SnapVaulr snapshots for SnapLock volumes are deleted automatically according to the retention count set in the SnapVault schedule?

The statement is false. While a SnapVault schedule does define a retention count for its snapshots, this policy is superseded by the rules of SnapLock when the destination volume is a SnapLock volume. A SnapVault snapshot on a SnapLock volume cannot be deleted if it contains any WORM-committed files whose retention period has not yet expired. The SnapLock retention period takes precedence over the SnapVault retention count. The snapshot can only be deleted after the expiry date of the last-expiring WORM file within that snapshot has been reached.

The statement "True" is incorrect because it ignores the fundamental immutability feature of SnapLock technology. SnapLock's primary purpose is to prevent data deletion (for SnapLock Compliance) or modification for a specified retention period. This core function overrides standard data management policies like a simple snapshot retention count defined in a SnapVault schedule.

1. NetApp ONTAP 9 Data Protection Guide:

In the section "How SnapVault retention works with SnapLock

" the documentation explicitly states: "A SnapVault Snapshot copy on a SnapLock destination volume is not deleted until the retention period of the Snapshot copy expires

even if the Snapshot copy is older than the SnapVault retention count." This directly confirms that the SnapLock retention period is the governing factor for deletion

not the SnapVault schedule's count.

(Reference: NetApp ONTAP 9.8 Data Protection Guide

Page 61)

2. NetApp ONTAP 9 SnapLock Configuration and Management Guide:

This guide details the rules for WORM files and the snapshots that contain them. It clarifies: "You cannot delete a Snapshot copy if it contains a WORM file that has not reached its expiry time." Since SnapVault creates Snapshot copies on the destination

this rule applies directly

preventing the SnapVault policy from deleting a locked snapshot.

(Reference: NetApp ONTAP 9.8 SnapLock Configuration and Management Guide

Page 25)

3. NetApp Technical Report TR-4526: SnapLock and SnapVault:

This technical report explains the architecture of using SnapVault with SnapLock. It details that the retention of the SnapVault snapshot on the secondary SnapLock volume is extended to match the retention period of the WORM files it contains. "The retention period of the SnapVault Snapshot copy is automatically extended to match the retention period of the WORM files contained in the Snapshot copy." This confirms that the deletion is tied to the WORM file's expiry

not the backup policy's retention count.

(Reference: NetApp TR-4526

Section: "SnapLock with SnapVault"

Page 10)