VFS and Folders

In Data Mover Smart, VFS are hierarchical file systems structured in folders. These folders act as logical containers that manage data, automate workflows, and improve operations. Specific rules can be set for processing files.

Before configuring folders, at least one VFS must exist. Multiple VFSs can be created, each with its own storage class, retention class, and access control list (ACL). Furthermore, rules can be established within the folders to define conditions for actions taken on files that arrive in those folders. These actions include file transfers, zipping, and many others.

Create a VFS

VFS are created going to Folders and selecting the Folders option.

If no VFS has ever been created, a message will appear warning you to set up a VFS.

Click the + New button and complete the fields in the New VFS window.

If one or more VFS already exist, to add a new VFS open the VFS drop-down list in the upper left corner and click the + button. If multiple VFSs are listed, scroll to the end of the list to reach the + button.

In the New VFS window, fill in these fields:

1. Name (mandatory): assign a unique name to the VFS.

2. Code (mandatory): additional detail that will appear in brackets next to the VFS name. The same text entered in the Name field will automatically appear but you can change it as necessary.

3. Storage Class (mandatory): select or create the physical storage where files will be stored. See the Storage Class page for details.

4. Retention Class (mandatory): select or create a retention class to set how long files will remain available.​ See the Retention Class page for details.

5. Enable ACL (Access Control List) (optional): by default, all users and groups have access to the VFS. If you need to limit the access to the VFS to specific users or groups of users, enable the toggle switch. Details on how to add users and groups to each VFS are given in the Folder panel section below. The ACL option must be set on folders when creating Views. See the Views page for details.

When done, click the Save button.

Add folders to the VFS

Once you have at least one VFS, you can add as many folders as needed:

1. Click the button that you can find in the lower right corner and select New folder.

2. In the New folder window, enter the name of the folder, which will belong to the VFS shown in the top left corner.

   1. The path of the folder will appear below the name.

   2. If you want to change the color of the folder, click the folder icon on the left of the Name and select the new color among those available. Then, click the check icon to confirm the new color.

3. Optionally, enable the Advanced toggle switch to add:

   1. A Retention Class setting how long data shall remain available.​ An already existing retention class can be selected, or a new retention class can be created by clicking the New button.

   2. A Queue to order tasks and define how they must be processed. This means that given 2 queues with different priorities, the tasks associated with the queue having higher priority will be executed before those associated with the queue having lower priority. An already existing queue can be selected, or a new retention class can be created by clicking the New button. Queues are listed and created in Settings → Queues.

Once confirmed, the folder will appear in the list.

The Folder panel

When you click the folder row, a panel will appear on the right, loading Basic and Advanced information about the folder.

Click the icon at the top of the panel to change the folder's name or the icon to delete it.

In the Basic tab, this information about the folder is displayed:

• Path: this is the path of the folder. Clicking the copy icon, the path will be copied to the clipboard.

• Size: this is the number of folders and files contained in the upper folder.

• Created: this is the date when the folder was created.

• Last update: this is the date when the folder was updated for the last time.

• Tag: this is a user-created label that adds information to the folder.

• Folder icon: this allows you to change the color of the folder. Click the folder icon and select the new color among those available. Then, click the check icon to confirm the new color.

In the Advanced tab, this information about the folder is displayed:

• Retention Class: this is the folder's retention period configured when creating the folder. If not valued, it is inherited from the VFS.

• Queue: this is the order of execution of tasks and how they will be processed. If not valued, the system queue is used.

In the lower part of the panel, the following options are available:

• Access Control List (ACL): click the icon to open the ACL window and select the user/group that will have access to the VFS, and set their permissions.

• Metadata: files' metadata can be added to the folder. To add new metadata, click the + button and select them in the Add Metadata window, or create new metadata by clicking the New button and filling in the New Metadata window.

• Rules: specific rules can be associated with the folder to make an action automatic. E.g., if a file with filename AlphaCentauri arrives, send it to the Centaurus VFS; if a file with filename Antares arrives, send it to the Scorpius VFS. Click the rule row to view or edit the details of the rule in a standalone window. Click the 3-dot icon to edit, clone, disable, or delete the rule.

• File Event Listeners: when the folder is configured in a File Event Listener, the list of Listeners will appear here. Click the Listener row to view or edit the details of the rule in a standalone window. Click the 3-dot icon to edit, clone, go to the configured destination folder, disable the listener, start it, or delete it.

VFS permissions are constructed to allow users the least restrictive access to folders. For example, suppose a user is a member of a Group that has read, upload, download, and delete permissions to a folder. Even if the user is a member of another Group that has only download permissions to the same folder, the user will be able to read, upload, download, and delete files from that folder.

Folders' content

Clicking the folder's name or the icon on the left of the folder's name, you will navigate the folder.

To create a new subfolder, click the button in the lower right corner and select New folder. The New folder window will automatically load the path, and the new folder will be created as a subfolder.

The following columns are shown on the folders' page: ID, Size, Created, Last Update, Rules & File Event Listeners, Tag. This is the same information available in the Basic tab of the Folder's panel.

Navigation bar

At the top of the Folders page, a navigation bar allows you to:

• show/hide a panel with the VFS structure.

• go back one position in the path. This button is useful when you are navigating a folder.

• go to the root of the VFS. This button is useful when you are navigating subfolders.

• show information about the root VFS in a side panel.

• copy the path of the folder to the clipboard. This button is useful when you are navigating a folder.

• refresh the page.

When you are navigating a folder, the path will appear on the right of the icon.

Search bar

Use the search bar to search for files and folders by name. You can choose to search either a specific folder or the entire section (all folders and all subfolders) by clicking the 2 icons on the right.

The search is a full-text search, case-insensitive. Just enter the term you are looking for, and all files and folders containing the term will be listed. Wildcard characters are not supported.

Advanced filters

Use the icon on the right of the Search bar to filter results by Tag or Metadata.

When a filter is applied, the icon will change to .

To remove the filter, click the icon and then the Reset option.

Single files options

For single files, 2 icons on the right of the row allow you to:

• load information about the file in a panel on the right. You can also open transfer details by clicking the icon.

• download the file in a local folder. Conversion options are also available.