Expire

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The expire command deactivates the backup objects that you specify in the file specification or with the filelist option. You can specify an individual file to expire, or a file that contains a list of files to expire. If OBJTYPE=VM, this command deactivates the current backup for a virtual machine.

When you are working in interactive mode, a prompt notifies you before files are expired.

The expire command does not remove workstation files. If you expire a file or directory that still exists on your workstation, the file or directory is backed up again during the next incremental backup, unless you exclude the object from backup processing.

If you expire a directory that contains active files, those files are not displayed in a subsequent query from the GUI. However, these files are displayed on the command line, if you specify the correct query with a wildcard character for the directory.

Note: Because the expire command changes the server picture of the client file system without changing the client file system, the expire command is not allowed on files that are on a file system that is monitored by the IBM® Storage Protect journal daemon.

Supported Clients

This command is valid for all clients.

Syntax

Parameters

OBJTYPE=FILE filespec

Specifies a path and a file name that you want to expire. You can enter only one file specification on this command. However, you can use wildcards to select a group of files or all the files in a directory. If you specify the filelist option, the filespec designation is ignored.

OBJTYPE=VM vmname

vmname specifies the name of a virtual machine. The active backup for the specified virtual machine is expired. The virtual machine name cannot contain wildcard characters.

When objtype=VM is specified, the expire command expires only full virtual machine backups (MODE=IFFULL) for the virtual machine that is specified on the vmname parameter.

Data mover This feature is available only if the client operates as a data mover for IBM Storage Protect for Virtual Environments.

Table 1. Expire command: Related options
Option	Where to use
dateformat	Client options file (dsm.opt) or command line.
dateformat	Client user-options file (dsm.opt) or command line.
filelist	Command line only.
noprompt	Command line only.
numberformat	Client options file (dsm.opt) or command line.
numberformat	Client user-options file (dsm.opt) or command line.
pick	Command line only.
timeformat	Client options file (dsm.opt) or command line.
timeformat	Client user-options file (dsm.opt) or command line.

Examples

Task: Deactivate the letter1.txt file in the home directory.
Command: expire "/home/letter1.txt"
Task: Deactivate the letter1.txt file in the home directory.
Command: expire c:\home\letter1.txt
Task: Deactivate all files in the /admin/mydir directory.
Command: expire /admin/mydir/*
Task: Deactivate all files in the admin\mydir directory.
Command: expire c:\admin\mydir\*
Task: Deactivate all files that are named in the /home/avi/filelist.txt file.
Command: expire -filelist=/home/avi/filelist.txt
Task: Deactivate all files that are named in the c:\avi\filelist.txt file.
Command: expire -filelist=c:\avi\filelist.txt
Task: Deactivate the current backup of the virtual machine that is named vm_test.
Command: expire -objtype=VM vm_test