Manage Compliant Archive
Create Compliant Archive
Please read the information completely before proceeding. The configuration of a Compliant Archive cannot be undone due to the WORM storage.
The “Compliant Archive” function is not supported by the Silent Brick Pro System.
To create a new Compliant Archive, proceed as follows.
➤ In the user interface, navigate to Archives.
➤ Click on 'Add'
➤ The dialog for creating archives opens
➤ Assign a name to the archive
➤ Assign a description to the archive
➤ Select 'Encrypt Archive' to encrypt the archive
The following options are available when selecting the Silent Bricks to be used:
Shared Stage and WORM Brick
The Stage area is located on one or more non-WORM Bricks
The Stage area can be expanded at any time afterwards
This option allows the use of a faster FLASH Brick as the Stage area for many small files
Combined Stage and WORM Brick
The Stage area is defined on the WORM Brick upon initial creation
The size of the Stage area on this WORM Brick cannotbe changed thereafter
The WORM area begins after the Stage area.
The Stage area therefore consumes storage space of the WORM Brick.
Area | Maximum number of Silent Bricks |
Stage | Maximum of 9 Silent Bricks or 9 Silent Brick FLASH |
WORM with Embedded Stage | Maximum of 2 Silent Brick WORM |
WORM with separate Stage area | No limitation |
To determine which of the two options should be used, the following rules are recommended.
A very large number of files require a larger Stage area. A rule of thumb is:3600 bytes Stage per file.
A very large number of small files require a faster Stage, which recommends the use of a FLASH Brick.
➤ To create a combined archive, select a Brick and proceed as follows:
➤ Select a Brick of type WORM.
➤ Click the button 'Add to Archive and Stage'.
➤ Select the desired size of the Stage area using the slider.
➤ To create separate Stage and WORM areas, proceed as follows:
➤ Select one or more Bricks of the WORM type.
➤ Click 'Add to Archive'.
➤ Select one or more Bricks of the Brick or FLASH type.
➤ Click 'Add to Stage'.
CAUTION | Confirm your selection by clicking the 'Confirm' button only when the configuration is definitively correct. The configuration of WORM storage cannot be undone. |
Create subvolumes
➤ Select the desired Compliant Archive in the sidebar.
➤ Switch to the Sub-Volumes tab.
➤ Click on 'Add'.
➤ Select the desired Volume mode.
➤ Compliance: Deletion within the retention period is not possible.
➤ Enterprise: Deletion is possible via specific API calls even within the retention period. These require a special user. For further details, please contact our support.
➤ Assign a name to the Sub Volume.
➤ The Volume type to be selected depends on the solution to be integrated:
Volume Type | Description |
---|---|
WORM | This Volume type archives files to the WORM storage after the expiration of a preset time, 'Minimum age before archiving'. This time describes the duration in seconds since the last modification. Files of the WORM type receive no retention and therefore can no longer be deleted. |
WORM with Versioning | This volume type functions identically to the volume type 'WORM' but allows files to be overwritten, thereby creating different versions of a file. Switching between versions is accomplished by creating a version file in the filesystem. See the section Switching Between Versions. |
WORM with Retention | This volume type functions identically to the volume type 'WORM' but allows retention to be specified in years, months, days, and minutes. After this retention period expires, archived files become deletable. Deletion removes access to these files; however, the storage space is not freed and therefore remains unusable. |
WORM with Versioning and Retention | This volume type represents a combination of the two previously described volume types. |
WORM with Retention (RWRO triggered) | This Volume type does not archive files after a set period but rather after the read-only flag is actively set on the file. As long as this flag remains unset, the file stays in the mutable Stage area. Additionally, it is possible to specify a retention period in years, months, days, and minutes. After this retention period expires, archived files become deletable. Retention can also be specified externally per file using the 'Last Access Date'. Deletion removes access to these files; however, the storage space is not freed and therefore remains unusable. |
WORM with Retention and Versioning (RWRO triggered) | This Volume type does not archive files after a set period but rather after the read-only flag is actively set on the file. As long as this flag remains unset, the file stays in the mutable Stage area. Additionally, it is possible to specify a retention period in years, months, days, and minutes. After this retention period expires, archived files become deletable. Retention can also be specified externally per file using the 'Last Access Date'. Deletion removes access to these files; however, the storage space is not released and thus becomes unusable. Moreover, this allows files to be overwritten, enabling the creation of different versions of a file. Switching between versions is accomplished by creating a version file in the filesystem. See the section Switching Between Versions. |
WORM with Retention (RWRO triggered, Autosafe) | This volume type fundamentally represents a volume type "WORM with Retention (RWRO triggered)". Additionally, the Autosafe feature ensures that data not triggered is also archived, while remaining overwritable. This volume type is suitable for integration with software solutions that, in addition to the triggered archive data, also store meta-information which is not triggered but necessary for operation. |
➤ Enable the creation of safe files in the 'Safe Files' tab. This will generate a file with the same name but the extension '.safe' after the archiving process to externally indicate successful archiving.
