Objects have a retention property that determines how long the object must remain in the namespace before it can be deleted. This can range from allowing the object to be deleted at any time to preventing the object from ever being deleted. While an object cannot be deleted due to retention, it is said to be under retention.
If an object is immediately placed under retention when it’s stored, it’s stored with no POSIX write permissions. When an existing object is placed under retention, its POSIX write permissions are removed. For more information on POSIX permissions, see Changing POSIX ownership and permissions for existing items.
Retention settings
Each object in a namespace has a retention setting. The namespace is configured with a default retention setting. When an object is stored in the namespace, the object inherits the namespace retention setting. With HTTP, you can override the default setting by specifying a different setting when you store the object. For more information on using HTTP to override default retention settings, see Specifying metadata on object creation.
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Note: If the default retention setting is in the past, new objects that would otherwise get that setting are added with a setting of Deletion Allowed (0). For information on this setting, see Object retention settings. |
Whether you can change the retention setting for an existing object at a later time depends on the current retention setting. For more information, see Specifying retention settings.
Retention periods
The retention period for an object is the length of time the object must remain in the namespace. A retention period can be a specific length of time, infinite time, or no time, in which case the object can be deleted at any time.
When the retention period for an object expires, the object becomes deletable.
Normally, if you try to delete an object that’s under retention, HCP prevents you from doing so. For the exception, see Deleting object and versions under retention.
Retention classes
A retention class is a named retention setting. Retention classes let you manage object retention consistently. For more information on retention classes, see Retention classes.
Automatic deletion
A namespace can be configured to automatically delete objects after their retention periods expire. For an object to be deleted automatically:
•A specified retention period must expire. Objects with Deletion Allowed (0) or Initial Unspecified (-2) retention settings are not automatically deleted.
•If the object is in a retention class, the class must have automatic deletion enabled.
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