NetWorker: How to delete Multiple or Individual SSIDs

Summary: This Article provides a full description on how to manually delete save sets to reclaim used space.

This article applies to This article does not apply to This article is not tied to any specific product. Not all product versions are identified in this article.
Check out other resources

Instructions

WARNING: This Article details the methodology for manually deleting backup data records from NetWorker's media database. Caution must be used when following the processes outlined here to ensure that only data which is no longer wanted is deleted. Deleting save sets is considered as a last resort. When properly configured, NetWorker's retention life cycle provides a framework where each save set is considered for expiry not only by its retention date, but by the save sets which depend upon it; marking save sets as Expired (E) is preferred for normal situations where space reclaim is required but the database integrity is not in question. Incorrect usage of this information can lead to data loss. Dell support cannot advise on which data should be deleted or delete any data from an environment. This NetWorker administrator must identify, validate, and perform the deletion with the approval of the sites storage and infrastructure management.

About the NetWorker save set life cycle.

  • When a save set is first created, it is recorded in the database with its configured retention date (clretent, in mminfo). This is the date after which the Administrator has elected to have the save set automatically removed by NetWorker.
  • When a save set is cloned, that clone also receives a record with its own retention date. The mminfo value ssretent lists the last expiring copy of the save set in the entire data zone.
  • When nsrim runs (either manually or daily using Server Protection > Server backup > Expiry Action), all save sets are checked whether they are past their individual retention (clretent).
  • If a save set is past its retention date, but has dependent save sets which have still not passed theirs (for Example: A full backup, and its dependent incremental backups), that save set is not marked as expired (as it is still needed by its dependents).
  • If no dependencies precluding expiry are found, the save set is marked as Expired, and for disk volumes, NetWorker will immediately attempt to delete the datafile corresponding to the save set record.
    • If deletion is successful: The record is also deleted.
    • If deletion is attempted, but fails for any reason: The record is marked with both an Expired flag (E) and Suspect flag (s) in the save set instance's clflags field. The next time nsrim / Expiry runs, deletion will be reattempted, but even if it fails, the record is deleted anyway.
    • Because NetWorker deletes save set structures for a volume which have no record in the media database anyway, deleting the save set record skips the Expiry and retention calculation, and instead deletes files from the disk during the final phase of the Expiry action / nsrim run (space recovery).
  • Once the files are deleted (by the Expiry or space recovery process), for a standard disk device, the space becomes available immediately. For a Data Domain-type device, the files are deleted, but the space is not reclaimed until Data Domain file system cleaning has been completed. The same is true for a DD Cloud Tier-type device; after NetWorker deletes the record, followed by the save set files, the space is still not reclaimed until Cloud cleaning has run.

For more information about save set flags, see: NetWorker: Understanding Save Set Flags

Best Practices before Proceeding

  • If the NetWorker server is a Virtual Machine, create a snapshot of the NetWorker server.
  • Disable cleaning on the Data Domain.
  • Perform a NetWorker Server Protection backup. Once completed collect the latest bootstrap backup details.
mminfo -B
  • If file system space permits, create a copy of the following NetWorker database folders (res, mm, index). 
  • Rename the nsrim binary on the NetWorker server. This prevents accidental deletion. The process outlined in the KB involves renaming the binary back to default once ready to proceed with data deletion.
    • Windows: C:\Program Files\EMC NetWorker\nsr\bin\nsrim.exe
    • Linux: /usr/sbin/nsrim
NOTE: The above paths assume that the default installation path is used.

How to delete Individual or Multiple SSIDs?

Prerequisite: This process can only be used for deleting save sets on Advanced File Type Devices (AFTD), File Type Devices (FTD), and Data Domain (ddboost) devices. Individual save sets cannot be deleted from a tape volume, even if that tape volume is on a Virtual Tape Library (VTL). The entire volume must be relabeled in order to reclaim space.

Examples of how to list SSIDs:

(quotes are needed around the query when using spaces or special characters):

  • To display all save sets for a single media pool:

SYNTAX:

mminfo -avot -q pool=<mediapool>

EXAMPLE:

mminfo -avot -q pool=LinuxPool
  • To display all save sets for a specific Client and two separate Volumes:

SYNTAX:

mminfo -avot -q client=<client_hostname>,volume=<vol1_name>,volume=<vol2_name>

EXAMPLE:

mminfo -avot -q client=linuxhost1,volume=LinuxPool.001,volume=LinuxPool.002
  • To display all nonbrowsable Data Domain and adv_file save sets.

