7.7 Creating a Group Collaborative Storage Policy

  1. Launch NSMAdmin.

  2. In the Main menu, click Policy Management.

  3. In the Manage Policies menu, select Create Policy > Create Group Policy.

    The following screen appears:

  4. Specify a name in the Name field.

    The Policy Options page appears.

  5. Continue with Section 7.7.1, Setting Group Policy Options.

7.7.1 Setting Group Policy Options

Settings within Policy Options let you indicate how the policy is applied, set policy inheritance, and write an expanded policy description.

NOTE:Group policies in Novell Storage Manager are completely independent of Microsoft Group policies.

  1. Leave the Process Events for Associated Managed Storage check box selected.

    This indicates that you want the settings in this policy to be applied to all groups within the domain or organizational unit where this policy is assigned. Deselecting this check box indicates that you want to create a Blocking policy that can be applied to a specific group. For more information on blocking policies, see Section 4.6, Creating a Blocking Policy.

  2. Do one of the following:

    • If you are assigning this policy to a container rather than a group, and you want the settings to apply to subcontainers, leave the Policy applies to subcontainers check box selected.

    • If you are assigning this policy to a container, and you do not want the settings to apply to subcontainers, deselect the Policy applies to subcontainers check box.

  3. In the Description region, use the text field to specify a description of the policy you are creating.

  4. Click OK to save your settings.

  5. Proceed with Section 7.7.2, Setting Group Policy Associations.

7.7.2 Setting Group Policy Associations

The Associations page is where you assign the collaborative policy you are creating to a domain, organizational unit, or Group object.

  1. In the left pane, click Associations.

  2. Click Add to bring up the Object Browser.

  3. Browse through the directory structure and select the organizational unit or Group object you want to associate the policy to.

  4. Drag the object to the Selected Items pane and click OK.

    The Object Browser is closed and the object is displayed in fully qualified name format in the right pane of the window. For example, CN=admingroup.O=Dynocorp.

  5. Click OK to close the Object Browser.

  6. Click Apply to save your settings.

  7. Proceed with Section 7.7.3, Setting Group Policy Provisioning Options.

7.7.3 Setting Group Policy Provisioning Options

The Provisioning Options page is where you indicate collaborative storage rights, the location of a template for provisioning the collaborative storage folder structure and content in a managed path when it is created, and more.

  1. In the left pane, click Provisioning Options.

    The following page appears:

  2. In the Folder Properties region, deselect all rights.

    If you chose to create a collaborative storage temple, the rights will be applied from the template that you created in Section 7.4, Creating a Collaborative Storage Template.

  3. (Conditional) If you want to override the path owner, select the Override Path Owner check box.

  4. In the field below the Override Path Owner check box, browse to indicate a path owner (that is, the owner of the group’s managed path).

  5. In the Template Folder region, click the Browse button and locate the folder structure that you created in Section 7.4, Creating a Collaborative Storage Template.

  6. Select the topmost folder in the folder structure and click OK.

    For example, if you had a structure similar to the Sample Classroom Collaborative Storage Template in Figure 7-1, you would select “8th Grade U.S. History.”

  7. Click Apply to save your settings.

  8. Proceed with Section 7.7.4, Setting Group Policy Target Paths.

7.7.4 Setting Group Policy Target Paths

The Target Paths page is where you set the paths to where the collaborative storage area for this policy will be hosted.

  1. In the left pane, click Target Paths.

  2. In the Target Placement region, fill in the following fields:

    Random: Distributes storage randomly among the number of target paths.

    Actual Free Space: Distributes the creation of collaborative storage folders according to volumes with the largest amount of absolute free space. For example, if you have two target paths listed, target path 1 has 15 GB of free space, and target path 2 has 10 GB, the collaborative storage folders are created using target path 1.

    Percentage Free Space: Distributes the creation of collaborative storage folders to volumes with the largest percentage of free space. For example, if you have two target paths listed and target path 1 is to a 10 TB drive that has 30 percent free space, and target path 2 is to a 500 GB drive with 40 percent free space, the collaborative storage folders are created using target path 2, even though target path 1 has more absolute available disk space. You should be cautious when using this option with target paths to volumes of different sizes.

    Leveling Algorithm: Use this option to structure the home folders so that they are categorized by the first or last letter of a username through a subordinate folder. For example, if you choose First Letter, and the Leveling Length field is set to 1, a user named BSMITH has a home folder located in a path such as \\SERVER1\HOME\B\BSMITH.

    If you choose Last Letter, and the Leveling Length field is set to 1, the same user has a home folder located in a path such as \\SERVER1\HOME\H\BSMITH.

    The Last Letter means the last character of the attribute Novell Storage Manager uses to create storage.

    The Leveling Length field allows you to enter up to 4 characters. This makes it so that you can organize home folders by year. For example, if your Leveling Algorithm setting is Last Letter, and the Leveling Length setting is 4, a user named BMITH2014 has a home folder located in a path such as \\SERVER\HOME\2014\BSMITH2014.

