Backup & Replication server.

[foggy]

The domain user directory C:\Users\domainuser_veeam\AppData\Local\
- this directory has some old files named "mount_cache{SSID}' Old in the respect they fall outside any retention periods set within the program. Some are 70MB each, some are 5MB each. But cleared over 1.8GB of space from selection of old files in there.
What is there purpose.?

Need to check on these. Looks like some cache files for FLR session.

The domain user directory C:\Users\domainuser_veeam\AppData\Local\Temp\
- this directory had a large set of subdirectories going back in time with GuestData.zip and other sundry files contained within each.
- these are obviously working sets of temporary data.

Temporary files produced by guest file system indexing process were not correctly removed from AppData\Local\Temp folder, this is already addressed in the Patch 1 released today.

VBRCatalog (E:)
- subdirectory has named 'Wastebin' with loads of files over 960MB and some dated well over retention periods set.
What is the purpose of this? And can it be cleared/cleaned manually?

This folder contains indexes that haven’t been published in the main catalog for some reason (the reason is written to the corresponding reason.txt file). You can delete these files without any issues.

- subdirectory has named 'Journal' containing thousands of files and directories and some dated well over retention periods set.
What is the purpose of this?
- subdirectory has named 'Index\Machines'. Have old VM servers (deleted) with directories named and subdirectories with Guestdata.zip files contained. Should they not be deleted based on the Job setting?

There is an existing topic regarding these, please review.

Veeam Logging (C:)
Can turn logging down to reduce disk space usage which in Veeam B&R 6 has a default logging set at 4 (Above Normal) in the following reg key
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\VeeaM\Veeam Backup and Replication\LoggingLevel

And here's the topic regarding logs retention.

Hope this helps.

[veremin]

- subdirectory has named 'Wastebin' with loads of files over 960MB and some dated well over retention periods set.
What is the purpose of this? And can it be cleared/cleaned manually?

Though, it still might be worth determining why the said folder is being filled; because, typically it should stay clean. So, if the problem persists, I’d recommend to open a ticket with our support team and let them investigate it directly.

Thanks.

[foggy]

mount_cache{SSID} (C:)
The domain user directory C:\Users\domainuser_veeam\AppData\Local\
- this directory has some old files named "mount_cache{SSID}' Old in the respect they fall outside any retention periods set within the program. Some are 70MB each, some are 5MB each. But cleared over 1.8GB of space from selection of old files in there.
What is there purpose.?

Indeed, those are FLR cache files and should be removed automatically after completing file level recovery session. However there's a known issue currently with them not being removed, probably will be addressed in the next update. You can safely remove them manually now.

[stuartmacgreen]

Thanks for the responses.

Good insight into what some of these are.

Installed Patch 1 for 7.0 and it appears to have stemmed the build up of extraneous temporary files.