9.11 Configuring Mirrored Folder Resource Drivers

A mirrored folder is a directory, either local or shared on a SAN (storage area network), that is directly accessible from the Novell Vibe site. The files on the file system are accessed by the Novell Vibe program through a resource driver, not directly by individual Vibe users. A resource driver defines how the Vibe program accesses the file system.

During installation, you define the users and groups that can access the mirrored folder resource drivers. After installation, from the Vibe site, you associate resource drivers with specific Vibe folders and use folder access controls to govern which users and groups can access the data in the mirrored folder. As a result, you can set up a small number of users who can create mirrored folders, and allow a larger number of users to access the mirrored folders.

Vibe attempts to keep the metadata about each mirrored folder synchronized with the contents of the actual file system. Therefore, mirrored folders are most appropriate for large sets of relatively static data. Mirrored folders are also useful for making extremely large files available from your Vibe site without including them in the Vibe file repository.

Although the installation program allows you to set up three mirrored folder resource drivers during installation, you can set up and test just one to start with, then set up additional resource drivers later.

After planning mirrored folders, complete the planning process for additional Advanced installation features as needed, then perform the Advanced installation as described in Section 10.0, Performing an Advanced Vibe Installation.

9.11.1 File System Type

Vibe provides resource drivers for two different types of file systems:

  • file: A directory in a regular file system on a Linux or Windows server.

  • webdav: A directory on a Web server that supports WebDAV (Web-based Distributed Authoring and Versioning). The WebDAV server must support HTTP Basic Authentication so that Vibe can provide a username and a password when making a request from the WebDAV server.

ADVANCED VIBE INSTALLATION SUMMARY SHEET

Under Mirrored Folder Resource Driver Configuration, mark the type of directory that you want to mirror in your Vibe site.

9.11.2 File System Directory

The file system that a Vibe mirrored folder uses can be on Linux, NetWare, or Windows, as long as the following conditions are met:

  • The file system is accessible from the Vibe server by using a directory path specification that the Vibe server operating system understands.

  • The file system is accessible through the standard java.io package interface.

IMPORTANT:On Windows, you must use forward slashes (/) in the pathname, not the typical Windows backslashes (\). For example, use c:/Documents rather than c:\Documents.

ADVANCED VIBE INSTALLATION SUMMARY SHEET

Under Mirrored Folder Resource Driver Configuration, specify the full path for the directory that you want to mirror in your Vibe site. Also, provide a title for the mirrored folder resource driver that indicates what directory or data is being mirrored. For WebDAV mirrored folders, you must also specify the URL of the WebDAV host where the data is located.

If you need to eventually set up more than three directories as mirrored folders in your Vibe site, you can edit the installer.xml file in the directory where you run the Installation program.

9.11.3 File System Access

Vibe offers several security options for controlling access to the data that resides on the file system.

  • You can restrict the Vibe program to read-only access to the mirrored data, or you can allow full read/write access.

  • You can list specific Vibe users who are allowed to access the mirrored folder resource drivers and thereby create mirrored folders.

  • You can list specific Vibe groups whose members are allowed to access the mirrored folder resource drivers and thereby create mirrored folders.

  • For WebDAV mirrored folder resource drivers, you must also specify a username and password that the Vibe program can use to access the WebDAV server.

ADVANCED VIBE INSTALLATION SUMMARY SHEET

Under Mirrored Folder Resource Driver Configuration, list the file access (read/write or read-only) for the mirrored data, along with users and groups that you want to have access to the resource driver. For a WebDAV mirrored folder, list a username and password that provides access to the WebDAV server.

9.11.4 Mirrored Folder Setup

After you run the Vibe Installation program to configure the Vibe site for mirrored folder resource drivers, additional folder setup is required. Follow the instructions in Setting Up Mirrored Folders in Site Setup in the Novell Vibe OnPrem 3.1 Administration Guide.