Archive Full Backups per GFS Cycle

Veeam Backup & Replication normally creates one archive full backup per GFS cycle.

However, Veeam Backup & Replication will create and keep in the backup chain two archive full backups marked with the same flag in the following cases:

• If you switch from active to synthetic backup method
• If you change scheduling settings for synthetic full backups

Two archive full backups will be created only for one GFS cycle — the GFS cycle when you switched the backup method or changed scheduling settings. In terms of retention policy, these backups are regarded as one. When the allowed number of archive full backups is exceeded, Veeam Backup & Replication removes both backups at the same time from the backup chain.

For example, you instruct a backup copy job to create weekly full backups on Monday. After a weekly full backup is created, you change scheduling settings for weekly full backups to Thursday. In this case, Veeam Backup & Replication will create a new weekly full backup on Thursday. During subsequent weeks, the backup copy job will produce weekly full backups only on Thursday. When the allowed number of weekly full backups is exceeded, Veeam Backup & Replication will remove two weekly full backups created for the week when you changed scheduling settings.

The described behavior is applicable to all GFS cycles — weekly, monthly, quarterly and yearly.