Document repository / Repository locations

Repository locations screen contains a listing of the location of the FileHold repositories. The repository is where the all documents in FileHold are stored. The default repository location is created when FileHold is installed.

Repositories should be regularly monitored to ensure they have enough space to accommodate the needs of users. System administrators can set their login page to the dashboard to monitor the health of the system.

The document repository can be split into multiple physical locations to improve scalability through software. This feature is controlled by a licensing option. See Enhanced repository locations for more information.

Systems with the enhanced repository license option are also able to have more than one group. Groups can be used to connect areas of the library with areas in the repository. For example, a group could be created for documents in the archive or a group could contain documents in a specific cabinet and the library and associated archive.

When all repository locations reach their thresholds it is not possible to add any files to the system and all uploads fail with an error message. The system administrator will receive an email notification shortly before the maximum storage space is reached in all repositories. Several remedies are possible for full repositories.

FileHold Cloud customers and customers with hosted mode enabled cannot make changes to repository locations unless they are a support user.

Important considerations when planning repositories

Do not use file and or folder compression on any of the FileHold data directories such as the document repository, full text search index, or the user role manager data.
The FileHold service account must have full access to the repository location.
Once a repository location has been added, new files will be added to it immediately. Repositories containing files cannot be deleted. Documents are not moved between repositories.
End users should never have access to the document repository locations for any reason. This is a location that only server administrator, data backup, and the FileHold service users should have access to. It is the responsibility of each FileHold customer to secure all the FileHold data locations so that end users are not able to directly modify documents. Damage caused by failure to protect the FileHold data locations is not covered by FileCare and will result in consulting charges if FileHold is asked to attempt to repair the damage.
The FileHold data directories must be backed up nightly, along with the four (4) SQL Databases and four (4) SQL Log files, when SQL full recovery is enabled, that comprise the FileHold system. Please refer to the FileHold backup and recovery guide for more information on backups.

Repository configuration

To access the repository locations

In the Web Client go to Administration Panel > System Configuration > Document Repository Locations.
The following information is displayed. Columns can be added or removed and columns can be filtered and sorted in ascending/descending order by clicking on the filter icon . By default, a single Default repository group and location are shown. If the Enhanced repository feature has been purchased, additional groups and locations can be added and/or managed.

Column heading	Description
Group status	Since threshold values can differ if there are more than one location in the group, the status for the group is based on the sum of the absolute value for the locations. If there is only one location, then the group status and location status are the same. Green – space available Yellow – space available but below warning threshold Red – no space available. Documents cannot be added.
Group name	The name of the group. The group is named “Default repository group” by default when FileHold is installed.
Preference (Group)	The type of preferred contents: Default – used when no preferred group matches the file being added. “Default” is the default value when FileHold is installed. Archive – library archive documents. Cabinet – a specific cabinet location or the location where the cabinet’s contents are archived. When a file is added to FileHold, the list of preferences is checked to see which group it belongs in. If there is no matching group, the file is placed in the default group. Document version associated files such as markups or cached files are placed according to their document version. Attachments not related to specific documents such as workflow or Courier attachments are placed in the default group.
Locations (Group)	The number of locations in the group.
Available space (Group)	Since threshold values can differ if there are more than one location in the group, the available space for the group is based on the sum of the absolute value for the locations. If there is only one location, then the group and location available space are the same.
Location status	The status of the location: Green – space available Yellow – space available but below warning threshold Red – no space available. Documents cannot be added.
Location name	The name of the location. The location is named “Default repository” by default when FileHold is installed.
Path (Location)	The path to the repository location.
Allow new files (Location)	Yes – The Allow new files check box is enabled in the location properties. No – The Allow new files check box is disabled in the location properties.
Available space (Location)	The amount of space available in the location.

Editing group and location properties

Repository groups and locations properties can be modified or viewed.

To edit group properties

Select the check box in the group row and click Edit.
In the Definition tab, modify the group name. The group is named “Default repository group” by default when FileHold is installed.
Set the document preference. This setting cannot be modified if the enhanced repository feature was not purchased.

Default – Used when no preferred group matches the file being added. "Default" is the default value when FileHold is installed.
Archive – Library archive documents.
Cabinet – A specific cabinet location or the location where the cabinet's contents are archived.

The gauge displays the amount of available space. The values for the group gauge are based on the sum of the absolute values for the locations. Green indicates available space, yellow indicates space but approaching the threshold, and red indicates no usable space.
Below the gage is the total size of the disk space. The size is displayed in KB, MB, GB, or TB depending upon the size of the space.
A table displays the repository locations in the group. See the table above for more information on the column headings.
Click Save settings to save any changes.
In the Info tab, the group repository composition is displayed. A pie chart shows the percentage of current versions, prior versions, attachments, markups, files pending deletion, and cached documents. The Info tab appears once a document has been added to the repository.
Click Close to exit the group properties.

To edit location properties

Select the check box in a location row and click Edit.
In the Definition tab, modify the location name. The location is named “Default repository” by default when FileHold is installed.
The location path can be modified. Cut and paste the location into the field. To refresh the logical drive for the path, click Refresh . To restore the previous location, click Restore .

