Retention Policy for Backups

For image-level backups, Veeam Backup for AWS retains restore points for the number of days defined in backup schedule settings.

To track and remove outdated restore points from a backup chain, once a day Veeam Backup for AWS runs a retention policy.

1. Veeam Backup for AWS checks the configuration database to detect which S3 repositories contain outdated restore points.
2. If an outdated restore point exists in an S3 repository, Veeam Backup for AWS transforms the backup chain:

1. Veeam Backup for AWS rebuilds the full backup file to include in it data of the incremental backup file that follows the full backup file. To do that, Veeam Backup for AWS injects into the full backup file data blocks from the earliest incremental backup file in the chain. This way, a full backup ‘moves’ forward in the backup chain.

2. The earliest incremental backup file is removed from the chain as redundant: its data has already been injected into the full backup file, and the full backup file includes data of this incremental backup file.

If the backup chain contains several outdated restore points, the rebuild procedure is similar. Data from several restore points is injected to the rebuilt full backup file. This way, Veeam Backup for AWS makes sure that the backup chain is not broken, and you will be able to recover your data to any restore point.