How to Purge Data

[FaSho76]

Is there a way you can schedule a policy to purge data after a retention period? I'm using Backup Exec 10 and I can't seem to find the option. Will database maintainence do the job? This organization do not have a tape library, so I can not move the data to tape. I have ran out of drive space and started to delete the backups off the storage drive, but I want it to do it automated.

Thank You

[Carlos_Quiroga]

What exactly do you mean by "purge data"?

Are you referring to delete files backed up,

delete media from tape or backup to disk folders,

catalogs, job logs?

Please give more detail to be able to assist you better.

Regards,

[Kiran_Bandi]

You can configure backup jobs and other related settings in such a way that, BE will overwrite expired bkf files automatically. You need to design proper retention strategy to do so.

Make sure your backup jobs are configured to overwrite always instead of Appending.

EDIT: /* took time to make sure media management settings in BE 10 are also same as 2010  */

For better backup-to-disk media management configure BE in this way:

Set the media management setting to "Overwrite recyclable media in target media set before overwriting SCRATCH media" 

Set Overwrite Protection level to Partial (minimum).

Change Append period of media sets to 0 hours. 

Have a look at this BLOG.

[FaSho76]

Yes, basically delete backup sets off the disk drive. I can do it manually, but I'm use to Commvault......where I can schedule a policy to purge data after a certain retention period has been reached. I don't that option in Backup Exec.

[pkh]

The idea is not to do any manual purging of backup sets.  There is no facility in BE to schedule a purge of expired backup set.  You should set an appropriate OPP and let BE overwrite the expired backup set when it does the next backup.  The OPP is a parameter of the media set that the backup set belongs to. See 

OPP and AP explanation

For example, you set an OPP of 3 days.  After 3 days, the backup set can be ovewritten and BE can overwrite the space taken up by this backup set, thus re-cycling the disk space.