How are snapshots retained and how do you configure retention?

• A. Snapshots are retained indefinitely and cannot be configured.
• B. Retention is fixed per volume and cannot be changed.
• C. Snapshots are retained per policy; configure retention via snapshot policies and volume settings.
• D. Snapshot retention is managed manually per snapshot and is not policy-driven.

Answer: (C)

Snapshots are kept according to a snapshot policy. A policy defines the schedules (for example hourly, daily, weekly) and how many snapshots to retain for each schedule. You attach this policy to a volume, and NetApp automatically creates the appropriate snapshots and purges older ones to meet the policy’s retention rules. If you need to change how long or how many snapshots are kept, you adjust the policy or apply a different policy to the volume. This policy-driven approach is what governs retention, rather than keeping snapshots indefinitely or managing retention manually per snapshot.