Document repository checker

The document repository that users see is made up of information contained in the FileHold databases and the document files repository on your server, NAS, or SAN. This tool within FHInstrumentation compares information in the FileHold databases with the document files repository on your server, NAS, or SAN. It can find files that are on the disk, but not in the database. It will also locate documents that are recorded in the database, but there is no corresponding file on the disk.

• A missing file is something that is no longer found, but can be recovered from data backups. Files can go missing for a variety of reasons including human error, hardware failure, or they could be removed by incorrectly configured antivirus software. If you are copying files from your production server to a test server when your production server is active, it is likely that users are adding documents at the same time. Since you cannot possibly copy your databases and files at exactly the same time, you will get inconsistencies. Similar problems can occur when restoring from a backup.
• An orphaned file is a file that has been found within the repository, but should not be in the repository. These can be removed. Orphans can be the result of copying files to a test server or restoring from a backup as for missing files. They can also be caused when something prevents FileHold from deleting a file such as the FileHold Service account not having the right permissions to remove a file.

Before running the repository checker, make sure that no one is using the system as this can cause unpredictable results if documents are being uploaded or downloaded.

To run the repository checker

1. Log into the FileHold server with administrative privileges.
2. Start FHIT and select Repository checker.
3. Click Start.
4. In the Database connection settings, enter the server name and credentials.
5. In the Repository settings, select the correct path to the FileHold document repository.
6. Select the Include deleted documents check box to check any documents that have been deleted from FileHold.
7. Click Next.
8. Click Start.
9. If the repository has no orphaned or missing files, the message "No inconsistencies were found in the document repository" is displayed. Click Finish.
10. If the repository has orphaned or missing files, the results are displayed in the Repository Checker Results screen.

Orphaned files

1. On the right side of the screen "Files on HDD" shows any orphan files.
2. To save the list of orphaned files, click Save as CSV.
3. To remove the orphaned files, select the files from the list and click Delete File.

Missing files

1. On the left-hand side of the screen, "Documents in DB" shows any missing files in the repository.
2. To save the list of missing files, click Save as CSV.
3. To assign a replacement file, select the document and click Assign New. For this option, you must have a replacement file. The best case is to restore the missing file from your backups without using this tool. If you do not have a proper backup available, you may have the document in an alternate location. If the document cannot be recovered anywhere, you can provide a placeholder document that provides a friendly message to the user that the original document is missing. The document you provide must have the same extension as the original document.
4. For a quick fix, the tool can create a blank file at the correct location to make the repository consistent. Click Assign Empty button to create a blank file.

When you create a blank file, this will correct the issue in the repository, but it will be a problem for users if they ever try to download the file as it will most likely be reported as corrupt by whichever application it is intended for.