ArchiverFS - The File Archiving Solution for Network File Systems

The file archiving solution that lets you use any device as second tier archive storage while costing a fraction of more traditional file archiving software.

Move your old and unused files from you primary network storage to second tier archive storage on mass with ArchiverFS, and leave seamless stubs behind in place of archived files all while persisting file attributes, permissions and directory structures.

Unlike most file archiving solutions ArchiverFS is not a document management solution that has been shoe-horned into the role of file archiving software. We use NTFS/REFS from start to finish and we don't use a database to store files or file metadata in.

We took this approach when designing our file archiving solution to ensure that ArchiverFS had as small a footprint on the host system as possible. You just specify the UNC paths you want to check for old content, define the criteria you want to use to identify it and then tell the software where you want your old files moved too. ArchiverFS will then do exactly that, and while it's at it ArchiverFS will mirror the live directory structure to the selected archive destination and persist all file attributes and permissions. In essence it creates a mirror of the live file system on your archive storage, but a mirror that just contains the old and unused content.

You can then choose from a selection of link types which can be left behind in place of files that have been archived. These links give users completely seamless access to archived content.

Our approach of not using a database to store metadata of any kind is completely unique amongst file archiving solutions for Windows, and it is this which makes ArchiverFS incredibly scalable and hugely cost effective.

ArchiverFS Box Shot - The File Archiving Solution

In addition only functionality that is already included natively with the Windows operating system is used. Uniquely amongst archiving software ArchiverFS doesn't require the installation of any third party software or agents on your workstations. You just setup a single copy of the software server side and you are ready to go. Our solutions reliance on native functionality also has another benefit, ArchiverFS is out of the box compatible with ALL of Microsoft storage technologies like DFS, De-Duplication, Compression and Replication.

Even the links that can be left behind in place of archived files are based on native functionality, you get the choice of Symbolic links for seamless access or Windows shortcuts for maximum compatibility. When a user opens a link that has been left by ArchiverFS all of the IO goes straight from the users workstation directly to the archived file. At no point does our file archiving solution get in the way, there aren't any database lookups or recall processes to slow things down. All archived content is instantly available which means that users don't have to wait for an item to be moved back to the live system before they can open it, the file is pulled directly from the archive storage.

But ArchiverFS doesn't stop there, not only does it give you the ability to archive old content to secondary storage it also syncronizes permissions with the live file system and even returns recently used files back to the live file system automatically. You even get the ability to end of life archived files automatically once they have been unused for the period of time you specify, which includes the removal of their links from the live system and the writing out to a final location of your choosing for a final backup\deletion.

All of this adds up to create the most cost effective file archiving software available.

Why migrate your old files to second-tier storage?

Meet 'Recovery Time Objectives' in the event of a disaster: You might be able to backup your system ok, but how long would it take you to restore it? That's a big challenge for a lot of organizations, especially those that don't have good file archiving software in place! By archiving your old content to secondary storage you can back up your live and archive storage separately, you will then be able to restore the live current storage first giving your users what they need to get working again, and then as a secondary task bring back the old archived content.

Reclaim space on your expensive first tier storage: The less data you try to store on your primary storage the longer its service life will be. File systems seem to grow exponentially, it doesn't matter what you spec in terms of capacity users always seem to be able to fill it up far quicker than anyone imagined. ArchiverFS lets you tame that growth thus extending the life of your primary storage tier.

Ensure regulatory compliance: It might be the GDPR regulations in the EU or it might be something similar in another part of the world, but these days businesses handling data are normally faced with some kind of legislation regarding how long they can retain data for. ArchiverFS enables you to specify how long you want to keep unstructured content before it is disposed of, thus helping you meet any legal requirements.

Slash your backup costs: Old files don't change often, but whenever you do a full backup of your primary storage you will be backing up old static content. With your old files archived to second line storage your primary storage backups will reduce in size thereby saving on backup costs. Deploying file archiving software can literally save you a fortune in backup costs.

What next?

Please feel free to email us if you have any questions about ArchiverFS, our archiving solution for file servers and network storage. We are more than happy to provide product demonstrations on request.

You are welcome to download a copy of ArchiverFS which comes with a free\trial license. The free\trial license lets you create up to 5 scheduled archive jobs and archive as much data as you like. It's only limitation is a limit of 100 files processed each time a job runs.