Deleting backups after the source server has been decommissioned

[itomic]

Hi All,

We've recently decommissioned (deleted) a few old VPS, which were, up to the point of being decomissioned, still backing up cPanel accounts to a dedicated Jetbackup server.

We no longer need the backups from those VPS on our dedicated Jetbackup server.

How do we most easily/correctly delete those old backups from the dedicated Jetbackup server?

Thanks,

Ross

[JetAppsTrenton]

Hello itomic,

How do we most easily/correctly delete those old backups from the dedicated Jetbackup server?

Thank you for reaching out to us! We currently do not have a method to remove backups through the JetBackup interface. However, you may utilize our API to delete all snapshots from the specified user. Below is an example API call to remove snapshots:

Code: Select all

jetbackup5api -F deleteAccountSnapshots -D "user={$ACCOUNT_ID}&job={$BACKUP_JOB_ID}&approve=true"

This call will remove all snapshots of the specified account generated by the specified backup job. Kindly refer to our documentation for more information
https://docs.jetbackup.com/v5.3/api/Acc ... ounts.html

Additionally, you may use the method found in our FAQ section for instructions on manually deleting backups directly at your destination.
https://docs.jetbackup.com/v5.3/adminpa ... tBackup%3F


Best Regards,

Trenton V
JetApps, LLC.
JetApps.com | JetBackup.com

[itomic]

Thanks for that.

Some follow-up questions:

1. Presumably, after I delete/decommission a hosting server that was backing up to a dedicated Jetbackup server, this means that the aging backed-up accounts on the Jetbackup server will no longer automatically expire according to the retention policy that previously existed on the source hosting server. Correct? This is a good use-case of when it would be sensible to delete these aging backup files, otherwise they'll remain on the backup server for forever.

2. Let's say I migrate a hosting account (using WHM's Transfer Tool) from old server A to new server B, where both servers are backing up to the same target Jetbackup server. Are the backups from new server B now treated as new, first time backups of that migrated cPanel hosting account? Or is the Jetbackup processing smart enough to recognise that it's the same cPanel hosting account being backed up from a different server, and thereby taking over the auto-deletion of the backups when they're older than the specified retention period? My best guess is that Jetbackups is NOT smart enough to do this?

3. The instructions you've provided talk about deleting individual known cPanel accounts from backups. Is there the option to delete all cPanel backups that are associated with a specific server?

Thx.

[JetAppsKevin]

Hello itomic,

Regarding your inquiries,

1. That is correct. When the server is deleted/decommissioned, the backups on the destination will remain and will not follow any retention policies. If you wish to remove them, they would need to be removed via the API or by adjusting the retention policies before deleting the server or by manually deleting them from the destination.

2. The migrated cPanel hosting account will be considered a different account identified by a newly generated UUID after it is migrated to Server B (new server). This system allows JetBackup to differentiate between accounts with the same username. The backups generated from Server A (old server) can still be utilized by adding the backup destination containing backups with the same username of the migrated account as a Read Only destination on the new server and then reassigning the UUID of the migrated account. For more information about UUIDs and how to reassign them, please refer to our documentation:

https://docs.jetbackup.com/v5.3/adminpa ... gns%20each

Additionally, the backups from Read-Only destination will still follow the retention policies from the old server if it is still running. If the old server is not running, then the backups will remain on the backup destination indefinitely or until removed (refer to #1).

I Also wanted to note that it is possible to migrate cPanel accounts using JetBackup by adding the destination containing backups for the account as a Read-Only destination on the new server and then restoring the account as an Orphan Account. This method will not require reassigning the UUID for the account.

3. There isn't an option to mass delete all backups from a server via the API. However, if you no longer need any backups that were generated from a server, it would be possible to remove the entire Backup Directory manually. If you have any doubts when doing so, please reach out to our Tech Support team via your JetApps Client Area or by emailing [email protected] for further clarification.

Best Regards,