Delete Backup

The delete backup command deletes files, images, and virtual machines that were backed up to IBM Spectrum Protect™ server storage. Your administrator must give you authority to delete objects.

When you delete files, the IBM Spectrum Protect server takes all of the backed up files that meet the filespec and deltype options that are specified and deactivates them. The server also assigns a deactivation date of infinite-minus so that the files are no longer available for restore and are purged, immediately on the subsequent run of file expiration. The file is not physically removed until the expiration process runs.

Important: After you delete backup files, you cannot restore them; verify that the backup files are no longer needed before you delete them. You are prompted to choose whether you want to continue with the delete. If you specify yes, the specified backup files are scheduled for deletion and removed from server storage.

Supported Clients

This command is valid for all clients.

Syntax


>>-Delete BAckup-- --+-----------------------------------+------>
                     '-+-filespec----------------------+-'   
                       '-{--filespacename--}--filespec-'     

>--+-----------------------+------------------------------------>
   | .-objtype=FILE------. |   
   '-+-------------------+-'   
     +-objtype=IMAGE-----+     
     '-objtype=VM vmname-'     

   .-deltype=ACTIVE-------.               
>--+----------------------+-+---------+------------------------><
   +-+------------------+-+ '-options-'   
   | '-deltype=INACTIVE-' |               
   '-+-------------+------'               
     '-deltype=ALL-'

Parameters

filespace/filespec

filespec

Specifies the path and file name that you want to delete from storage. To specify a file in another file space, precede the file name with the file space name. Use wildcard characters to specify a group of files or all files in a directory. Separate file specifications with a space. You can also use the filelist option to process a list of files. The backup-archive client opens the file that is specified with this option and processes the list of files within according to the specific command.

Note: If you indicate filespacename, do not include a drive letter in the file specification.

When you use -deltype=inactive or -deltype=active, use wildcard characters to specify a group of files or all files in a directory.

When you use -deltype=all, specify a fully wildcarded directory.

objtype

Specifies the type of object that you want to delete. You can specify either of the following values:

FILE

Specifies that you want to delete directories and files. This value is the default object type.

IMAGE

Specifies that you want to delete an image backup. Specifies that you want to delete an image backup. Objtype=image is not supported on Mac OS X.

VM vmname

Specifies that you want to delete one or more versions of a virtual machine backup; the virtual machine is identified by the vmname variable parameter. The virtual machine name cannot contain wildcard characters.

Virtual machine operations are available only if the client operates as a data mover for IBM Spectrum Protect for Virtual Environments.

When objtype=VM is specified, the filelist option cannot be used. Specifying objtype=VM changes the behavior of the -deltype option. When objtype=vm is specified, you can use either -deltype=active or -deltype=inactive. You cannot use -deltype=all. Specifying -deltype=inactive displays a list of both inactive and active backups. You can use this list to specify which virtual machine backups that you want to delete. To delete only active virtual machine backups, use -deltype=active.

When you specify -objtype=VM, this command deletes only virtual machine backups that were created with any of the following modes: FULL, IFINCR, and IFFULL. Backups that were created with the full or incremental mode were created with the version 7.1 or earlier client.

For backups that were created with the version 7.1 or earlier clients: Individual incremental backups (backups that were created by using MODE=INCR) that were created after a full backup was run cannot be deleted with this command. However, if you delete a full virtual machine image backup (created by using MODE=FULL), and if the server has any incremental backups (MODE=INCR) that were created for this VM after the full backup, then deleting the full VM backup also deletes the files that were created by a MODE=INCR backup.

If you delete an active backup for a virtual machine, the most recent inactive copy becomes the active backup. If you specify the -pick or -inactive option, only the backup that you specify is deleted. If you select a backup that is created by MODE=IFINCR, only the selected incremental backup is deleted; other incremental backups for the virtual machine are not deleted.

deltype

Specifies the deletion type. Specify one of the following values:

ACTIVE: Delete only active file objects. Directory objects are not deleted. This value is the default deletion type.
Note: If there are any inactive objects, then after the active object is deleted, the most current inactive object is changed from inactive to active.

To delete all versions of a file, first issue the delete backup command with -deltype=inactive, then enter the command again with -deltype=active.
INACTIVE: Delete only inactive file objects. Directory objects are not deleted.
ALL: Delete all active and inactive objects below a particular directory, including all subdirectories and their files.
Note: The parent directory of the deleted files and subdirectories is not deleted. If you specify deltype=ALL, you cannot use the pick option because deltype=ALL and the pick option are mutually exclusive.

Table 1. Delete Backup command: Related options
Option	Where to use
description	Command line only.
filelist	Command line only.
fromdate	Command line, and in the GUI find function.
fromtime	Command line, and in the GUI find function.
noprompt	Command line only.
pick	Command line only.
pitdate	Command line, and in the GUI find function.
pittime	Command line, and in the GUI find function.
subdir	Client options file (dsm.opt) or command line.
tapeprompt	Client options file (dsm.opt) or command line.
timeformat	Client options file (dsm.opt) or command line.
todate	Command line, and in the GUI find function.
totime	Command line, and in the GUI find function.

Examples

Task: Delete all active and inactive file objects that are named budget in directory /data/plan/proj1.
Commands:
delete backup /data/plan/proj1/budget.jan -deltype=inactive
delete backup /data/plan/proj1/budget.jan -deltype=active
Task: Delete all inactive files that have a .txt extension that were backed up from the /data/plan/proj1 directory and its subdirectories.
Command: delete backup "/data/plan/proj1/*.txt" -deltype=inactive -subdir=yes
Task: Delete selected active files that are backed up from the /home/marymb/project directory. Use the -pick option to display a list of backup copies that match the file specification. From the list, you can select which versions to delete.
Command: delete backup "/home/marymb/project/*" -pick
Task: Delete all active and inactive versions of files and subdirectories in the /home/storman/myproject directory. Then, delete all active and inactive versions of the /user/myproject directory.
Command:
delete backup "/home/storman/myproject*"
-deltype=all
Task: Delete all active file objects from file space abc in the proj directory.
Command: delete backup {abc}\proj\*
Task: Delete all inactive files with a name that ends with .txt that were backed up from the c:\plan\proj1 directory, and its subdirectories.
Command: delete backup c:\plan\proj1\*.txt -deltype=inactive -subdir=yes
Task: Delete selected active files that are backed up from the c:\project directory. Use the -pick option to display a list of backup copies that match the file specification. From the list, you can select which versions to delete.
Command: delete backup c:\project\* -pick
Task: Delete all active and inactive versions of files and subdirectories in c:\user\myproject.
Command: delete backup c:\user\myproject\* -deltype=all

Note: The backup versions of directory object c:\user\myproject are not deleted.
Task: Delete the active backup of a virtual machine that is named vm1.
Command: delete backup -objtype=vm vm1

Note: If one or more inactive versions of this backup exist, the most recent becomes the active version.
Task: Delete one or more backup versions of a virtual machine that is named vm_test.
Command: delete backup -objtype=vm -inactive vm_test

Note: All versions of backups for this VM node are displayed in a list; you select the versions to delete.