EXPIRE INVENTORY (Manually start inventory expiration processing)

Use this command to manually start inventory expiration processing. The inventory expiration process removes client backup and archive file copies from server storage. Removal is based on policy specifications in the backup and archive copy groups of the management classes to which the files are bound.

When you have the disaster recovery manager function for your IBM Spectrum® Protect server, the inventory expiration process also removes eligible virtual volumes that are used by the following processes:
  • Database backups of type BACKUPFULL, BACKUPINCR, and DBSNAPSHOT. The SET DRMDBBACKUPEXPIREDAYS command controls when these volumes are eligible for expiration.
  • Recovery plan files of type RPFILE and RPFSNAPSHOT. The SET DRMRPFEXPIREDAYS command controls when these volumes are eligible for expiration.
The inventory expiration process that runs during server initialization does not remove these virtual volumes.

Only one expiration process is allowed at any time, but this process can be distributed among a maximum of 40 threads. If an expiration process is running, you cannot start another process.

You can set up automatic expiration processing with the EXPINTERVAL server option. If you set the EXPINTERVAL option to 0, the server does not run expiration automatically, and you must issue the EXPIRE INVENTORY command to start expiration processing.

This command creates a background process that can be canceled with the CANCEL PROCESS command. To display information about background processes, use the QUERY PROCESS command.

If this command is applied to a WORM volume, the volume returns to being a scratch volume if it has remaining space in which data can be written. Data on WORM volumes, including deleted and expired data, cannot be overwritten. Therefore, data can be written only in space that does not contain current, deleted, or expired data. If a WORM volume does not have any space available in which data can be written, it remains private. To remove the volume from the library, you must use the CHECKOUT LIBVOLUME command.

Run the EXPIRE INVENTORY command to delete files from server storage if they were not deleted when you used client delete operations.

For more information about client delete operations, see Backup-archive client options and commands.

Privilege class

To issue this command, you must have system privilege.

Syntax

Read syntax diagramSkip visual syntax diagram EXPIre Inventory Quiet=NoQuiet=NoYesWait=NoWait=NoYesNodes=*Nodes=node_namenode_group_nameEXCLUDENodes=excluded_node_nameDOmain=domain_nameType=ALlType=ALlArchiveBackupOtherREsource=4REsource=numberSKipdirs=NoSKipdirs=NoYesDUration=minutes

Parameters

Quiet
Specifies whether the server suppresses detailed messages about policy changes during the expiration processing. This parameter is optional. The default is NO. Possible values are:
No
Specifies that the server sends detailed informational messages.
Yes
Specifies that the server sends only summary messages. The server issues messages about policy changes only when files are deleted and either the default management class or retention grace period for the domain was used to expire the files.

You can also specify the EXPQUIET option in the server options file to automatically determine whether expiration processing is run with summary messages.

Wait
Specifies whether to wait for the server to complete processing this command in the foreground. This parameter is optional. The default value is NO. Possible values are:
No
Specifies that the server processes this command in the background. You can continue with other tasks while the command is being processed.

The server displays messages that are created from the background process either in the activity log or the server console, depending on where messages are logged.

Yes
Specifies that the server processes this command in the foreground. You wait for the command to complete before you continue with other tasks. The server then displays the output messages to the administrative client when the command completes.
Restriction: You cannot specify WAIT=YES from the server console.
SKipdirs
Specifies whether the server skips directory type objects during the expiration processing. This parameter is optional. The default is NO. Possible values are:
No
Specifies that the server expires files and directories that are based on the appropriate policy criteria.
Yes
Specifies that the server skips directory type backup and archive objects during expiration processing, even if the directories are eligible for expiration. By specifying YES, you prevent deletion of directories, and expiration processing can occur more quickly.
Attention: Do not use this option all of the time. With IBM Spectrum Protect Version 6.0 and later, you can run multiple threads (resources) for an expiration process. Also, if you specify YES often, the database grows as the directory objects accumulate, and the time that is spent for expiration increases. Run SKIPDIRS=NO periodically to expire the directories and reduce the size of the database.
Nodes
Specifies the name of the client nodes or node groups whose data is to be processed. To specify multiple node and node group names, separate the names with commas and no intervening spaces. Node names can contain wildcard characters, but node group names cannot. This parameter is optional.