The Full Text Search index is re-initialized after applying any changes such as a change in repository path.

The Allow new files check box is enabled by default. This allows FileHold to add new files to the locations. If disabled, files cannot be added to the location. For example, if the location no longer has free space, then the check box should be disabled.
The gauge displays the amount of available space. The values for the group gauge are based on the sum of the absolute values for the locations. Green indicates available space, yellow indicates space but approaching the threshold, and red indicates no usable space. The colours on the gauge changes depending upon the free space and warning thresholds.
Below the gage is the total size of the disk space. The size is displayed in KB, MB, GB, or TB depending upon the size of the space.
The Free space threshold sets how much space must left on the disk before it is considered full. When the location reaches the threshold, it is not possible to add any files to the system. The free space threshold cannot be set lower than 10% of the total space. See Free Space Threshold for more information. A value can be entered directly in the field or the slider can be used to set the value.
The Warning threshold determines how much space is left before the system administrator receives a warning message about running out of repository space. See Free Space Threshold for more information. A value can be entered directly in the field or the slider can be used to set the value.
Click Save settings to save any changes.
In the Info tab, the location composition is displayed. A pie chart shows the percentage of current versions, prior versions, attachments, markups, files pending deletion, and cached documents.
On the Actions tab, location files can be moved or deleted. This feature is only available if the Enhanced repository feature has been purchased. See Enhanced repository locations for more information.
Click Close to exit the location properties.

Free space threshold

The free space threshold is the point at which files can no longer be added to a repository location. The warning threshold is the point at which a system administrator receives a warning message that the repository is running out of space. When a location reaches the threshold, it is not possible to add any files to the system and all uploads fail with an error message.

The free space threshold minimum value can be changed by a Windows administrator. By default, it is set to 10%. The threshold value cannot be set lower than 10%. To set the minimum threshold level, modify the key “MinimumFreeSpaceThreshold” in the web.config file in C:\Program Files\FileHold Systems\Application Server\DocumentRepository.

It is generally considered important to leave space free on your drive to ensure it is operating with good performance. The actual amount of space needed will vary depending on a number of factors. You should consult with your drive supplier to determine the best value for minimum free space. There are a number of Internet discussions available on the topic of minimum free space.

If the Enhanced repository feature has been purchased, a new location can be added to the system or an administrator can increase the amount of free space on one of the disks if using a virtual server environment. Repositories should be regularly monitored to ensure they have enough space to accommodate the needs of users. Contact FileHold support for remedies for a full repository.

To change the threshold of the repository location

Go to Administration Panel > System Configuration > Document Repository Locations.
Select the location and click Edit.
Enter a new value in the Free space threshold field or use the slider. The value can be a percentage or absolute size. The unit of measure KB, MB, GB, or TB can be added to an absolute value to control the units. If an absolute size is entered it shows in megabytes. This cannot be less than 10% of the total space of the repository. The default is set to 10% of the total capacity. For example, to set a 20% reserve in a repository that has the capacity of 39.90 GB, you can set the threshold to 8172 MB (39.90 GB x 20% x 1024 MB/GB). For a repository that has the capacity of 39.90 GB, you can set the threshold to 4084 MB (1024 MB x 4 = 4 GB) which is approximately 10% of the total capacity.
Enter a new value in the Warning threshold field or use the slider. The unit of measure KB, MB, GB, or TB can be added to an absolute value to control the units. If an absolute size is entered it shows in megabytes. By default, the warning threshold value is 15%.
The colours on the gauge changes depending upon the free space and warning thresholds. Green indicates available space, yellow indicates space but approaching the threshold, and red indicates no usable space.
Click Save Settings.
Click Close to exit the location properties.

Remedies for a full repository

When all locations reach the threshold it is not possible to add any files to the system and all uploads fail with an error message. The system administrator should immediately take action to make space available to the system to allow users to operate normally. There are several options available for making space available.

Increase the amount of space at one or more of your current repository locations.
Add a new repository location. You must have the multi-repository option for this remedy.
Move one or more of your repository locations to a new larger storage device. If the repository location for the new device is not the same as the old device the full text search will be re-indexed.
Reduce the threshold value for one or more of your current repository locations. This should be considered a temporary measure. The threshold should never normally be less than 15% of the total disk space.
Move your full text search indexes to a new device. Our recommendation is to keep all FileHold data directories in the same location, so this should be considered a temporary measure.

Contact FileHold support prior to moving the file storage path. Changing a file storage path location may initiate a re-indexing of the full text search index depending on your FileHold version.

Enhanced repository locations

The document repository can be split into multiple locations to improve scalability. A system administrator can define the physical location for the documents in the library. For example, documents in a particular cabinet, such as Human Resources, can have its own repository location. The library archive can also have a separate repository location defined since they may fall under IT policies that allow for less expensive storage and backup. The ability to have multiple repository locations is controlled by a licensing option “Enhanced Repository”.

