Understanding Azure Backup Retention

Question

I'm not seeing the expected behavior of Azure Backup regarding retention. Since Azure Backup is charged by the amount of data stored, we intend to keep the cost as low as possible by only storing the most recent backup. That is, we expect to only
pay for the storage costs of one day's worth of recover points, which in our case will be one because we do only one backup per day. We are still performing onsite backup, and there we keep many days worth of backup recovery points.
On the Microsoft Azure Backup application's main screen, under "Destination usage" it shows "Retention: 1 days". However, I see under "Available Recovery Points" it shows "Total backups: 15", "Latest
copy: 12/29/2014 4:30 AM", "Oldest copy: 12/19/2014 12:35 PM". When I visit the Recovery Services "PROTECTED ITEMS" on
https://manage.windowsazure.com/, I see the number of "RECOVERY POINT", "NEWEST RECOVERY POINT", and "OLDEST RECOVERY POINT" shown match the same values displayed on the Microsoft
Azure Backup application's main screen.
Why is Azure Backup retaining more recovery points than expected? Why is it retaining recovery points for more days than requested?
Trilon, Inc.

Answer 1

I'm happy to provide you with any information I can to help diagnose and repair this issue. But first, let me catch you up with my situation.
A change has occurred in my situation since I posted my question regarding understanding Azure Backup retention. I separately posted a question regarding Azure Backup on Windows Server 2008 R2 Standard fails to back up thousands of files with CATALOG FAILURE
0x80131500 (see
https://social.technet.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/fb0c64f3-0066-4580-a21d-75e5af9fc879/azure-backup-on-windows-server-2008-r2-standard-fails-to-back-up-thousands-of-files-with-catalog?forum=windowsazureonlinebackup). In an attempt to resolve the issue myself,
I tried to install 3 different updates/patches/hotfixes. In addition, while working on the problem with a Microsoft Support Engineer, I was directed to re-register the servers with Azure Backup. After all those changes, Azure Backup no longer worked at all
on either server. Then, when I was told the CATALOG FAILURE 0x80131500 issue was resolved in the Microsoft backend servers, I deleted the Azure Backup vaults and uninstall the the Azure Backup software on both of my troubled servers. Finally, I downloaded
and installed a fresh copy of the latest Azure Backup software, created new vaults, and started performing backup again. As expected, the CATALOG FAILURE 0x80131500 errors no longer occured. It appears that there never was a problem with either of my servers;
instead, the CATALOG FAILURE 0x80131500 root cause was indeed located in the Microsoft backup servers, and is now fixed.
Because of the starting over described above, I no longer have quite so many unexpected Available Recovery Points. However, I again have more than one showing up on my Windows Server 2008 R2 Standard and Windows Small Business Server 2011, despite both having
a retention setting of 1 day and performing one daily backup job.
So now I'll try and supply the requested information:
1) The Azure backup agent numbers: Tell me where I can find them, and I'll provide them.
2) Here's the requested Windows Registry value requested for our DJTS system, running Windows Server 2008 R2 Standard:
Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows Azure Backup\Config]
"ScratchLocation"="C:\\Program Files\\Microsoft Azure Recovery Services Agent\\Scratch\\"
"TelemetryMachineId"="45733171-7c63-4dab-b90b-157c64368061"
"SecondaryCertThumbprint"=""
"ResourceId"="9064875589707684370"
"MachineId"="325871"
"RegistrationCertThumbprint"="a6e3b95d5c31da3dfea53f1ffbfb278c05569296"
"AcsServiceNamespace"="euspod01id1machine09"
"AcsHostName"="accesscontrol.windows.net"
"AcsRPRealm"="http://windowscloudbackup/m3"
"PrimaryCertThumbprint"="3BC70BF8B5D5DB84D148E40B394BA0A4117BDD44"
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows Azure Backup\Config\CloudBackupProvider]
"ScratchLocation"="C:\\Program Files\\Microsoft Azure Recovery Services Agent\\Scratch\\"
"WABUpdateKBLink"="http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/p/?LinkId=229525"
"StorageQuotaPurchaseLink"="http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=205490"
"WebPortalLink"="http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=252913"
"WABprivacyStatement"="http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=221308"
"TotalPITs"=dword:00000004
"StartUsn_\\\\?\\Volume{29fd0333-74a3-11e4-9c76-806e6f6e6963}_FS_900931033676425925"=hex(b):30,\
  3f,97,85,01,00,00,00
"PostSnapUsn_\\\\?\\Volume{29fd0333-74a3-11e4-9c76-806e6f6e6963}_FS_900931033676425925"=hex(b):f0,\
  5e,97,85,01,00,00,00
"JournalId_\\\\?\\Volume{29fd0333-74a3-11e4-9c76-806e6f6e6963}_FS_900931033676425925"=hex(b):62,\
  4a,ee,2d,81,d1,cb,01
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows Azure Backup\Config\Encryption]
"EncryptionOsVersion"=dword:00000003
And here's the requested Windows Registry value requested for our DJSERVER2 system, running Windows Small Business Server 2011:
Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows Azure Backup\Config]
"ScratchLocation"="C:\\Program Files\\Microsoft Azure Recovery Services Agent\\Scratch\\"
"GlobalAcsServiceNamespace"="wuspod01rp1users"
"GlobalAcsHostName"="accesscontrol.windows.net"
"GlobalAcsRPRealm"="http://windowscloudbackup/m3"
"SecondaryCertThumbprint"=""
"ResourceId"="4326608059366417280"
"MachineId"="325878"
"RegistrationCertThumbprint"="0a93d4b0bf4c2fbcf45dd8e6b8eaa2744ea9195f"
"AcsServiceNamespace"="euspod01id1machine10"
"AcsHostName"="accesscontrol.windows.net"
"AcsRPRealm"="http://windowscloudbackup/m3"
"PrimaryCertThumbprint"="8CCE11CBD765DA9466569DB8ECE016F7A75B8F40"
"TelemetryMachineId"="dcada1d5-e9b9-4470-9ecf-003bc314c876"
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows Azure Backup\Config\CloudBackupProvider]
"ScratchLocation"="C:\\Program Files\\Microsoft Azure Recovery Services Agent\\Scratch\\"
"WABUpdateKBLink"="http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/p/?LinkId=229525"
"StorageQuotaPurchaseLink"="http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=205490"
"WebPortalLink"="http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=252913"
"WABprivacyStatement"="http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=221308"
"TotalPITs"=dword:00000001
"StartUsn_\\\\?\\Volume{29cbdff2-3fa7-11e0-939f-001422b0edaf}_FS_900755111003400873"=hex(b):c8,\
  1f,ed,ad,06,00,00,00
"PostSnapUsn_\\\\?\\Volume{29cbdff2-3fa7-11e0-939f-001422b0edaf}_FS_900755111003400873"=hex(b):a8,\
  9b,ed,ad,06,00,00,00
"JournalId_\\\\?\\Volume{29cbdff2-3fa7-11e0-939f-001422b0edaf}_FS_900755111003400873"=hex(b):44,\
  66,1a,7d,9c,d0,cb,01
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows Azure Backup\Config\Encryption]
"EncryptionOsVersion"=dword:00000003
Trilon, Inc.