You can specify NODES, EXCLUDENODES, DOMAIN, or any combination. If you specify more than one of these parameters, only those nodes that match the criteria for both NODES and DOMAIN and does not match the criteria for EXCLUDENODES command options are processed. If you do not specify NODES, EXCLUDENODES, or DOMAIN with a value, data for all nodes is processed.

EXCLUDENodes
Specifies the name of the client nodes or node groups whose data is not to be processed. To specify multiple node and node group names, separate the names with commas and no intervening spaces. Node names can contain wildcard characters, but node group names cannot. This parameter is optional.

You can specify NODES, EXCLUDENODES, DOMAIN, or any combination. If you specify more than one of these parameters, only those nodes that match the criteria for both NODES and DOMAIN and does not match the criteria for EXCLUDENODES command options are processed. If you do not specify NODES, EXCLUDENODES, or DOMAIN with a value, data for all nodes is processed.

Domain
Specifies that only data for client nodes that are assigned to the specified domain is to be processed. This parameter is optional. You can specify NODES, EXCLUDENODES, DOMAIN, or any combination. If you specify more than one of these parameters, only those nodes that match the criteria for both NODES and DOMAIN and does not match the criteria for EXCLUDENODES command options are processed. If you do not specify NODES, EXCLUDENODES, or DOMAIN with a value, data for all nodes is processed.
Type
Specifies the type of data to be processed. This parameter is optional. The default value is ALL. Possible values are:
ALl
Process all types of data that is eligible for expiration
Archive
Process only client archive data
Backup
Process only client backup data
Other
Process only items for disaster recovery manager functions, such as recovery plan files and obsolete database backups
REsource
Specifies the number of threads that can run in parallel. Specify a value in the range 1 - 40. This parameter is optional. The default is four.

Expiration runs as a single process, although the resources represent parallel work by the server within the single expiration process. Archive data for a node runs only on a single resource, but backup data can be spread across resources on a file space level. For example, if you specify NODE=X,Y,Z each with three file spaces and RESOURCE=5, then expiration processing for the three X, Y, and Z client nodes runs in parallel. At least one resource processes each node, and at least one node uses multiple resources for processing backup data across the multiple file spaces.

DUration
Specifies the maximum number of minutes for the expiration process to run. The process stops when the specified number of minutes pass or when all eligible expired objects are deleted, whichever comes first. Specify a value in the range 1 - 2880. This parameter is optional. If this parameter is not specified, the duration of the expiration process is not limited by time.

Example: Run inventory expiration processing for a specific time period

Run the expiration process for two hours.
expire inventory duration=120

Example: Run inventory expiration processing for backup data for two client nodes

Run inventory expiration processing for the backup data for two client nodes, CHARLIE and ROBBIE. Allow the server to run expiration processing until completed.
expire inventory nodes=charlie,robbie resource=2 type=backup

Example: Run inventory expiration processing for all client nodes except two nodes

Run inventory expiration processing for all client nodes except two nodes, CHARLIE and ROBBIE. Allow the server to run expiration processing until completed.
expire inventory excludenodes=charlie,robbie

Example: Run inventory expiration processing for all client nodes in a domain except one node

Run inventory expiration processing for all client nodes in a domain except one node, ROBBIE. Allow the server to run expiration processing until completed.
expire inventory domain=standard excludenodes=robbie

Related commands

Table 1. Commands related to EXPIRE INVENTORY
Command Description
AUDIT LICENSES Verifies compliance with defined licenses.
CANCEL EXPIRATION Cancels inventory expiration processing.
CANCEL PROCESS Cancels a background server process.
QUERY PROCESS Displays information about background processes.