Groups are created to categorize the repository locations. Each group other than the default has preferred contents:

The library archive. When a document is moved the library archive, it is moved to the "Archive" repository location.
A specific cabinet or the location when the cabinet’s contents are archived.
One group must be defined as the default group to use when no preferred group matches the file being added

When a file is added to FileHold, the list of preferences is checked to which group it belongs in. If there is no matching group, the file is placed in the default group. Document version associated files such as markups or cached files are placed according to their document version. Attachments not related to specific documents such as Workflow or Courier, are placed in the default group.

Repositories that have been marked as read only will not have files added to them; files can only be downloaded.

Once a repository location has been added, new files will be added to it immediately. Repositories containing files cannot be deleted.

Files in a particular repository location can be moved to a preferred or default group. Files are moved as a batch and can be viewed in the Batch Jobs report.

The reason that a group is "preferred" rather than mandatory as these groups can be added at any time. If you are only using the default group but at a later date you add an archive group, the default group may contain files associated with documents in the archive. At this time these files are in a non-preferred location. Administrators will have the option to move them to the preferred location, but it is optional.

This feature requires “Enhanced repository” to be enabled in the license. Contact [email protected] to purchase this feature.

Adding groups and locations

To add a repository group

In the Web Client, go to Administration Panel > System Configuration > Document repository locations.
Click Add and select Group.
Enter a Group name.
Select a Document preference. This is the type of preferred contents. When a file is added to FileHold, the list of preferences is checked to see which group it belongs in. If there is no matching group, the file is placed in the default group. Document version associated files such as markups or cached files are placed according to their document version. Attachments not related to specific documents such as workflow or Courier attachments are placed in the default group.

Default - used when no preferred group matches the file being added. "Default" is the default value when FileHold is installed.
Archive - library archive documents.
Cabinet - a specific cabinet location or the location where the cabinet's contents are archived.

Click Add.
Click Close to exit the group properties.

To add a repository location

In the Web Client, go to Administration Panel > System Configuration > Document repository locations.
Click Add and select Location.
Enter a Location name.
Enter the path to the location. To refresh the logical drive for the path, click Refresh .

The FileHold Service account may need full control permissions to this location.

Click Add.
The Allow new files check box is enabled by default. This allows FileHold to add new files to the locations. If disabled, files cannot be added to the location. For example, if the location no longer has free space, then the check box should be disabled.
The gauge displays the amount of available space. The values for the group gauge are based on the sum of the absolute values for the locations. Green indicates available space, yellow indicates space but approaching the threshold, and red indicates no usable space. The colours on the gauge changes depending upon the free space and warning thresholds.
Below the gage is the total size of the disk space. The size is displayed in KB, MB, GB, or TB depending upon the size of the space.
The Free space threshold sets how much space must left on the disk before it is considered full. When the location reaches the threshold, it is not possible to add any files to the system. The free space threshold cannot be set lower than 10% of the total space. See Free Space Threshold for more information. A value can be entered directly in the field or the slider can be used to set the value.
The Warning threshold determines how much space is left before the system administrator receives a warning message about running out of repository space. See Free Space Threshold for more information. A value can be entered directly in the field or the slider can be used to set the value.
If adjustments were made, click Save settings.
Click Close to return to the document repository list.

Deleting repository groups or locations

Repository groups can only be deleted if it contains no repository locations. A repository location can only be deleted if it is empty; in other words, there are no files.

If you attempt to delete a location or group that is not empty, an error message is displayed.

If you need to delete a location but it is not empty, first move the documents from the location to another location.

To delete a repository group or location

Select the repository group from the list.
Click Delete .

Moving repository locations

There must be two or more groups before a repository can be moved. Multiple locations can be moved at once to another group. Groups cannot be moved.

When moving repositories, the “job” is placed into a queue to be processed. Batches are sized for a combination of processing efficiency and responsiveness to commands. The batch job can be viewed in the Batch jobs report. The size of the batch can be controlled by the parameter “EnhancedRepositoryMoveJobSize” in the web.config file in C:\Program Files\FileHold Systems\Application Server\LibraryManager which has a default of 500. By default, the actual move could happen at any time, but the queue can be set to process operations according to the scheduled task “FH process batch jobs”.

The Full Text Search index is re-initialized after applying any changes such as moving files. A message displays if this occurs.

To move a location

From the Manage repository groups page, select the check box for the location to be moved.
Click Move .
In the Manage repository location screen, select the Action:

Move all files – Moves all files from that location.
Move non-preferred files – Moves only non-preferred files from that location. You may want to use this option if you have created a new preferred group and you would like files from pre-existing groups to be transferred to their new preferred location. For example, if you add an archive group after you have already archived some documents, those files will be in the default group. They will only get to the new archive group when they are moved.

Select the Destination group:

Preferred group
<Group name>

Click Calculate to calculate the number of files to be moved and the total size of the files.
Click Add to queue.
The documents are placed in a queue and are moved once processed. A summary of the batch move is displayed. Click View batch job to view the progress. See the Batch jobs report for more information.
Click Close to exit.