Backups
Some directories on M3 are regularly backed up, meaning you can sometimes recover files if you accidentally deleted them. Some important notes on M3 backups:
FAQ
Which directories are backed up?
Not all directories are backed up! See What are the key directories? to understand which directories are backed up, and which ones are not.
How often are backups performed?
Backups are performed nightly. If you create a file and quickly delete it before it has undergone a single nightly backup, that file will be irrecoverable.
For how long are backups preserved?
Each nightly backup is deleted some time after 7 days. It is possible that if you want a file that is older than 7 days, it may still be accessible, but we cannot guarantee it.
If you accidentally deleted a file...
As soon as you notice you have accidentally deleted a file, immediately contact our help desk with the following details:
- The full filepath to the missing data
- When the file was last seen
- When the file was deleted
We may be able to restore files as long as you notify us quickly. If a file was deleted too long ago, it may be lost forever. Please be patient with the file recovery, as some backups are based on tape which take additional time to restore.