default="4"
optional
details="
- dss snapshot aging is implemented in terms of intervals. There
- are two command line options related to intervals: the
- duration u of a \"unit\" interval and the number n of those
- unit intervals.
-
- dss removes any snapshots older than n times u and tries to
- keep 2^(n - k - 1) snapshots in interval k, where the interval
- number k counts from zero, zero being the most recent unit
- interval.
-
- In other words, the oldest snapshot will at most be u * n days
- (= 20 days if default values are used) old. Moreover, there
- are at most 2^n - 1 snapshots in total (i. e. 31 by default).
- Observe that you have to create at least 2^(n - 1) snapshots
- each interval for this to work out because that is the number
- of snapshots in interval zero.
+ Snapshot aging is implemented in terms of intervals. There are two
+ command line options related to intervals: the duration u of a unit
+ interval and the number of unit intervals, denoted n below.
+
+ dss removes snapshots older than n times u and tries to keep 2^(n -
+ k - 1) snapshots in interval k, where the interval number k counts
+ from zero to n - 1, with zero being the most recent unit interval.
+
+ Hence the oldest snapshot will at most be u * n days old (4 days *
+ 5 intervals = 20 days, if default values are used). Moreover, there
+ are at most 2^n - 1 snapshots in total (2^5 - 1 = 31 by default). Note
+ that for this to work out your system must be fast enough to create at
+ least 2^(n - 1) snapshots per unit interval (16 snapshots in 4 days =
+ one snapshot in 6 hours), because this is the number of snapshots in
+ interval zero.
"
option "num-intervals" n
int typestr="num"
default="5"
optional
+details="
+ Note that increasing this number by one doubles the total number of
+ snapshots. See the documentation of --unit-interval above.
+"
###############
section "Hooks"