NetWorker: Retention policy for Clone data changes original save set retention

Automatic cloning is configured on group containing backup server with a lower retention than the clone pool retention.
Automatic cloning is configured on all groups with a different retention policy.
mminfo shows that the ssbrowse and ssretent takes the retention from the clone pool policy.

Retention policy - The pool retention policy defines how long the system protects a volume from being overwritten. A save set with the longest retention period on the volume determines the effective protection time. The system applies the longer retention period between the client and the pool policies to each save set. Available options depend on the set of defined retention policies.

Assigning a retention policy to a clone pool has specific effects. When you set a policy, the system applies it to all save sets in the pool. This happens regardless of the client’s retention policy. As a result, a clone pool can use a different browse and retention period than the original save set.

When multiple clone instances exist for a save set, the system sets the save set retention (ssretent) to the maximum of all clone retention periods. This means the save set does not expire until all clones reach the end of their retention periods. At least one copy of the save set remains available until that maximum period passes. As a result, the save set stays recoverable until the longest clone retention expires. The system assigns the same ssretent value to all clone instances of the save set.

When you create a new clone, the system may update the original save set’s ssretent value. If the new clone has a longer retention period, the system resets ssretent to the maximum of both clone retention periods. This ensures the save set remains recoverable until all clones expire. This behavior is intentional and works by design.

Workaround:

Manually recycle onsite data, recycle the volumes manually which belongs to backup pool. This is detailed in:

NetWorker: How to delete Multiple or Individual SSIDs