Backup retention period reduced after vCenter Server upgrade

Products

• VMware vCenter Server

Issue/Introduction

After upgrading the environment from vCenter Server 6.7 to vCenter Server 8.0, backup retention history is significantly reduced.

• Backups are only available for the past 2–3 days, whereas the previous history maintained 2–3 weeks of data.
• Backups appear to be purging daily despite no changes to native vCenter settings.
• VM operations may be impacted if specific tools (e.g., VMware Tools) are missing during power cycles post-upgrade.

Environment

• VMware vCenter Server 8.x
• Third-party backup integration (such as HPE Simplivity)
• vSphere 6.7 or 7.0 to 8.0 upgrade path

Cause

VM backups are managed by an external solution (such as HPE Simplivity) that leverages the vCenter API. The retention policies are governed by the third-party software settings rather than the vCenter Server Appliance Management Interface (VAMI).

Resolution

Adjust the backup retention settings within the external backup management interface.

1. Verify if native file-based backups are configured in the vCenter VAMI (Port 5480).
2. If native backups are not in use, access third-party backup solution's management console.
3. Modify the backup policy to restore the desired retention window (e.g., 21 days).
4. Confirm that the automated maintenance tasks in the third-party solution are not set to purge files more aggressively than required.

For further assistance with third-party backup configurations, contact your backup vendor's support.

 

Additional Information

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