Storage - Delete Backup Storage Locations

Use the Delete Storage Location dialog when you would like to remove one storage device and have its contents combined with another storage device that will remain. Typically, this feature will come in handy if you want to reduce the number of storage devices in use.

Why would I want to use the Delete button?

• You want to use the Delete button when you have added storage in the past and now you want to consolidate your storage onto a fewer number of devices. The key word when considering whether you want to use the Delete feature is that you are permanently removing storage from your backup storage group.

What is the Difference Between the Replace and Delete Buttons?

• Replace - Use the replace feature when you want to copy your backup data from an old storage device to a new storage device AND you are going to retire the old storage device. In other words, you are replacing the old storage with new storage. When the Replace process completes, the total number of storage devices is the same. If you had one storage device before you used the Replace feature, you have one storage device after the Replace.
   
• Delete - The Delete button allows you to reduce the number of storage devices that are in use by taking the contents of two storage devices and combining them onto one storage device. Please note that you will need enough storage space on one device to hold all the backup data from two devices when you use the Delete feature. To avoid data loss, Backup for Workgroups copies the existing backup data on the old storage device to an existing storage location before removing the old location.

How To Delete Storage Devices

1. Go to the computer running the Backup Server software.

2. Run Backup for Workgroups.

3. Select the Storage panel.

4. In the upper half of the Storage Panel which is called the Backup Storage Group, press the Delete button.

5. A list of your existing storage devices appears in both the left and right hand selection boxes in the Delete Storage Location dialog.  Look at the selection box on the left and choose the storage location that you want to delete from your backup storage group. Now, on the right side, you need to choose a storage device that will now hold its own contents plus the contents of the storage device you just selected to delete. The contents of the old storage device will be moved to the storage device you select on the right.

6. Retention - After the files are moved from the old storage location to the new storage location, you can choose to keep the files on the old device or you can delete them after they have been moved. If you choose to keep a copy of the original files on the old device, the files will be moved to the folder called "MovedBackupFiles" under the old storage location you specified above. The purpose of moving the files to this predesignated folder is so that you can keep a copy of the files outside of the active storage location. If you choose to delete the original files after they are moved, each original file is deleted immediately after it has been moved to the new location. This process frees up space at the original location in tandem with the combining process.

7. Press Begin Delete. The amount of time needed to complete this process depends upon the amount of backup data residing on the drive that you have selected to remove. This could take hours/days; backups will continue normally during this process.

8. When all of the contents of the old storage device have been transferred to the selected receiving storage device, then the old storage device is removed from the backup storage group.