    Maximum Unreachable Paths: If you have a substantial number of target paths listed on this page, this field lets you indicate the number of target paths Novell Storage Manager accesses to attempt to create a home folder before it suspends the attempt.

    For example, suppose you have 100 target paths and you're using Random Distribution and the Maximum Unreachable Paths setting is 20. Novell Storage Manager will try 20 of those 100 paths before the event will become a pending event. A path can be unreachable for any error condition. For example: the server is down or the share is not available.

  3. For each target path that you want to establish, click Add to access the Path Browser.

  4. Browse to the location of the target path you want and click Add to add the target path to the Selected Paths pane.

  5. Click OK to save the path.

  6. Click Apply to save your settings.

  7. Proceed to Section 7.7.5, Setting Group Policy Quota Options.

7.7.5 Setting Group Policy Quota Options

This page lets you establish storage quota for the collaborative storage folder. Until quota management is established, a collaborative storage area has unlimited storage. Quota management for collaborative storage applies to:

  • The quota for the entire storage folder

  • Quotas for personal folders in the collaborative storage folder

NOTE:In order for the quota to be managed on a personal folder, you must also manage the quota on the -OWNER- or -MEMBER- folder. You can set this in the template through the properties of each folder.

The Quota Options page is also where you establish quota management settings for quota managers. A quota manager is a specified user—for example, a help desk administrator or technical support rep, who is granted the ability to increase quotas without having rights to the file system. Quota management actions are performed through Quota Manager, which is a separate Web browser-based management interface. For more information on Quota Manager, see Section 8.0, Using Quota Manager.

  1. In the left pane, click Quota Options.

    The following page appears:

  2. Select the Enabled check box to enable quota management.

  3. In the MB field, specify the initial storage quota for the collaborative storage folders.

  4. Set up quota managers for this policy by filling in the following fields:

    Enable Quota Manager / Quota Preservation for this Policy: Select this check box to enable the Quota Management region of the page.

    Quota Maximum: Indicate whether the users managed by this policy will have a maximum quota setting. If so, indicate the maximum quota.

    Quota Increment: Indicate whether quota managers will set quotas manually or in set increments. If you select manual increments, the quota manager can increase the quota in any increment until it meets the maximum quota setting. If you select set increments, the quota manager can only increase the quota by the increment setting.

    Quota Managers: Click Add and use the Object Browser to browse to and select a user you want to be a quota manager, then drag the User object to the right pane. Repeat this for each user you want to be a quota manager.

  5. Click Apply to save your settings.

  6. Proceed with Section 7.7.6, Setting the Group Policy Move Schedule.

7.7.6 Setting the Group Policy Move Schedule

This page lets you use a grid to specify when collaborative storage data can be moved during data movement operations.

By default, all days and times are available for data movement. You might decide that data movement during regular business hours creates unacceptable network performance, and choose to move data after regular business hours.

NOTE:The collaborative storage folder will not move if there are any open files. Until the folder can be moved, the Move event will be listed as a pending event.

  1. In the left pane, click Move Schedule.

  2. In the Data Move Schedule grid, click the squares for the day and hour you want to disable for data movement.

  3. Click Apply to save your settings.

  4. Proceed with Section 7.7.7, Setting Group Policy Dynamic Template Processing.

7.7.7 Setting Group Policy Dynamic Template Processing

Dynamic Template Processing is the term used in Novell Storage Manager for creating personal folders in a collaborative storage folder. If Dynamic Template Processing is enabled, creating a -MEMBER- Group object in the collaborative storage file structure automates the creation of a user’s personal folder when he or she is added to the group.

  1. In the left pane, click Dynamic Templates.

    The following screen appears:

  2. Do one of the following:

    • If the folder structure in your collaborative storage template includes a -MEMBER- folder, Novell Storage Manager can create personal folders within the collaborative storage folder. Leave the Enable Dynamic Template Processing check box selected and proceed with Step 3.

    • If your collaborative storage template does not include a -MEMBER- folder, Novell Storage Manager does not create personal folders within the collaborative storage folder. Deselect the Enable Dynamic Template Processing check box and proceed with Section 7.7.8, Setting Group Policy Cleanup Options.

  3. Choose one of the following options:

    • Do not limit folder search depth: The NSM Engine searches through the collaborative storage folder looking for -GROUP-, -OWNER-, and -MEMBER- folders. Depending on the number of folders in the collaborative storage folder, this can take significant time. It is therefore best to not select this option.

    • Limit folder search to a depth of: If you know the maximum level where the -MEMBER- folder is structured in your collaborative storage template, you can select this option and indicate the level.

      For example, in the Sample Classroom Collaborative Storage Template in Figure 7-1, the -MEMBER- folder is located four levels down.

  4. Indicate whether to hide the folders named -MEMBER, -OWNER-, and -GROUP-, objects by leaving the Ignore hidden attribute on dynamic template check box selected to hide the objects, or deselecting the check box to display the objects.

    Hiding the folders might prevent the folders from being deleted by an administrator who doesn’t know why they are there. Leaving this check box selected displays all personal folders within the collaborative storage folder except for the hidden objects.

