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<section id="delayed-delete">
<span id="imap-features-delayed-delete"></span><h1>Delayed Delete<a class="headerlink" href="#delayed-delete" title="Permalink to this heading"></a></h1>
<p>It is not uncommon for a folder or hierarchy of folders in IMAP to
contain large amounts of information -- after all, IMAP preserves a copy
of the messages on the server unless it is specifically deleted.</p>
<p>Three challenges arise when users delete folders especially if an
organization is required to comply with archiving regulations;</p>
<ol class="arabic simple">
<li><p>How to restore the folder if the deletion was accidental?</p></li>
<li><p>How to ensure the folder being deleted remains available for
inclusion in the next backup cycle?</p></li>
<li><p>The deletion of a hierarchy with a lot of messages can create an I/O
storm unlinking many individual files and some directories.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>Cyrus IMAP introduces <em>delayed deletion</em> of folders, which leaves the
deleted folder (or hierarchy thereof) on the filesystem, such that
purging the folder hierarchy from the filesystem;</p>
<ul class="simple">
<li><p>becomes a separate event (perhaps triggered during the weekend),</p></li>
<li><p>can be delayed such that users have a chance to report accidental
deletion and administrators can recover without requiring a restore
from backup,</p></li>
<li><p>can be delayed as to ensure that the next backup cycle includes the
deleted folder hierarchy.</p></li>
</ul>
<section id="configuring-cyrus-imap-for-delayed-delete">
<h2>Configuring Cyrus IMAP for Delayed Delete<a class="headerlink" href="#configuring-cyrus-imap-for-delayed-delete" title="Permalink to this heading"></a></h2>
<p>To enable or disable Delayed Delete, please check the following settings
in <a class="reference internal" href="../../reference/manpages/configs/imapd.conf.html#std-cyrusman-imapd.conf-5">imapd.conf(5)</a>.</p>
<blockquote>
<div><blockquote>
<div><p><code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">delete_mode:</span></code> delayed</p>
<blockquote>
<div><p>The manner in which mailboxes are deleted. In the default
<em>delayed</em> mode, mailboxes that are being deleted are renamed to
a special mailbox hierarchy under the <strong>deletedprefix</strong>, to be
removed later by <strong>cyr_expire(8)</strong>.</p>
<p>In <em>immediate</em> mode, the mailbox is removed from the filesystem
immediately.</p>
<p>Allowed values: <em>immediate</em>, <em>delayed</em></p>
</div></blockquote>
</div></blockquote>
<blockquote>
<div><p><code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">deletedprefix:</span></code> DELETED</p>
<blockquote>
<div><p>With <strong>delete_mode</strong> set to <em>delayed</em>, the
<strong>deletedprefix</strong> setting defines the prefix for the hierarchy of
deleted mailboxes.</p>
<p>The hierarchy delimiter will be automatically appended.</p>
</div></blockquote>
</div></blockquote>
</div></blockquote>
<div class="admonition seealso">
<p class="admonition-title">See also</p>
<ul class="simple">
<li><p><a class="reference internal" href="delayed-expunge.html#imap-features-delayed-expunge"><span class="std std-ref">Delayed Expunge</span></a></p></li>
<li><p><a class="reference internal" href="../../reference/faqs/o-deleted-expired-expunged-purged.html#imap-admin-deleted-expired-expunged-purged"><span class="std std-ref">When is What ... Deleted, Expired, Expunged or Purged?</span></a></p></li>
</ul>
</div>
<p>Back to <a class="reference internal" href="../features.html#imap-features"><span class="std std-ref">Features</span></a></p>
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