Dell PowerFlex Appliance with PowerFlex 4.x Administration Guide

Modify file-level retention

Retention period parameters can be set at file system creation or modified later.

1. Log in to PowerFlex Manager.
2. Click File > File Systems.
3. Select the file system to modify, and click View Details > File-Level Retention.
4. Set the retention period parameters:
   • Minimum retention period: Specifies the shortest for which a file-level retention enabled file system can be protected. The default value is one day.
   • Default retention period: Used when a file is locked and a retention period is not specified. The default value for enterprise is unlimited, and for compliance is one year.
   • Maximum retention period: Specifies the longest period for which a file-level retention enabled file system can be protected. The default value is unlimited.
5. Optionally, set the advanced settings:
   • Automatic file locking: The system default for automatic file locking is disabled. Users can specify whether to automatically lock files in a file-level retention enabled file system, as well as policy interval for how long after files are modified before the files are automatically locked. When enabled, auto-locked files are set with the default retention period value.
   • Automatic file deletion: You can specify whether to automatically delete locked files after their retention period is expired. The first scan for locating files for deletion is seven days after the feature is enabled.
6. Click Apply.
   Microsoft Windows does not have a native UI/CLI to set retention periods and lock files. Users in an SMB environment should use the Dell file-level retention toolkit. Using this, you can administer and monitor files on file-level retention enabled file systems. Install the toolkit on a Windows client in the same domain as the file-level retention file system you need to access.
   For Linux users, use the following command to set the retention period of the file: #touch -at<time><filename>
   NOTE:Contact Dell Technologies Services to download the toolkit.