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why are expired backup sets still taking up disk space

Created: 12 Jun 2013 • Updated: 13 Jun 2013 | 8 comments
This issue has been solved. See solution.

I've got another question. I'm sure i'm just missing a setting somewhere. I am going through backup sets and am finding backup sets, for example, that have been expired since August of last year:


sorry, it's a bit fuzzy. anyway, isn't BE supposed to reclaim that disk space? i'm going through and manually deleting them but I want/need BE to do this for me. can anyone tell me what i've missed or gotten incorrect? thanks!

Operating Systems:

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lmosla's picture


Backup Exec 2012 uses DLM (Data LifeCycle Management) to protect data.  See the following link on how this functions and using it effectively

Donald Eady's picture

Looking at the screen shot i would think that the backup set should have been groomed out by the DLM. I can see where a full backup of some of the resources has run so these sets would not be seen as the last set of the resource.

Have you recently run live update to verify that the server is fully patched up?

Also is the storage location internal to the machine or is it externally attached?

I hope this posting was helpful


Gossett's picture

I check live update every day even though I know it's not that often. I did get a live update last week and installed it. the storage is an externa NAS via iScsi

Donald Eady's picture

Also ... I cant see the full server name in the screen shot you provided... are the resources that we are seeing all from the same server or are they from different servers?

I hope this posting was helpful


Gossett's picture

The resources are from all four of the different servers I back up, not just one.

Sush...'s picture

Hello Gossett,

    Can you confirm if it is the last backup set for those each server??

As per the technote below Backup Exec does not automatically delete the last backup set : Backup Exec 2012 won't auto-delete the disk storage if it is the last backup on disk


If you want to delete the last backup set also then perform the following steps:

1. Open Registry on the Backup Exec Media Server
2. Start->Run->Regedit
3. Navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Symantec\Backup Exec For Windows\Backup Exec\Server
4. Create a new DWORD value named DeleteLastRecoverySetsOnceExpired
5. Modify the value to 1

Refer to Cause #2 of the following technote : Backup 2012: Some expired backup sets are not being deleted after the expiration date or unable to overwrite or delete the last backup set





Gossett's picture

it actually was the last backup set. Thank you guys for your help!