To access the Recycle Bin settings for a particular web application, perform the following steps:
The Recycle Bin settings listed, shown in Figure 10.3, allow for the following options:
• Recycle Bin Status— This setting enables the entire web application Recycle Bin, including both stages, to be toggled on or off.
Figure 10.3. Understanding Recycle Bin settings for a web application.
• Delete Items in the Recycle Bin— This sets the number of days before items are removed from the end user Recycle Bin. The default value is 30 days. This setting can be altered with a number of days of your choice, or it can be toggled to never delete items from the Recycle Bin.
• Second Stage Recycle Bin— The Site Collection Recycle Bin, also known as the Second Stage Recycle Bin, can be either turned off or configured to be emptied after it reaches the specified percentage of the web application’s quota. For example, if the web application has a quota of 500MB, a setting of 50 percent enables up to 250MB of data to be stored in the Second Stage Recycle Bin, increasing the effective quota of the web application to 750MB. This setting can be changed to a different number up to 100 percent or can be toggled off.
These settings should be altered only after analyzing the usage pattern of the Recycle Bin at the site level, number of requests received for Second Stage Recycle Bin restore, and the type of restore requests received by the SharePoint administrators. Items retained in the Site Recycle Bin count toward the quota of a site collection, so this setting has to strike a balance between the number of days and the site collection quota. Similarly settings of 100 percent for the Second Stage Recycle Bin would mean that the size of site collection would be twice as much in the content databases.
The Recycle Bin had been introduced in SharePoint 2007 and has proved to be a value add, not only for the SharePoint administrators but also for the end users. The Recycle Bin helps reduce SharePoint restore operations, business continuity, and IT overheads. It is recommended that the end users be trained in the use of the Recycle Bin.