In version 3.0.40, the way that Archive Manager stores the attachment (and message) information has changed. From the outside, there is no change, but internally, the way it is configured has changed significantly. This KB article covers how these changes are implemented, and where to look for the new settings.
Note: 3.0.40 was previously known as 3.5. This is a prerelease Solution. The name and/or version may change.
In version 3.0, all Archive Manager configuration was stored in the registry. This includes keys such as:
- DataDirectory
- Storage Type
- Centera Connection String
- Bridgehead HDR Home
- Bridgehead Library Path
While these were functional for Archive Manager v3.0, with some of the new features and future plans in Archive Manager v3.0.40, these were too limiting. For example, you can only have ONE of: File system, Centera or Bridgehead.
While these "keys" still exist in Archive Manager v3.0.40, they are used in a very different way. In Archive Manager v3.0.40, all registry settings have been depreciated, with the following exceptions:
- ConnectionString
- Company Name
- Archive Manager Key
- DataExportDirectory (only used by external tools, eg PST Exporter)
- Installer Configuration
- Contents of Installer sub-key.
All other items are taken from the CONFIG table in the Archive Manager database. This table is a simple key-value pair, much in the same way that the registry is.
NOTE: Any registry entries which are present at time of installation/upgrade will be carried over to the CONFIG table automatically, and removed from the registry, except the above keys.
The way that the attachment storage system is determined has also changed. In v3.0, the Archive Manager Data Load Service would look at the registry key DataDirectory and put files in there (assuming it was setup for the file system). In v3.0.40, Archive Manager now looks at the StorageLocation table. This table consists of four fields:
- An identifier
- A Storage Type (this is the same as the old Storage Type registry key. 0 = File System, 2 = Centera, 3 = Bridgehead)
- A Connection String. This is dependant on the storage type.
- A default flag - which storage location to use when adding a new item.
Because the Storage Location is now stored against each message and attachment as it is stored, a single site can have:
- Multiple file system stores, for example if your primary SAN fills up, you can start on a new one.
- Legacy storage on the file system, with new items added to the Bridgehead HDR system.
- Any combination of the above.
There is not yet any mechanism to archive items, for example, items over 6 months old are moved from Storage Location A (Fast SAN) to Storage Location B (Slow, cheap, old RAID system, which is only backed up monthly).
Connection Strings:
In order to provide modular and encapsulated connections to each storage system, a Connection String system is used. The contents of the connection string depends on the storage system used.
File System Storage (StorageType = 0) - The connection string for the file system storage contains the following items:
- DATA - the path to the attachment store.
- COMPLIANCE - the path to the compliance store.
Note that COMPLIANCE is only valid if the Perform Compliance Export flag is set to "true" in the CONFIG table. The DATA value is the old DataDirectory value.
Some sample connection strings are:
- DATA=C:\Archive Manager\Data
- DATA=C:\Archive Manager\Data;COMPLIANCE=C:\Archive Manager\Compliance
- DATA=\\Archive Manager\AttachmentStore
EMC Centera (StorageType = 2) - The connection string is the entire Centera connection string, which is documented by EMC, and usually in the format:
- 10.0.0.1, 10.0.0.2, 10.0.0.3
- centera.cascommunity.org
The value provided is passed verbatum to the Centera for connection.
Bridgehead HDR (StorageType = 3):
- APPLICATIONNAME - the name of the application - usually "Archive Manager"
- HDRHOME - the path to the Bridgehead HDR system - usually similar to \\<server>\HDRHOME
- LIBPATH - the path to the Bridgehead libraries. A set of these are included with Archive Manager. This is often "C:\Program
Files\Archive Manager\HDRDataStream.dll"
- REPID - the ID of the repository to be used. Usually "1"
A sample connection string would look like this:
- HDRHOME=\\Bridgehead\HDRHOME;LIBPATH=C:\Program Files\Archive Manager\HDRDataStream.dll;APPLICATIONNAME=Archive
Manager;REPID=1
Message Compliance:
Message Compliance is a new optional feature in Archive Manager v3.0.40. This feature allows for each message to be stored in the storage system (File System, Centera, Bridgehead), in addition to the attachment. The message is stored in a modified format, which is the message itself, minus any attachments (which are stored in the attachment store). This allows for items from the Message Compliance store to be re-loaded into Archive Manager, in the event of a systems failure or fraudulent data manipulation. This feature is controlled by setting the Perform Compliance Export CONFIG entry to true (without quotes). Note that the connection string may need to be altered if you are using the file system.
