Prerequisites

• Object Locking must be enabled within the cluster. See here for detailed information about Object Locking.

• At least one bucket must be available and that bucket must have versioning enabled.

Enabling Object Locking within a Bucket

Applying Retention Locking

A user can apply retention either via defaults set at the bucket level or any object version of that bucket. There are three ways to apply retention on an object version:

• Create an object under the bucket that has Object Locking enabled. This newly created object inherits the default retention mode and period configured on the bucket.

• Explicitly set a retention period when creating a new object. This overrides the default retention period configured on the bucket if present.

• Explicitly set a retention period on an existing object version.

Inheriting Default Retention

Before inheriting the default retention period of a bucket, verify the default retention mode and retention period under the Bucket’s Settings > Properties. To learn more about uploading through Content UI, see Uploading Files.

New object versions can inherit the default retention configuration of the buckets by referring to the following steps:

1. Navigate to the upload page for the target bucket in Content UI.

2. The upload settings for Object Locking are located under Retention Time. The defaults set at the bucket level are automatically applied. The upload does not proceed until all required values are present if either default is missing.

3. A legal Hold can also be applied during the upload. This setting is independent of the retention locking settings and is not subject to any bucket-level defaults.

4. Adding a file name prefix and metadata for the object version is optional.

5. Click Start Upload.

The new object version is added to the bucket with the retention configuration applied. A lock icon is displayed next to the object version name to represent that the object version is locked.

Click the locked object version to view the Object Locking details.

Setting Up Retention on a New Object

If the bucket has Object Locking enabled but does not have any prior default retention configured, a retention policy can explicitly be set on a new object during its creation. To learn more about uploading through Content UI, see Uploading Files.

1. Navigate to the upload page for the target bucket in Content UI.

2. The upload settings for Object Locking are located under Retention Time. As there are no defaults at the bucket level, no policy is automatically applied. An object lock policy is optional; no policy needs to be defined. If any values are specified, then the upload does not proceed until all required values are present.
   
   

    

3. Select an Object Locking mode which is either Governance or Compliance.

4. Enter the Object Locking duration in either days or years.

5. A legal hold can also be applied during the upload. This setting is independent of the retention locking settings and is not subject to any bucket-level defaults.

6. Adding a file name prefix and metadata for the object version is optional.

7. Click Start Upload.

The new object version is added to the bucket with the retention configuration applied. A lock icon is displayed next to the object version name to represent that the object version is locked.

Click the object version to view its details.

Modifying Retention on an Existing Object Version

The user can apply a retention lock on an object version as long as the bucket has Object Locking enabled if an existing object version does not have Object Locking enabled. This same process is used to update Object Locking on an existing object version. Refer to the following steps to apply retention on an existing object:

1. Locate the object within the bucket.

2. Select the object and optionally choose a specific version to update.

3. Slick the Actions drop-down in the details for the object.

4. Select Edit Object Lock from the list.
   
   

    

5. Select the retention mode which is either Governance or Compliance.
   
   

6. Enter a retention duration in days or years.

7. Click Update Lock.

Content UI shows a success message saying that Object Lock status updated once the retention is set up.

Applying Legal Hold

There are two ways to apply a legal hold to an object version:

• Explicitly enable legal hold when creating a new object.

• Explicitly enable legal hold on an existing object version.

Setting Up Legal Hold During Upload

The legal hold can explicitly set on a new object during creation if the bucket has Object Locking enabled. See Uploading Files to learn more about uploading through Content UI.

1. Navigate to the upload page for the target bucket in Content UI.

2. The upload settings for Object Locking are located under Retention Time.
   
   

    

3. Select the checkbox for Apply Legal Hold. This setting is independent of retention locking settings.

4. Adding a file name prefix and metadata for the object version is optional.

5. Click Start Upload.

The new object version is added to the bucket with the legal hold applied. A “balance scales” icon is displayed next to the object version name to represent that the object version has the legal hold applied.

Click the object version to view the details.

Modifying Legal Hold on an Existing Object Version

One can apply the legal hold to an existing object version as long as the bucket has Object Locking enabled. This same process is used to remove the legal hold from an existing object version. Refer to the following steps to modify legal hold on an existing object:

1. Locate the object within the bucket.

2. Select the object and optionally choose a specific version to update.

3. Click the Actions drop-down in the details for the object.

4. Select Apply Legal Hold from the list. This reads Remove Legal Hold if the legal hold is already applied.
   
   

    

5. Verify the change of legal hold status.
   
   

    

6. Click Apply Legal Hold. This reads Remove Legal Hold when removing legal hold.

Content UI shows a success message saying Object legal hold applied once the legal hold status has changed.