Note on Redefining Retention Periods

NetBackup, by default, stores each backup on a volume that already has backups at the same retention level. However, NetBackup does not check the retention period defined for that level. This means that redefining the retention period for a level can result in unintentionally storing backups with different retention periods on the same volume. For example, if you change the retention period for level 3 from one month to six months, NetBackup stores future level 3 backups on the same volumes that it previously used (if they are available). That is, they are on the volumes with the level 3 backups that have a retention period of one month.

This is not a problem if the new and old retention periods are of about the same value. However, if you make a major change to a retention period (for example, from one week to infinity), it is best to suspend the volumes that were previously used for that retention level. To do this, proceed as follows:

1. Use the NetBackup Media List report to determine which volumes are currently at the level that you are going to suspend.
2. Use the bpmedia command to suspend the volumes.

   bpmedia -suspend -m media_ID