backup followed by forget --prune in a schedule

[fdw]

I would like to start backup followed by forget --prune in a schedule. I can start both with a schedule each, but then it depends on luck which one starts first, and the other runs into a lock.
Additionally, retention seems to be deprecated.

What is the correct way to start first and and directly the other in one schedule?

[creativeprojects]

Sorry if it's not being very clear:

The retention section is not deprecated.

What is deprecated is scheduling the retention on its own.

So, the way it works is:

• you can schedule a backup followed by a retention (in the same schedule)
• you can schedule a forget. Typically a scheduled forget can have different options than the retention section.

[fdw]

Thank you very much 🙂

Just to make sure I understand this correctly: I schedule the backup, and by adding after-backup=true to the retention section, it will automatically also be scheduled after each backup?

Also, is there an easy way to use the same configuration as forget, or do I have to duplicate it?

[jkellerer]

Yes correct, after-backup=true in retention will also run restic forget with the configuration done inside the retention section, whenever you run resticprofile backup (also when it is scheduled).

If you'd like to run resticprofile forget, you configure the forget section. This is then running restic forget using the configuration done in the forget section.

If for some reason you need the same configuration in both section (you probably never would but just in case), you can use templates (or mixins) to define it once and reuse it.

[fdw]

Awesome, thank you 🙂

May I ask one more question, out of curiosity? I can trigger check from backup with check-after and check-before. Why have you decided to use a new section retention instead of forget-after and forget-before in backup? From what I can see so far is that the only difference is that you had two configurations of forget, one for stand-alone calls and one for retention.

However, with forget-after, it would be easier to see that another action is triggered after the backup, and it's consistent with check-after. You could even use the forget commands and web-hooks, which retention doesn't have (unfortunately).

Please don't take this the wrong way, I expect that you thought long about my suggestion and decided that a retention configuration is better 🙂 I only want to understand your decision, not question it.

[jkellerer]

We have an outstanding feature idea to introduce aliases that can span over multiple commands and that are meant to replace “-before” and “-after” (auto aliases would remain backward compatibility). So yes there is awareness 😀

However retention and forget will exist in parallel, since sometimes you want to be able to remove individual snapshots. You can do this with resticprofile myprofile.forget snapshotid (basically you don’t want the normal retention logic when tweaking the history manually)

[fdw]

Thanks 🙂 No more questions 😉