Document File Repositories

Electronic document files in IFS Document Management can be stored in the database (repository type "Database", as Binary Large Objects/BLOBs), in an FTP server (repository type "FTP"), in shared network directories (repository type "Shared") and in IFS Cloud File Storage (repository type "File Storage").

IFS Cloud File Storage (File Storage, or FS for short) is a secured generic framework service which can be used to store and retrieve documents from different locations such as Azure Storage and local file shares. This service is especially useful when handling large files or large volumes of files. For more information about IFS Cloud File Storage, look it up in the technical documentation.

The database storage makes it possible to store and manage document files belonging to IFS Document Management in the Oracle database where the rest of IFS Cloud is installed. Database storage increases the general security of the document handling, prevents unauthorized access and lowers the administration and maintenance costs that incur as a result of having to manage a number of applications and environments.

Shared repositories are shared directories on the network, using Windows network sharing technology (or SMB/Samba under Linux and Unix) and FTP servers use the File Transfer Protocol services to receive and store files.

The following is a table comparing the different file repository types, the advantages and disadvantages and the clients that support them:

Repository Type	Advantages	Disadvantages	Clients
File Storage	No setup required Very secure. Scalable. Less database size growth.	Added network latency.	All clients
Database	No setup required. Very secure.	Makes the database larger, which affects backup and recovery times as well as costs when running in IFS managed cloud. No easy backend access to files.	All clients
Shared	Simple to setup Easy access to files using standard tools in the backend	Only supported when using Remote deployment Require more administration than Database storage. Network access from the pods can be complex to setup Easy access to the files in the backend is also a disadvantage, from a tracking and monitoring perspective.	All clients
FTP	Stable and familiar technology. Easy access to files using standard tools in the backend	Only supported when using Remote deployment Network access from the pods can be complex to setup More complex to setup than Database or Shared repositories Easy access to the files in the backend is also a disadvantage, from a tracking and monitory perspective.	All clients

Entering a Repository Address and Path

File Storage or Database

If the repository type is Database or File Storage, the Repository Address and Path fields are not used.

FTP

If the repository type is FTP, enter a relative path (for example doc_files/, does not start with a slash) or an absolute one (/doc_files/, starts with a slash). If the field is empty, the home directory of the user logging in to the FTP server will be used. The recommended usage is to enter something. Use the Repository Address screen to define the FTP address (IP address or host name), username and password.

Shared

For Shared repositories, a repository address must be defined, as with FTP repositories.

• The repository address is defined in the Repository Address screen.
• The address should be on the format //server/share, where server is the IP address or name of the server that has the shared folder, and share is the name of the shared folder.
• Any additional directory name is added in the Path field in the defined repository that uses the repository address.
• The Path field can be left empty, if needed. Files are then stored in the folder that lies behind the shared folder itself.
• Any information in the Path field is added to the Repository Address.
• Use the Repository User ID and Repository Password fields to define the username and password used to access the shared folder. It is recommended not to prefix the username with the domain name and a slash unless absolutely necessary. Some customers have reported performance problems when the domain name is used.
• Local Windows folders like c:\docman are not supported.When you use Shared repositories in Docman in IFS Cloud (Remote deployment option only), you need to make sure that any folder, if you specify any in the Path field, is there on the server. It will not be created for you.
• When using shared repositories in Docman in IFS Cloud (Remote deployment option only), make sure that any folder, if specified any in the Path field, is there on the server. It will not be created for you.
• Note - if the machine name doesn't work, try to use the IP address. If the machine name doesn't work it might be because of a faulty DNS configuration in k8s.

Example: if Repository Address is set to //server/share and Path is set to folder, the resulting path where the files are stored will be //server/share/folder.

Moving files from one repository to another

The Transfer Documents enables you to move files in a repository in status Usable to a repository in status Generating. This functionality is currently available for transfer between Database and File Storage Service type repositories only.

Pages

Repositories
Repository Address
Transfer Documents

Activity Diagrams

BDR for EDM Basic