.:   purge and retention settings in advanced options

These settings control file retention policy, session quota, file selection method, and optional actions that can be taken at the end of backup sessions.

Keep latest version of all files online

This is the default setting on ISecureDat settings. We always keep the most recent version of a file regardless the other settings. For example, assume you have set Purge Files older than 30 days. If you only have a single copy of a file within that time frame, and this option isn't on, that file would be erased when it's age got over 30 days. Since ISecureDat sets all accounts to ON, that file will be retained regardless of its age until a more current one is saved.

Purge Files older than

This setting sets the retention period of the files for this backup set to a specific number of days. For example, files set for 30 days, will be retained for 30 days and then erased from the server. However, the system will retain at lease one complete backup set regardless the number of day it's set for or the BitBack Threshold size.

Purge if Deleted/Unmarked

Select "yes" to automatically delete files from the server at the end of their retention period, deleted by the client or if they have been de-selected (unmarked) by the client from a previous selection set. Allowing old and unnecessary files to reside on the ISecureDat servers will eventually fill your allotted space and require you to purchase more room to continue backing up your required files. Note - the ISecureDat servers will not just cut you off or refuse to backup your data files if you exceed your initial space. They will receive your transmission(s) as usual. You can either start cleaning out old and unnecessary files or consider increasing your storage area to suit your expanded needs.

Number of Backup Sets to Keep Online

This option becomes available if "Purge Files Older Than" is not selected. You can select a number of backup sets to keep online, and have the software delete old backup sets (all the files in a backup set) in a First-In-First-Out method. For example, if you have this set to 7, when the 8th Backup Set is stored, the oldest (the 1st) backup set will be deleted.

File Selection Criteria

This sets the way the software selects files for backup. If set to Archive Bit, it will select files that have changed since the last backup, according to the archive setting for the file. This is a very fast way to select files. However, if another program resets the archive bit before the backup, the file might not be selected for backup. This can occur if files are being backed up with a tape backup method.

Setting the File Selection Criteria to Modified Date/Time has two advantages and one disadvantage: It can select files for backup regardless of the archive bit, so it's generally more reliable; and it will always do a first full backup, then automatically switch to Incremental Mode (a very handy feature). Its disadvantage is that during a backup session the file selection process is slower than using the archive bit - sometimes quite a bit slower. This might not matter if backups are done at night when nobody is using the computer.

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