EXAMPLE:

mminfo -avot -q  type=Data Domain,type=adv_file,recoverable 
  • To display all save sets created over 30 days ago:

EXAMPLE:

mminfo -avot -q  sscreate<=30 days ago 
  •  Display all save sets for a specific Group and Date range (quotes are needed when using special characters):

SYNTAX: 

mminfo -avot -q  group=<group_name>,sscreate>=<start_date>,sscreate<=<end_date> 

EXAMPLE:

mminfo -avot -q  group=WinBackup,sscreate>=1/1/2026,sscreate<=2/1/2026

The NetWorker Command Reference Guide also provides details on the mminfo command.

For INDIVIDUAL SSID deletion:

If a save set ID without the clone ID is specified, it deletes all instances of that save set, including the clones:    

nsrmm -o recyclable -S <ssid> | nsrmm -o recyclable -S <ssid/cloneid>
NOTE: Verify that the right save sets have been changed to recyclable before proceeding. Rename the nsrim executable back to its original name.  
 nsrim -X 

The deletions are recorded in the daemon.raw:

If deletions against a specific volume are not occurring, verify that the operation is running:     

nsrstage -C -V <volume name>
NOTE: Enable DD cleaning once the deleted save sets are verified on NetWorker. In case incorrect save sets have been deleted contact DELL Support immediately. 

For MULTIPLE SSID deletion:

Deleting multiple save sets using batch or shell script commands. 

NOTE: Dell Support does not provide support for scripting.

1. First, append the mminfo output to only report the ssid/cloneid:

SYNTAX: 

mminfo -r ssid,cloneid -xc/

EXAMPLE:

mminfo -avot -q client=linuxhost1 -r ssid,cloneid -xc/
NOTE: If a save set ID without the clone ID is specified, it deletes all instances of that save set, including the clones.

2. Next, redirect the output to a text file to be ran in a batch command:

SYNTAX:

mminfo command -r ssid,cloneid -xc/> > ssid.txt

EXAMPLE:

mminfo -avot -q client=linuxhost1 -r ssid,cloneid -xc/ > ssid.txt
NOTE: Review the ssid list before proceeding to Step 3. 

3. Once the save sets list is created, confirm it is formatted correctly, with a single ssid/cloneid pair per line, ensuring there are no spaces which may separate the two. You can use the -i option to delete save sets identified in the file:

nsrmm -dy -i ssid.txt

However, it is safer and preferred to mark each save set wanted for deletion as Expired. This requires a loop command to process each individually, and takes longer, but is safer as NetWorker can better calculate dependencies when running Expiry Action each day:

WINDOWS: 

for /f %%A in (ssid.txt) do @nsrmm -o recyclable -y -S %%A

LINUX:

while read SID; do nsrmm -o recyclable -y -S ${SID}; echo ${SID}; done < ./ssid.lst
NOTE: These commands must be performed in the same directory where the ssid.txt file is located. After the save sets have been marked recyclable, they will be deleted the next time nsrim is run (nsrim automatically runs during the expiration action of the Server Protection policy). To allow automatic expiration, rename the nsrim binary back to default.

4. Manually start nsrim to perform the deletion process in NetWorker:

NOTE: Verify that the right save sets have been changed to recyclable before proceeding. Rename the nsrim executable back to its original name. 
nsrim -X 

5. The deletions are recorded in the server's daemon.raw. 

If deletions are not occurring against a specific volume, verify that the operation is running:   

nsrstage -C -V <volume_name>
NOTE:  Enable DD cleaning once the deleted save sets are verified on NetWorker. In case incorrect save sets have been deleted contact DELL Support immediately. 

NetApp
For NetApp AFTD devices, the space is not immediately reclaimed, depending on a couple of factors:
If snapshots are taken of the CIFS/NFS file system where the adv_file device resides, they must expire before any data becomes available for cleaning. If the filer is under heavy load, deletions may take an extended period because space reclamation is a low-priority background operation.
 
Data Domain
For Data Domain DD Boost devices, freeing up space requires the Data Domain Cleaning operation to run.
By default, Data Domain only operates disk cleaning once a week on Tuesday. The cleaning cycle can be initiated from the Data Domain Enterprise Manager user interface (Data Management > File System > Start Cleaning).

Additional Information

See Also:

Browse and Retention:

Affected Products

NetWorker

Products

NetWorker, NetWorker Series
Article Properties
Article Number: 000022559
Article Type: How To
Last Modified: 21 Jan 2026
Version:  10
Find answers to your questions from other Dell users
Support Services
Check if your device is covered by Support Services.