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Orphan cleanup

An orphan is destination-side protection state whose expected source identity is no longer present. It is a data-destruction risk, so DonkeyFleet never deletes an orphan automatically.

Transition and grace​

Orphans transition through a guard before becoming eligible for cleanup. The grace period helps separate a persistent deletion from transient observation or connectivity problems. Incomplete observation stops the run and cannot advance cleanup eligibility.

Required review​

Before approval, verify:

  • the source volume UUID is truly absent;
  • the source was not replaced by a same-name, different-UUID volume;
  • the destination belongs to DonkeyFleet intent;
  • retention or legal requirements allow deletion;
  • the plan names the exact relationship and destination volume.

Destination-only sequence​

After explicit approval and a later successful reconcile, DonkeyFleet:

  1. deletes the destination-side SnapMirror relationship with destination-only semantics;
  2. waits for the ONTAP job to resolve;
  3. deletes the destination volume without force;
  4. records the result in plan, notification, and audit history.

Dry-run, source-role guards, and identity checks remain active throughout.

Irreversible operation

Approval authorizes permanent destination data deletion. Independently verify the identity and retention decision before approving.