When can I enable the lifecycle management feature?
If the files in a General-purpose NAS file system are accessed 1 to 3 times each month, we recommend that you configure a lifecycle policy to dump the files to the Infrequent Access (IA) storage class. You are charged based on the billable items of the IA storage class.
If the files in a General-purpose NAS file system are accessed once or twice each quarter, we recommend that you configure a lifecycle policy to dump the files to the Archive storage class. You are charged based on the billable items of the Archive storage class.
To further reduce storage costs, you can configure a lifecycle policy for both the IA storage class and the Archive storage class. If files meet the rules configured in the lifecycle policy, File Storage NAS (NAS) executes the lifecycle policy with the minimal overhead. For more information, see Lifecycle management overview.
Why am I unable to enable the lifecycle management feature for my file system?
The lifecycle management feature is unavailable for file systems for which the data encryption feature is enabled.
How do I configure lifecycle policies?
To configure lifecycle policies, you can use the NAS console or call the CreateLifecyclePolicy operation. For more information, see Manage a lifecycle policy and CreateLifecyclePolicy.
Which files can be dumped to the IA or Archive storage class?
A file that meets the following conditions can be dumped to the IA or Archive storage class:
A lifecycle policy is configured for the directory in which the file is stored.
The size of the file is in the range of 64 KiB to 4.88 TiB.
The file is not accessed during the period of time that is specified in the lifecycle policy.
When you create a lifecycle policy, you can configure a rule to dump the files that are not accessed in the previous 14 days, 30 days, 60 days, or 90 days to the IA storage class. You can also configure a rule to dump the files that are not accessed in the previous 14 days, 30 days, 60 days, 90 days, or 180 days to the Archive storage class. The lifecycle management feature checks whether a file is infrequently accessed based on the atime parameter, which indicates the time when the file was last accessed.
The following operations update the atime of a file:
Read data from the file.
Write data to the file.
The following operations do not update the atime of a file:
Rename the file.
Modify the user, group, mode, or other attributes of the file.
What happens if I configure multiple lifecycle policies for a single directory?
If the files in the directory meet a rule in one of the lifecycle policies, NAS executes the lifecycle policy with the minimal overhead.
What happens if I configure different lifecycle policies for a directory and its parent directory?
If the files in the directory meet a rule in one of the lifecycle policies, NAS executes the lifecycle policy with the minimal overhead.
For example, you configure the following lifecycle policy for a directory: Data that is not accessed in the previous 14 days is dumped to the IA storage class. You configure the following lifecycle policy for its parent directory: Data that is not accessed in the previous 60 days is dumped to the IA storage class. In this case, the files in the directory that are not accessed in the previous 14 days are dumped to the IA storage class. When the system checks for infrequently accessed files based on the lifecycle policy configured for the parent directory, the system skips the files that have already been dumped to the IA storage class.
Is a lifecycle policy valid for all data in the specified directory?
Yes, a lifecycle policy valid for all data in the specified directory. If the file data in the specified directory meets the lifecycle policy, the data is automatically dumped to the IA or Archive storage class.
How long does it take to dump a file that meets a lifecycle policy to the IA or Archive storage class?
The time that is required to dump a file to the IA or Archive storage class depends on the storage usage of the file system and the size of the file. After the lifecycle management feature is enabled, a file that meets a specified lifecycle policy is dumped to the IA or Archive storage class within 2 to 24 hours. Subsequent file dumps are performed at a specific point in time every week.
What happens if I rename a directory for which a lifecycle policy is configured?
If you rename a directory for which a lifecycle policy is configured, the lifecycle policy no longer takes effect on the files in the directory. Files that have been dumped to the IA or Archive storage class remain in the IA or Archive storage class.
If you reconfigure a lifecycle policy for the renamed directory, the lifecycle policy takes effect on the files in the directory. The files that meet the lifecycle policy are dumped to the IA or Archive storage class.
What happens if a lifecycle policy is deleted?
If a lifecycle policy is deleted, the files in the specified directory are no longer dumped to the IA or Archive storage class. Files that have been dumped to the IA or Archive storage class remain in the IA or Archive storage class.
Are the files in a directory repeatedly dumped if I delete the existing lifecycle policy and then reconfigure a lifecycle policy for the directory?
No, the files are not repeatedly dumped. After you reconfigure a lifecycle policy, the system checks for infrequently accessed files based on the lifecycle policy and skips the files that have already been dumped to the IA or Archive storage class. This ensures that files are not repeatedly dumped.
Can I read data from and write data to the files that are stored in the IA or Archive storage class?
Yes, you can read data from and write data to the files in the IA or Archive storage class the same way you read data from and write data to other files in a file system. For more information about the performance of different storage classes, see Storage classes of General-purpose NAS file systems.
Which files in my file system are stored in the IA or Archive storage class?
To query the files that are stored in the IA or Archive storage class, you can use the NAS console or call the ListDirectoriesAndFiles operation. For more information, see View the files stored in the IA or Archive storage class and ListDirectoriesAndFiles.
Is the latency of reading data from and writing data to a file in the IA storage class higher than the latency of reading data from and writing data to a file in the Standard storage class?
