Configuring Versioning

Important: To allow keeping versions of replicated files, versioning must be enabled both on the bucket and in Cloud NAS. If either one is disabled each new copy of a replicated file overwrites the previous one. By default, until you enable versioning on the bucket and in Cloud NAS, each new replica of the same file overwrites the previous one. Once you enable versioning in Cloud NAS, each new replica of the same file is kept as a separate version on the bucket. Cloud NAS provides you with the interface to manage versions, by selecting which one to be synchronized with the file on the source, deleting obsolete versions, etc. 

You can disable versioning in Cloud NAS at any time, keeping in mind that:  

• all already saved versions of a file are kept on the bucket, but you can retrieve a specific version only by Console or a different app using the version-id.  

• using Cloud NAS you can retrieve only the latest version of a replicated file.  

• any modifications of a file on the source overwrites only the latest version of the file on the bucket.  

You can also limit the number of versions kept on the bucket, by adding a versioning policy. 

To enable/disable versioning during replication :

Do one of the following: Under Global Settings :-

• Select the “Keep replica versions” check box, to enable versioning in Cloud NAS.  

• Clear/uncheck the “Keep replica versions” check box, to disable versioning in Cloud NAS.  

When prompted, verify that versioning is enabled on the buckets, and click Confirm.  

Click Apply and optionally resume automatic Cloud NAS operations. 

Versioning Policy

As long as versioning is enabled in Cloud NAS, each new replica of a file is kept as a separate version on the bucket. To help you limit the number of replicas of the same file, Cloud NAS allows you to add a versioning policy. When you add a versioning policy without modifying its parameters, it uses the default ones – all versions of the same file that are older than one week are automatically deleted from the bucket, regardless of their number. You can modify the policy in the following ways:  

• Specify a different time interval after which a version must be deleted from the bucket.  

• Specify that the above rule must be applied only if the number of versions exceeds a specified number. For example, if you have configured the versioning policy to delete replicas older than 1 month, but only if the overall number of replicas of the same file is 5, Cloud NAS deletes the version of the file, which has been replicated 2 months ago, only when a sixth version is replicated on the bucket.  

• Specify the maximum number of versions, which should be kept on the bucket. When this number is exceeded, Cloud NAS automatically deletes the oldest version.  

You can add a global policy, valid for all sources. You can also add and enable a versioning policy valid for just a specific pair of source and bucket, and thus use different parameters. Keep in mind that the global versioning policy is valid only for sources that do not have a versioning policy of their own. Thus, even if you have configured a versioning policy for a pair of source and bucket, but it is disabled, Cloud NAS assumes that the pair has a policy of its own and does not apply the global versioning policy. 

To add and configure global versioning policy:

1. Select Wasabi Cloud NAS in the left pane and then click Add policy.

Note: Versioning policy is greyed if you have not enabled the “Keep replica versions” check box in the Cloud NAS settings. 

3. In the right pane do one of the following:

• Select “By Age” and in “Delete versions older than” specify how old a version should be for Cloud NAS to delete it from the bucket.
• Select the “Keep at least” check box and specify the maximum number of versions of the same file, which when exceeded triggers the “By Age” rule.  
• Clear the “Keep at least” check box, to apply the “By Age” rule regardless of the number of versions on the bucket. 
• Select “By Count” and in “Maximum versions to keep” specify the maximum number of versions kept on the bucket. When this number is exceeded, Cloud NAS deletes any version of the same file above the limit, starting with the oldest ones. 
• When prompted, verify that versioning is enabled on the buckets/containers of the bucket(s), and click Confirm. 
• Click Apply and optionally resume automatic Cloud NAS operations.  

Note: To edit the global policy, simply select it in the left pane, edit the desired parameter and click Apply. To delete the global policy, select it in the left pane and click Delete policy. 

To overwrite the global versioning policy for a specific source:

1. In the Cloud NAS Configuration, select the source in the left pane and then click Add policy.

2. In the Policy Type dialog, click Versioning and then click OK.

Note: Versioning policy is greyed if you have not enabled the “Keep replica versions” check box in the Cloud NAS settings.

3. In the right pane, select the Enabled check box, to enable the policy.

4. To change the default parameters of the versioning policy, do one of the following:

• Select “By Age” and in “Delete versions older than” specify how old a version should be for Cloud NAS to delete it from the bucket.

• Select the “Keep at least” check box and specify the maximum number of versions of the same file, which only when exceeded triggers the “By Age” rule.

• Clear the “Keep at least” check box, to apply the “By Age” rule regardless of the number of versions on the bucket.

• Select “By Count” and in “Maximum versions to keep” specify the maximum number of versions kept on the bucket. When this number is exceeded, Cloud NAS deletes any version of the same file above the limit, starting with the oldest ones.

5. When prompted, verify that versioning is enabled on the bucket, and click Confirm.

6. Click Apply and optionally resume automatic Cloud NAS operations.

Note: To edit the policy, simply select it in the left pane, edit the desired parameter and click Apply. To delete the policy, select it in the left pane and click Delete policy. To disable the policy without deleting it, select it in the left pane and clear the “Enable” check box, then click Apply.