Change backup frequency and version settings

CrashPlan frequency and version settings control how often changed files are backed up, how many versions of each file the backup keeps as those versions age, and how long files deleted from a device stay in the backup. The settings are changed in the CrashPlan console, for one device or for an organization.

How CrashPlan keeps versions

CrashPlan adds a version of a file to the backup each time it backs up a change to that file, and keeps more of the recent versions than the older ones. Any version in the backup can be restored. Archive maintenance, which runs on a schedule at each destination, removes the versions and deleted files that the settings no longer keep.

The most recent version of each file that is still on the device and in the file selection stays in the backup, whatever the settings are.

Backup frequency

Backup changes every sets how often the CrashPlan app backs up changes to files. The app watches the file system for changes, and a file that has changed is backed up at the next interval. For example, with the setting at 15 minutes, a file that changes throughout an hour gets up to four new versions backed up during that hour. A change to this setting takes effect immediately.

Version retention

The four CrashPlan version retention settings each cover versions of a different age and set how many of those versions the backup keeps:

• For one week, keep a version: Versions backed up in the last week.
• After one week, keep a version: Versions between one week and 90 days old.
• After 90 days, keep a version: Versions between 90 days and one year old.
• After one year, keep a version: Versions more than one year old.

A value of Every day, for example, keeps one version of a file for each day in that period. Versions the settings no longer keep are removed during archive maintenance, so a change to these settings applies at the next archive maintenance run.

Deleted file retention

Remove deleted files sets how long a file deleted from the device stays in the CrashPlan backup, counted from when the file was deleted. The console shows the period as a value such as Every 90 days. During that period you can restore the deleted file. After it, the file and all of its versions are removed at the next archive maintenance run.

CrashPlan Enterprise and Managed Service Provider (MSP) plans can set Remove deleted files to Never, which keeps deleted files in the backup indefinitely. On other plans, the longest period is 90 days.

Default settings

By default, CrashPlan backs up changes every 15 minutes and keeps:

• Every version backed up in the last week, one for each 15 minutes in which the file changed
• One version for each day between one week and 90 days ago
• One version for each week between 90 days and one year ago
• One version for each month more than one year ago
• Deleted files for 90 days after they are deleted

How the settings affect backup performance

A shorter CrashPlan backup frequency and higher version retention give more points in time to restore a file from, and both add work for the CrashPlan app:

• Backup frequency: The CrashPlan app backs up the most recently changed files first, so files that change constantly are backed up again at every interval, potentially ahead of files that have been waiting longer. A shorter interval delays those waiting files more, whereas a longer interval allows more time to back up waiting files before new changes are added.
• Version retention: Every version kept is one more for the app and for archive maintenance to track, which can use more memory on the device and lengthen archive maintenance. Keeping fewer versions of a file as the versions age, as the default settings do, limits both.

For a backup that includes files that change often, a longer backup frequency and lower version retention prevent repeated changes and the versions they create from slowing the backup, especially when the files are very large.

Backup sets that share a destination

Each backup set on a device has its own CrashPlan frequency and version settings. Where more than one backup set backs up to the same destination, each set keeps its own backup frequency, and the version retention and Remove deleted files settings of the highest-priority set apply to every file at that destination, as described in How exclusions and retention settings apply across backup sets.

Change frequency and version settings

CrashPlan frequency and version settings for a device are changed on the device's details page in the CrashPlan console.

To change the CrashPlan frequency and version settings for a device:

1. Sign in to the CrashPlan console.
2. Select Administration > Environment > Devices.
3. Select the name of the device.
4. Select the action menu , then select Edit.
5. Select the Backup tab.
6. Under Frequency and versions, move the slider for each setting you are changing.
   When you change a version retention setting to keep fewer versions, the console changes each setting for older versions that kept more, so that it matches. Changing a setting to keep more versions leaves the other settings as they are.
7. Click Save.

If you cannot change these settings, they are managed by your organization, and your CrashPlan administrator needs to make any changes. Administrators can change them for an organization in its Device Backup Defaults, and use Push to apply the change to existing users.

Remove versions and deleted files sooner with archive maintenance

CrashPlan removes the versions and deleted files that the settings no longer keep at the next scheduled archive maintenance run, and in most cases no further action is needed. To remove them sooner, start maintenance yourself from the CrashPlan console.

Archive maintenance can take from several hours to several days, depending on the size and state of the destination's backup archive. Backup to and restore from that destination wait until maintenance finishes, so restore any files you need soon before you start it.

To run archive maintenance from the CrashPlan console:

1. Sign in to the CrashPlan console.
2. Select Administration > Environment > Devices.
3. Select the name of the device.
4. Select the Archive Options icon for the destination.
5. Select Maintain Archive.
6. Click OK.
   The maintenance job is added to the queue.

Each destination keeps its own archive, so if the device backs up to more than one destination, repeat steps 4 through 6 for each destination. For a local destination, start archive maintenance in the CrashPlan app instead: select Settings > Destinations, then Run maintenance.