Managing retention sets

When a retention set is created, the server identifies the client backup data to be retained. Clients can be backup-archive clients, IBM® Storage Protect for Virtual Environments virtual machines, Data Protection for Microsoft Exchange Server clients, or Data Protection for Microsoft SQL Server clients. A retention set can be created at regular intervals according to the frequency that is defined by a retention rule. A retention set can also be created on demand from a retention rule, or on demand from the Clients page. Retention sets that are created at regular intervals from a retention rule are designed to satisfy requirements for collecting data on a recurring basis. Retention sets that are created on demand from a retention rule or from the Clients page are designed to satisfy requirements for collecting data only once, usually in response to an event.

Retention sets are created in place in primary storage and can be copied to tape or to cloud object storage.

With in-place retention, the retention set consists only of database references to the original backup data objects in primary storage. A backup data object might be in multiple in-place retention sets, but all retention sets reference the original backup data object. The backup data objects are retained according to the retention set's expiration date, which is independent of policy set specifications. A backup data object might be eligible for deletion based on its backup policy, but expiration processing does not delete the data object if it is part of an unexpired in-place retention set.

With retention to tape, the retention set is first created as an in-place retention set in primary storage, but is later copied to tape. With retention to cloud, retention sets are first created as in-place retention sets in primary storage, but are later copied to cloud object storage. Until a data object in the retention set is copied, it cannot be deleted in primary storage even if it is eligible for deletion based on backup policies. However, after the backup data object is copied, it can be deleted from primary storage according to backup policies. For this reason, do not consider the retention set on tape or in cloud storage to be a secondary copy. After a retention set is copied to tape or cloud storage, the tape or cloud copy is the primary copy of the retention set.

The expiration date of a retention set is determined by the retention period that is specified in the retention rule or, if the retention set is created on demand, by the administrator who creates the retention set. You can reset the expiration date on a retention set if requirements for keeping the data change.

To view the retention sets that are defined to hub or spoke servers, open the Retention Sets page. From the Retention Sets page, you can view information about each retention set such as its creation and expiration date. From the Retention Sets page, you can also reset a retention set's expiration date or delete a retention set.