Managing the Global File System

A global file system enables enterprises to centralize, protect, and collaborate on unstructured data while delivering local file access experiences worldwide. Unlike traditional NAS or legacy storage, a global file system spans geographies, clouds, and edge devices, providing a unified view of enterprise data under a single global namespace. With this architecture, users can securely access any file they’re authorized to, from any location, at any time, with enhanced performance, security and global consistency.

CTERA's Global File System unifies all the unstructured files under one global namespace. With support from edge to cloud, it provides LAN-speed file access, seamless multi-site collaboration, and robust data protection for users everywhere.

The global file system comprises folders and folder groups.

Cloud Drive Folders

Cloud Drive Folders are folders created by the Cloud Drive service for personal and shared use. The portal automatically creates a personal folder for each user account's private files when the user account is created in the portal. The folder is displayed to the user as My Files and is the user's home folder. The folder contains files that can only be viewed and edited by the user. The home folder name and the automatic creation of the home folder can be changed in the General Settings of the Virtual Portal Settings window.

Each cloud drive folder belongs to a folder group For details, see Managing Folder Groups.

A cloud folder can be defined with WORM (write once, read many) compliance to ensure that data cannot be tampered with or deleted. For details about setting up a folder with WORM compliance, see Folder (WORM) Compliance: CTERA Vault.

When files are shared by users CTERA provides the following options to preserve file integrity:

• The CTERA Portal keeps track of who has made updates to the files and when, detects file conflicts when updates occur simultaneously, and resolves those conflicts. The changes made in the most recent update are always saved to the original file. Other changes are not lost, but are saved as versions of the original file, with a filename to reflect the date and time of the changes.
• Instead of relying on conflict files, cloud drive folders can be configured so that only one user at a time can access the file for editing and the file will be locked for all other users. For details about configuring file locking, see Configuring a Folder with File Locking.

Backup Folders are part of the Cloud Backup service. When a user backs up a device, a backup folder is automatically created in the portal, to contain the device's backups.

By default, when folders are created in a portal, they are assigned a name based on the device's name. For example, if a device is named JohnS, then this device's files will be backed up to a folder called JohnS, and its cloud files will be stored in a folder called JohnS-CloudFiles followed by a number. You can add new folders manually and can edit their properties.

Folder Groups

CTERA Portal organizes cloud drive folders in folder groups. Each folder group acts as a deduplication realm and as a way to ensure that an edge filer writes to a specific storage node. Deduplication means that when files are written to a folder in a folder group, the files' content is compared to data already stored in other files in the same folder group. Only the data that differs from existing data in the other files is stored in the folder group so that data is only stored once.

Storage classes are groups of one or more storage nodes, defined by the CTERA global administrator. By defining a storage class for the folder group, when the edge filer writes to the Cloud Drive folder associated with the folder group, the data is then written to the specific storage class specified for that folder group.

Folder groups are organized according to each user's deduplication level for Cloud Drive folders and for Backup folders.

Deduplication is performed on the CTERA Edge Filer before the data is uploaded to the CTERA Portal. For Cloud Drive folders and for Backup folders, you can set the deduplication level to any of the following:

• User
  A single folder group is created for each user account, containing all of the user account's backup/cloud drive folders. Deduplication is performed for the user account's folder group. Therefore, if a user owns multiple devices, and the devices back up similar data, the similar data will only be stored once. See Configuring Deduplication for a User Account. You can also change the default deduplication for all new users. For details, see Default Settings for New User.
• Folder
  A folder group is created for each device of a user account, containing all of the device's backup and cloud drive folders. Deduplication is performed separately for each of the user account's folder groups.
• Portal
  A single folder group is shared by all user accounts in the portal. The folder group acts as a deduplication realm that spans the entire portal. In other words, if different users' devices back up similar data, the similar data will only be stored once.

You can change the default deduplication levels for any user created in the portal, and you can change any user's deduplication levels. You can choose a different level for backup folders and for Cloud Drive folders.