Perhaps our situation is a little different than others, but our concern
when a server is decommissioned is that somebody is going to come
looking for that data, sometimes weeks later.  It has happened before.
Sometimes we have decommissioned a server, and an urgent request has
come in to do a complete restore of a server the next day. (Craze I
know, but sometimes communications fall through the cracks in a large
company.)  We have a policy to keep client data for 90 days after the
server has been decommissioned. 

One thing we DON'T want to do is have the active files become inactive,
or have the inactive versions deleted.  One of the previous responders
in this thread said to just stop backing the client up, and "do
nothing", because the data will still be retained.  That will be true of
the active version of the files, but the inactive versions will still
expire as time goes by.  After a couple of months only the active
version will be left.  While that might be OK, we know from experience
that during the last days of the life of a server, data may be deleted
or moved around, files may be open, or whatever, and the last backup
performed may not be the one the customer wants restored.  To us it is
worth it to retain the inactive versions, too, so the customer can do a
point-in-time restore. 

Our routine is:

1) We move the client to a special policy domain called "DECOM".  This
policy specifies 90 day retention of all versions.  It also specifies
copymode=absolute.

2) We then launch one more immediate backup.  Because of
copymode=absolute it is essentially a full backup.  That gets all the
active versions of the data onto the same media, so if anybody asks for
a full restore we can do it quickly.

3) We put the clients name into a tracking file with the decommission
date, so we don't forget when 90 days is up.

4) When 90 days is up, we delete all the filespaces for the client, then
the client itself.

If anyone sees a flaw in this scheme please let us know.

Best Regards,

John D. Schneider 
Email:  John.Schneider AT Mercy DOT net 


-----Original Message-----
From: ADSM: Dist Stor Manager [mailto:ADSM-L AT VM.MARIST DOT EDU] On Behalf Of
Richard Sims
Sent: Thursday, May 22, 2008 9:53 AM
To: ADSM-L AT VM.MARIST DOT EDU
Subject: Re: [ADSM-L] Decommissioned Servers

On May 22, 2008, at 9:59 AM, Wimprine, Thomas wrote:

> I have a system(s) that have been turned off never to return. I need 
> to set the backup data that was on them to inactive. Does anyone know 
> how to make this happen?  ...

One way is to perform a backup of a same-named, empty file system (which
is easy to set up, a number of ways) on a same-type node which
masquerades as the original node via Virtualnodename.

   Richard Sims
This e-mail contains information which (a) may be PROPRIETARY IN NATURE OR
OTHERWISE PROTECTED BY LAW FROM DISCLOSURE, and (b) is intended only for the
use of the addressee(s) named above. If you are not the addressee, or the
person responsible for delivering this to the addressee(s), you are notified
that reading, copying or distributing this e-mail is prohibited. If you have
received this e-mail in error, please contact the sender immediately.