8.2 Creating a Pair

Two wizards are available for configuring Dynamic File Services pairs:

IMPORTANT:No data is moved between the primary and secondary locations in a pair until you set up policies to do so. You can also use the Manual Move option for the pair.

  1. If you plan to use a remote share when creating a pair, create the share in the secondary location.

    Shares in an Active Directory Domain: You must publish the share as described in Section 8.3, Preparing Remote Shares for Use in a Pair. Ensure that your system meets the requirements in Section 4.9, Using Remote Shares in an Active Directory Domain.

    Shares in a Workgroup: Ensure that your system meets the requirements in Section 4.10, Using Remote Shares in a Workgroup.

  2. Launch the Management Console, then connect to the DynamicFS server that you want to manage.

  3. Launch the Setup Wizard or the Pair Wizard:

    • Setup Wizard: Select the server, then select Actions > Setup Wizard. You can also right-click the server, then select Setup Wizard.

      If no pairs or policies exist on the server when you connect to it, the Setup Wizard opens automatically to an overview of benefits. Review them, then click Start.

    • Pair Wizard: Select the Pairs folder, then select Actions > Pair Wizard. You can also right-click the Pairs folder, then select Pair Wizard.

    The wizard opens to the Pair Type page.

  4. Specify the pair type as Standard pair or Retention pair, then click Next.

  5. On the Pair Paths page, specify the primary and secondary paths to use for the pair:

    1. Browse to select the primary path, then click OK:

      • Local path:

        Browse the local drives on the DynamicFS server. You can right-click a folder, then select Create Folder to add a folder if the path is on a local device, and not on a remote share.

      • Remote share path:

        Remote shares are available if you are specifying the primary path for a retention pair. Browse the remote shares that have been published in Active Directory. For information, see Section 8.3, Preparing Remote Shares for Use in a Pair.

        You can alternately type the UNC path of a local or remote share. The path name entry is case-insensitive for local paths, but it is case-sensitive for remote paths.

    2. Browse to select a secondary path, then click OK:

      • Local path:

        Browse the local drives on the DynamicFS server. You can right-click a folder, then select Create Folder to add a folder if the path is on a local device, and not on a remote share.

      • Remote share path:

        Browse the remote shares that have been published in Active Directory. For information, see Section 8.3, Preparing Remote Shares for Use in a Pair.

        You can alternately type the UNC path of a local or remote share. The path name entry is case-insensitive for local paths, but it is case-sensitive for remote paths.

      • Cloud storage path:

        For a retention pair, if you have predefined the cloud account, you can browse the cloud accounts to select a path in your cloud storage.

    3. Click Next to continue.

  6. If a network share does not exist on the primary path of a standard pair, a message pops up to remind you that the share is required for users to access files on the pair via the merged view. Click OK to dismiss the message.

    You can create the share at any time before you give users access to the files. For information, see Section 8.4, Providing Users with a Merged View of the Files in a Standard Pair.

  7. On the Pair Name page, specify a unique name (up to 32 characters) for the pair on the selected server, then click Next.

    For information, see Section 4.12, Naming Conventions for Pairs and Policies.

  8. If you are using the Setup Wizard, create a policy for the pair and a schedule for the policy. Otherwise, skip this step and go to Step 9.

    1. Create a new policy.

      For details, see Section 9.2, Creating a Policy. The new policy is automatically associated with the pair.

      1. On the Policy Direction page, specify the direction that files are to be moved, then click Next.

        Retention pairs are allowed to move files only from primary to secondary.

      2. On the Policy Filters page, specify one or more filter options to apply for this policy, then click Next.

      3. On the Policy Name and Description page, specify a unique name for the policy on the selected DynamicFS server, optionally add a more detailed description for the policy, then click Next to continue.

    2. Create a new policy schedule.

      For details, see Section 10.2, Creating a Policy Schedule. The new schedule is automatically associated with the policy.

      1. On the Policy Schedule page, select a frequency option from the drop-down list.

      2. Specify when the policy will run, then click Next.

      3. On the Schedule Name and Description page, specify a unique name for the schedule on the selected DynamicFS server, optionally add a more detailed description for the schedule, then click Next.

    3. Review the setup summary for the Pair, Policy, and Policy Schedule, then click Finished.

      In the Management Console, the newly created pair, policy, and schedule are listed under the appropriate folders under the server. The policy is automatically associated with the pair. The schedule is automatically associated with the policy. The policy rules are enforced for the pair at the next scheduled run time of the policy. You can also run the policy manually by using the Execute Now option.

    4. Skip Step 9, and continue with Step 10.

  9. If you are using the Pair Wizard, click Add to select one or more existing policies to associate them with the pair, click OK, then click Finished.

    The pair is created and appears in the Pairs list for the server. The selected policies are associated with the pair. If the policy is associated with a schedule, the policy rules are enforced for the pair at the next scheduled run time of the policy. Unscheduled and scheduled policies can be run manually by using the Execute Now option.

  10. (Optional) After you have configured the pair, you can use any of the following methods to associate the pair with other policies:

  11. If a network share does not exist on the primary path of a standard pair, continue with Section 8.4, Providing Users with a Merged View of the Files in a Standard Pair.