Deleting local and cloud data

Topic

This article explains what happens when you use the Delete all Local and Delete all Cloud data deletion features on a Datto appliance.

For a general overview of how to use the feature, see our Manage Recovery Points article.

IMPORTANT  Datto recommends contacting Datto Technical Support before deleting data from your device. Deleted data may be impossible to recover.

For enhanced security, certain features, such as the Delete all Cloud button, cannot be accessed locally, and are only available when accessing the Device Web UI from the Partner Portal.

Environment

  • Datto ALTO
  • Datto SIRIS
  • Datto Endpoint Backup
  • Datto Backup for Microsoft Azure

Description

Overview

Partners may need to delete data when:

  • storage on the Datto device runs low.
  • storage space in the Datto Cloud runs low.
  • the data is redundant or out-of-date.
  • a device's dataset becomes corrupted.
  • removing a device from service.

Deleting local data

The term Local Data refers to information stored on the Datto device's storage drives. All data resides locally on the Datto device before replicating to the Datto Cloud. You can delete local data in three ways:

  • Deleting individual data snapshots
  • Running retention on the agent
  • Deleting all local data

Deleting individual data snapshots

  • Each backup your Datto device takes is a unique data snapshot, also called a recovery point. Each recovery point contains all the information necessary to restore all the data present at the time of the backup. You can choose to delete one, some, or all of an agent's recovery points.
  • You can delete individual recovery points to create free space when local storage on the Datto device nears full capacity.
  • The Datto device will not let you remove any recovery points that it requires to keep the integrity of the backup chain intact. See Why can't I delete certain recovery points? below.

Forcing retention on an agent

  • Retention is the process of deleting recovery points according to a preset schedule. Retention automatically runs each day based on the schedule you set. The Force Retention feature lets you manually run retention to remove all local recovery points that have passed their retention date.
  • A common reason to force retention is to free storage space on a full Datto device.
  • Retention will not remove any recovery points that are waiting to sync offsite to the cloud. See I forced local retention, but the data is still there. Why? below.

Deleting all local data

  • This option removes all local recovery points that are not required to maintain an association with the offsite backup chain for the selected system.
  • You will not be able to select or mark any point for deletion that your Datto appliance has flagged for offsite replication or considers a Connecting Point - an essential snapshot that is used to maintain consistency between the local and offsite backup chains. To permanently remove all backup points for a selected system, you must first archive the backup chain.
  • Removing local data is commonly done when a partner takes the Datto device out of service or re-purposes it for use with a different organization.
  • The Datto device will not let you remove recovery points it requires to keep the integrity of the backup chain intact. See Why can't I delete certain recovery points? below.
  • If you delete local data that you have not replicated to the Datto Cloud, you cannot recover it.
  • The appliance deletes locally stored data already synced to the Datto Cloud. You can recover this data from the Datto Cloud via file restore or image export.
  • Large data sizes may require a Reverse RoundTrip to repopulate to the Datto device.

Deleting cloud data

The term Cloud Data refers to data stored offsite within the Datto Cloud. Data replicates to the cloud to provide redundancy if the physical Datto appliance is damaged or unreachable. If a disaster occurs, you can use the cloud data to restore to a hypervisor, virtual host, or a new physical machine.

Cloud data deletion is commonly done when the data is no longer needed, such as when a Datto partner takes the Datto device out of service or repurposes it. You can also delete cloud data if the size of one or more recovery points is causing billing tier overages, or if you've identified ransomware in a recovery point and need to remove the backup containing the infected data.

Deleting all cloud data

  • If data no longer exists in the Datto Cloud, but it is still stored locally on your appliance, you can recover it by performing a local file restore or local image export.
  • You cannot retrieve data deleted from the Datto Cloud, that is no longer stored locally on the Datto appliance.

Why can't I delete certain recovery points?

Your Datto appliance will only let you delete recovery points that it considers non-essential to the integrity of the backup chain. There are two types of essential recovery points which your Datto device will prevent you from manually removing:

  • Connecting points: A connecting point is a crucial recovery point that your Datto appliance uses to maintain consistency between the local and offsite backup chains. Connecting points allow the appliance to evaluate the data change between the last recovery point sent offsite and the most recent one, and request a cloud synchronization file consisting only of the incremental differences between the two. If you were to remove the connecting points from a backup chain, your device would send a full base image offsite every time it replicated data to the Datto Cloud.
  • Recovery points pending replication: You will not be able to delete recovery points on your device that are marked for offsite replication until the replication process completes.

To permanently remove all backup points for a selected system, you must first archive the backup chain.

I deleted data, but I didn't get as much space back as I expected. Why not?

Datto appliances use Inverse Backup Chain technology to ensure the maximum integrity of your backup chain.

When you attempt to remove an individual recovery point, your Datto appliance will evaluate the data it contains to see if any other recovery points in the Inverse Backup Chain rely on the information it contains. If it finds that any other recovery point references need the data, it will preserve it, and remove only the data unique to the selected backup point. For example, a 12 MB recovery point might contain 7 MB of data referenced by other backup points in the chain; if you were to delete this recovery point, you would only recover 5 MB.

When you delete all local or all cloud data, the same principle applies; your Datto appliance will remove all of the unique data contained in the backups while preserving the critical data needed to maintain the connecting points between your local and cloud chains. To permanently remove all backup points for a selected system, you must first archive the backup chain.

You can learn more about Inverse Backup Chain technology and how it affects space reclamation in our Explaining the Inverse Chain and Investigating Large Recovery Points article.

I forced local retention, but the data is still there. Why?

Local retention will not run if there are points outside the retention date window that are waiting to sync offsite. When large amounts of data are waiting to get offsite, a RoundTrip may be the best way to get the data uploaded to the Datto Cloud.

Additional Resources