➤ Safe files can be created in either XML or text format.
➤ In the 'Miscellaneous' tab, additional settings can be configured depending on the volume type:
Switch | Description |
---|---|
Prioritize Ingests | This switch prioritizes this Volume during archiving. This switch is suitable for prioritizing a Volume with many small files over a Volume with large files during processing to prevent backlogs. |
Robocopy Optimization | This function causes timestamps used internally by Robocopy to be ignored by automatic archiving. This switch is strongly recommended when using Robocopy. |
Do Not Archive 0-Byte Files | It is often possible to determine in advance whether empty files will be created or if they are errors. This switch can be used to prevent the archiving of such files if necessary. |
Prevent Renaming of Empty Directories | When enabled, renaming of empty directories is prevented. |
Prevent Renaming of Files | When enabled, renaming of files is prevented. |
Read Before Append | Enable this feature if your software solution modifies files by appending new content. This feature ensures that the file is fully loaded before new data is appended. |
Smart Replace | Enabling this feature allows files in the filesystem to be deleted even before the retention period expires. However, deletion results in renaming the file to a filename that includes the presumed deletion timestamp. This enables verifiable problem resolution in the event of incorrectly written files. |
Enable Caching
Starting from version 2.35.0.2, the Silent Brick System supports definable caching rules for subvolumes. This allows configuring how long files of specific types and sizes remain in the staging area.
INFO | Caching is only supported in archives using Silent Brick FLASH as the staging area. |
To activate caching, proceed as follows:
➤ Navigate to the "Caching & Eviction Policies" tab within the subvolume.
➤ Enable caching by selecting the "Keep Files in Cache After Ingest" checkbox.
➤ Define file retention rules using the "Add" button.
➤ Specify a retention duration greater than 0 in the "Eviction Policy" section.
Switching Between Versions
When using versioned volume types, it is possible to switch between different versions within the filesystem. Switching is performed via a version file of the corresponding file.
Example:
The data abc.pdf is to be switched.
Navigate to the file.
Check the version by opening the (invisible) safe file abc.pdf.safe.
Create the version file "abc.pdf.version" with one of the following contents:
'switch n' - where n is any number to indicate the corresponding version.
The text 'revert' to indicate the top revision.
examples
type abc.pdf.safe
echo switch 3 > abc.pdf.version
echo revert > abc.pdf.version
Replicate Compliant Archive locally.
To create the local replication of a Compliant Archive, proceed as follows:
➤ Click on the corresponding Volume.
➤ Click on the “General” tab.
➤ Click on the “Replicate” button.
➤ The “Replicate” window opens.
➤ Select a name for the replica.
➤ Click the “Add” button to create the replica.
➤ The “Add Bricks to Volume” window opens.
➤ Add a sufficient number of Bricks to your replication archive.
➤ Verify the replication status using the archive overview.
Remotely replicate compliant archive
Establish remote connection
To create the remote replication of a compliant archive, first establish a connection between both systems. Follow the instructions provided.Create remote connection.
Create replication
➤ Click on the corresponding compliant archive.
➤ Click on the “General” tab.
➤ Click the “Create Replication” button.
➤ The “Replicate” window opens.
➤ Select a name for the replica.
➤ Select “Encrypt Volume” to encrypt the replica.
➤ Activate the "Remote Replication" button and select a remote connection.
➤ Click the “Add” button to create the replica.
➤ Open the target system.
➤ Add a sufficient number of Bricks to your replication volume.
➤ Verify the replication status using the Compliant Archive overview.
Verify archiving
➤ Click on the corresponding compliant archive.
➤ Click on the “Reports” tab.
➤ In the upper section, you can download all existing archiving reports.
➤ In the lower section, you can check pending files by type.