Cloud File Storage

Introduction

IFS Cloud File Storage is a platform service which can be used to store and retrieve documents from different storage locations. The service abstracts complexities in the underlying storage mode from the caller of the service. The caller interacts with the service using simple REST operations.

How it works

Access to the files stored in the service is done via APIs. Files will be stored in Azure Blob Storage or remote SMB share based on the deployment model.

Cloud Deployment

In the Cloud deployment model, the File Storage uses an Azure Blob Storage Account to store files.

A storage account is provisioned automatically per environment. Access to the storage account is only allowed from the middle-tier related to the environment.

Remote Deployment

In the remote deployment model, the File Storage uses a SMB (Server Message Block) share to store files. A SMB share is required per environment. Before installing the middle tier, it's important to configure the share first. This involves setting up the share with the appropriate permissions, security settings, and access controls to ensure that it's accessible and secure for all intended users. Follow IFS Cloud File Storage for Remote for more information.

Setup File Storage

Setting up IFS Cloud File Storage is an easy task.

Media Item Setup

Find the Object Properties page and search for "MediaItem" in the Object LU field.

Change the Property Value to "FILE_STORAGE" for the REPOSITORY property.

Document Management Setup

Find the Repositories page and add a new repository. Set the Repository Type to "File Storage". Select the document class to be stored in the repository, or enter * to enable the repository for all document classes. Make sure the Status of the repository is set to "Generating".

You can not simply change the type of a current repository, so you will have to create a new and set the Status of the old repository to "Usable". If the old repository is empty, it can be removed. To migrate files from the old repository over to the new repository, see below.

Migrating files to Cloud File Storage

A migration tool is provided to copy files from a source database to File Storage. For more information see Cloud File Storage Migration Tool.