It depends. For a General-purpose NAS file system (Performance, Premium, or Capacity), when a file in the IA storage class is read for the first time, the latency may be higher than the latency of reading data from a file in the Standard storage class. When the file in the IA storage class is read later, the latency is almost the same as the latency of reading data from a file in the Standard storage class.
The latency of writing data to a file in the IA storage class is almost the same as the latency of writing data to a file in the Standard storage class. For more information about the performance of different storage classes, see Storage classes of General-purpose NAS file systems.
Is the latency of reading data from and writing data to a file in the Archive storage class higher than the latency of reading data from and writing data to a file in the Standard storage class?
It depends. For a General-purpose NAS file system (Performance, Premium, or Capacity), when a file in the Archive storage class is read for the first time, the latency may be higher than the latency of reading data from a file in the Standard storage class. When the file in the Archive storage class is read later, the latency is almost the same as the latency of reading data from a file in the Standard storage class.
The latency of writing data to a file in the Archive storage class is almost the same as the latency of writing data to a file in the Standard storage class. For more information about the performance of different storage classes, see Storage classes of General-purpose NAS file systems.
How am I charged if my files are dumped to the IA storage class?
If your files are dumped to the IA storage class, you are charged based on the billable items of the IA storage class. For more information, see Billing of General-purpose NAS file systems.
How am I charged if my files are dumped to the Archive storage class?
If your files are dumped to the Archive storage class, you are charged based on the billable items of the Archive storage class. For more information, see Billing of General-purpose NAS file systems.
Is cold data in the IA storage class automatically converted to hot data after the cold data is accessed?
No, the cold data is not automatically converted to hot data after it is accessed. After data is dumped to the IA storage class, the data is persistently stored in the IA storage class. If you access cold data in the IA storage class, you are charged for the read and write traffic. For more information, see Billing of General-purpose NAS file systems.
If you need to frequently access data in the IA storage class, we recommend that you create a data retrieval task to retrieve data from specific files or directories to the Standard storage class. If you run the data retrieval task to read the required data, you are charged for the read traffic. For more information, see Create a data retrieval task.
Is cold data in the Archive storage class automatically converted to hot data after the cold data is accessed?
No, the cold data is not automatically converted to hot data after it is accessed. After data is dumped to the Archive storage class, the data is persistently stored in the Archive storage class. If you access cold data in the Archive storage class, you are charged for the read and write traffic. For more information, see Billing of General-purpose NAS file systems.
If you need to frequently access data in the Archive storage class, we recommend that you create a data retrieval task to retrieve data from specific files or directories to the Standard storage class. If you run the data retrieval task to read the required data, you are charged for the read traffic. For more information, see Create a data retrieval task.
How do I create a data retrieval task to retrieve files from the IA storage class?
To create a data retrieval task, you can use the NAS console or call the CreateLifecycleRetrieveJob operation. For more information, see Create a data retrieval task or CreateLifecycleRetrieveJob.
How do I create a data retrieval task to retrieve files from the Archive storage class?
To create a data retrieval task, you can use the NAS console or call the CreateLifecycleRetrieveJob operation. For more information, see Create a data retrieval task or CreateLifecycleRetrieveJob.
Is the read or write performance of a file system affected when a data retrieval task is running?
No, the read or write performance of a file system is not affected. You can read or write data as expected when a data retrieval task is running.
Am I charged for a data retrieval task?
Yes, you are charged for a data retrieval task. When you run a data retrieval task, the system reads data from the specified file. You are charged for reading the file from the IA or Archive storage class based on the file size and the storage class. After the data retrieval task is completed, the file is moved to the Standard storage class. You are charged for the storage space occupied by the file. For more information, see Billing of General-purpose NAS file systems.
How am I charged when I back up files that are stored in the IA or Archive storage class?
If you use Cloud Backup to back up files that are stored in the IA or Archive storage class of a General-purpose NAS file system, you are charged based on the billable items of Cloud Backup. For more information, see Billing methods and billable items.
To back up files from the IA or Archive storage class, Cloud Backup reads data from the files. Therefore, you are charged for the read traffic. The traffic fees are included into your NAS bills. For more information, see Billing of General-purpose NAS file systems.
How do I disable the lifecycle management feature?
After you enable the lifecycle management feature for a General-purpose NAS file system, you can dump the cold data that has not been accessed for a long period of time to the IA or Archive storage class. The feature helps you reduce storage costs.
If you no longer want to use the lifecycle management feature, perform the following steps to disable the feature:
Log on to the NAS console.
In the left-side navigation pane, choose .
In the top navigation bar, select the resource group and region where your file system resides.
On the Lifecycle Policies page, find the lifecycle policy that you want to delete, and click Delete in the Actions column. In the message that appears, click OK.
After the lifecycle policy is deleted, the data that meets the lifecycle policy is no longer dumped to the IA or Archive storage class. If data has been dumped to the IA or Archive storage class before the policy is deleted, the data remains in the IA or Archive storage class. You are charged based on the storage usage of the IA or Archive storage class.
For more information about how to retrieve data from the IA or Archive storage class to the Standard storage class, see Create a data retrieval task.