Internal HP Server HDDs as Backup Repository - REFs Shrink Problem

[WinstonWolf]

Good Morning ,

We use an HP DL 380 Gen 10 Server with 22 x 2TB HDDS as Backup Server .
The Backup Repository are the internal 32TB Hdds and formated as REFs .

The Problem now was that we need to start an new active Full for every Backup Job , but we have only 7.75 TB free space on the Repository.

What we do now is to delete from every of our three Backup Jobs one Week ( vbk & vibs) from Disk for becomming free space.
Normaly we should become 15 TB of free Space because we have from one job an 9 TB vbk and from the two other Jobs two 3 TB vbk Files.

But after we delete this Files and choose delete from Disk under Veeam Backups Disk there is no new free Disk space on our Repository .
I think it has something to do with the REFS Formated Disk .

How is it possible to become more free Disk Space so that we can do our Backups again ?

Thanks
Michael

[PetrM]

Hi Michael,

Have you had a chance to run repository rescan?

Thanks!

[WinstonWolf]

Hi ,
I also do an Repository Rescan . The same result for free Space as when i check under Windows Explorer .
It shows me only 1.3TB Rest on Volume . But yesterday i delete at all 18 TB vbk Files .

Michael

[WinstonWolf]

Can it be that the REFS System not shown automatically the free space ?
I found this in another Post :
To clean up all unused disk space, set DisableDeleteNotify to zero and run either in Command Prompt "defrag C: /L /V" or in PowerShell "Optimize-Volume C -ReTrim -Verbose" (replace volume label with your own).

Michael

[PetrM]

Basically, some delay is expected for REFS to update free space however this delay is usually measured in minutes. My only assumption is that free space is not updated because the deleted VBKs were based mainly on pointers to the existing blocks. If my assumption is correct, then the only option would be to move existing backups to another storage to get more free space on REFS repository.

I never tested the command above but please keep in mind that Microsoft does not support TRIM/UNMAP features for REFS.

Thanks!

[WinstonWolf]

Good Morning ,
Thanks for that answer . Currently we backup the biggest Backup Job Files to Tape . Fortunately we use an LTO8 Drive . On this now ew Backup the whole Backup Chain from the biggest Backup to Disk Job. Yes it needs Time