Automatic Snapshot Invalidation

To optimize storage, Forward Enterprise automatically invalidates Snapshots that have not been accessed for a configurable period. Invalidation removes the derived processing data associated with a Snapshot to free up disk space. The original Snapshot data is preserved and can be reprocessed at any time if the Snapshot is needed again.

This page describes the automatic invalidation behavior, how it differs from the Data Retention Policy, and how to configure it.

How It Works

Once per day, the platform scans each organization's Snapshots and invalidates any that meet all of the following conditions:

• The Snapshot has not been accessed within the configured inactivity threshold.
• The Snapshot is not favorited (see Exemptions).

Invalidated Snapshots remain visible in the Snapshot selector and are marked as invalidated. They can be reprocessed manually by clicking on the Snapshot, or automatically by Background Snapshots Reprocessing if enabled.

note

Automatic invalidation is distinct from the Data Retention Policy. Retention deletes old Snapshots entirely; invalidation only removes derived data while preserving the original Snapshot.

Inactivity Threshold

The inactivity threshold is controlled by the Snapshot auto-invalidation period (in days) setting, located under Settings → System → Org Preferences → Experimental Features. Only self-hosted Org Admins can change this value; SaaS deployments use the default.

Setting	Default	Allowed Range
Snapshot auto-invalidation period (in days)	30	7–90

To change the threshold:

1. Navigate to Settings → System → Org Preferences.
2. Expand the Experimental Features section.
3. Set the Snapshot auto-invalidation period (in days) option to the desired number of days (between 7 and 90).

warning

Change experimental features only as directed by your Forward Networks representative.

Interaction with Background Reprocessing

If Background Snapshots Reprocessing is configured with a Max Snapshot age for background reprocess (in days) value (same Experimental Features section) greater than the auto-invalidation period, the system uses the larger of the two values as the effective inactivity threshold. This prevents Snapshots that were just reprocessed in the background from being invalidated on the next scan.

Exemptions

The following Snapshots are never automatically invalidated:

• Favorited Snapshots. Mark a Snapshot as favorite by clicking the star icon next to it in the Snapshot selector. Favorited Snapshots are also exempt from the Data Retention Policy.

Scan Schedule

The invalidation scan runs once per day. This schedule is fixed and is not exposed in the GUI or via API.

Deployment Type Availability

Automatic invalidation is always enabled and cannot be disabled on either deployment type. The scan schedule and the favorited-Snapshot exemption are fixed. The only admin-configurable option is the inactivity threshold (in days).

Deployment Type	Enabled by default	Threshold configurable by Org Admin
SaaS	Yes	No (fixed at default)
Self-hosted	Yes	Yes (7–90 days)