  5. Click Apply to save your settings.

  6. Proceed with Section 7.7.8, Setting Group Policy Cleanup Options.

7.7.8 Setting Group Policy Cleanup Options

This page lets you enable and specify cleanup rules for the Group policy. Options for cleanup include deleting a collaborative storage folder after a set number of days following the removal of the associated Group object from eDirectory, or vaulting (rather than deleting) the collaborative storage folder.

  1. In the left pane, click Cleanup Options.

  2. Enable storage cleanup by filling in the following fields:

    Enable: Select this check box to enable storage cleanup rules.

    Cleanup storage: Specify the number of days a collaborative storage folder remains after the associated Group object is removed from eDirectory.

  3. Enable vaulting on cleanup by filling in the following fields:

    Enable: Select this check box to enable vaulting on cleanup rules.

    Vault Path: Click Browse to browse and select the path where you want the collaborative storage folders vaulted after cleanup.

    When you indicate this path, it also appears in the Vault Path field of the Grooming Rules page, because grooming rules and vault on cleanup rules share the same vault path.

  4. Click Apply to save the settings.

  5. Proceed with Section 7.7.9, Setting Group Policy Vault Rules.

7.7.9 Setting Group Policy Vault Rules

When a Group object is removed from eDirectory, you can have Novell Storage Manager vault the contents of the associated collaborative storage folder from a primary storage device to a less expensive secondary storage device. Novell Storage Manager lets you specify what to vault or delete by using vault rules. For example, you might want to remove all .tmp files before vaulting the collaborative storage folder. Or, you might want to vault only a single folder, such as Final Proposal and nothing else in the other folders. You accomplish all of this through settings in the Vault Rules Editor.

  1. In the left pane, click Vault Rules.

    The Vault Path field displays the vault path that you established when you set up collaborative storage cleanup rules.

  2. Click Add to bring up the Vault Rules Editor.

  3. In the Description field, specify a description of the vault rule.

    For example, “Files to delete before vaulting,” or “Files to vault.”

  4. Fill in the following fields:

    Action: Select whether this vault rule deletes or vaults.

    Be aware that if you select Vault, only the files or folders that you list in the Masks text box are vaulted and the remainder of the home folder content is deleted. Conversely, if you select Delete, only the files or folders that you list in the Masks text box are deleted, and everything else is vaulted.

    Files: If the vault rule you are creating will vault or delete content at the file level, leave the File option selected.

    Folders: If the vault rule you are creating will vault or delete content at the folder level, select the Folders option.

    Selecting Folders disables the filter settings in the lower portion of the Vault Rules Editor.

    Masks: List the files or folders you want to be vaulted or deleted, according to what is indicated in the Action drop-down menu.

    File or folder names can contain an asterisk.

  5. (Conditional) If the vault rule you are creating is specific to files, complete the applicable filter settings.

    Leaving the setting as [Disabled]-Any Size vaults or deletes all file types listed in the Mask text box, according to what is indicated in the Action drop-down menu. Choosing any of the other options from the drop-down menu lets you indicate files to delete or vault according to size, when created, when last modified, and when last accessed.

  6. Click OK to save the vault rule.

  7. If necessary, create any needed additional vault rules by repeating the procedures above.

  8. Proceed with Section 7.7.10, Setting Group Policy Grooming Rules.

7.7.10 Setting Group Policy Grooming Rules

Grooming rules in Novell Storage Manager specify the file types that you do not want network users storing in their home folders or collaborative storage areas. Examples of these might be .mp3and .mp4 files, .mov files, and many others. You use the Grooming rule to specify whether to delete or vault a groomed file.

Grooming takes place as a Management Action that is run by the administrator. A Management Action is a manual action that is enacted through NSMAdmin. For more information, see Section 9.1.4, Management Actions.

  1. In the left pane, click Grooming Rules.

    The Vault Path field displays the vault path that you established when you set up cleanup rules.

  2. Click Add to bring up the Grooming Rules Editor.

  3. In the Description field, specify a description of the grooming rule.

    For example, “Files to groom in Community Outreach Group.”

  4. Fill in the following fields:

    Action: Select whether this grooming rule will delete or vault groomed files.

    Files: If the grooming rule you are creating will vault or delete content at the file level, leave the File option selected.

    Folders: If the grooming rule you are creating will vault or delete content at the folder level, select the Folders option.

    Selecting Folders disables the filter settings in the lower portion of the Grooming Rules Editor.

    Masks: List the files or folders you want to be vaulted or deleted, according to what is indicated in the Action drop-down menu.

    File or folder names can contain an asterisk.

  5. (Conditional) If the grooming rule you are creating is specific to files, complete the applicable filter settings.

    Leaving the setting as [Disabled]-Any Size vaults or deletes all file types listed in the Mask text box, according to what is indicated in the Action drop-down menu. Choosing any of the other options from the drop-down menu lets you indicate files to delete or vault according to size, when created, when last modified, and when last accessed.

  6. Click Apply to save the grooming rule.