Folders and files that are required locally, but not required to be part of the global namespace, can be stored on the CTERA Edge Filer and not synced with the CTERA Portal. This content can be shared locally over the network and backed up to the cloud. Files can be shared in any of the following ways:
- Using Windows File sharing, SMB. Every share is exposed through Windows File Sharing so that Windows clients on the network can access the shares through Windows.
- Using NFS. You can use the CTERA Edge Filer as an NFS server, enabling clients with specified IP addresses to access network shares on the CTERA Edge Filer, as if the shares were located on the client's hard drive. Both NFS versions 3 and 4 protocols are supported, depending on the protocol used by the client.
- Using FTP. You can use the CTERA Edge Filer as an FTP server to transfer files or folders over the local network. The FTP protocol is disabled by default.
Concurrent access to files using both NFS and SMB is supported. However, writing files concurrently with both protocols introduces potential risks of data incoherence. For details, see Concurrent Access to Files Using NFS and SMB Protocols
To make any local folder accessible to other CTERA Edge Filer requires the following basic steps:
- Assign the user a CTERA Edge Filer user account. See Managing the CTERA Edge Filer Users.
- Configure the relevant protocol (Windows File Sharing, NFS, FTP) that you want the users to use to access the files. See Network Sharing Protocols.
- Make a network share on the folder you want to share. See Managing Network Shares.
- Provide access to the share. See Accessing Network Shares.
Shares must not be created at the root cloud folder level but at the subfolder level because ACL permissions cannot be managed at the root cloud folder level, only at the subfolder level.