Hey everyone! I've been sifting through some storage configurations and I might have discovered a 40TB virtual disk that's been sitting unused for over a year. This particular disk seems tied to Backup Exec, but I'm unsure if it's safe to just delete it. My employer has gone through some MSP changes recently, and it feels like a lot of technical details have been lost in the shuffle. Now I'm trying to figure out if it's being accessed by any other servers without manually checking each one. Any advice on how I can confirm whether this storage is still in use or if I can safely get rid of it?
5 Answers
Before you jump into deleting that disk, make sure it’s not needed for compliance or legal reasons. Some businesses are required to keep backups for 7 years or more, which could be the case here. The last thing you want is to accidentally delete something essential!
Yeah, it's best to double-check. You don't want any nasty surprises later.
You might consider checking the network traffic on the iSAN or any performance stats it provides. That could give you insight into whether the disk is being accessed at all. Sometimes those interfaces can show if everything is just sitting idle.
Honestly, if it’s only 40TB and storage is super cheap now, maybe the best move is to just leave it there for now. It could be a good learning opportunity for you over the next year to evaluate its importance. Plus, you never know when someone might need it down the line!
Right? Storage options today are generally affordable. Easier to keep it as a backup project for now.
If you can, try to mask the LUN or apply some restrictions before deleting it. That way you can see if anyone screams about it. Easier to revert that step than to recover needed data after it’s gone!
Also, see if that disk is part of any cluster or has been repurposed in any way. Just because it was connected to Backup Exec doesn't mean it's not being used elsewhere now. So I'd recommend validating that first before doing anything.
Definitely! In my case, we have to keep backups for 11 years because of regulations, so just keep that in mind.