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Creating the Siebel File System

This topic is part of General Considerations in Planning Your Siebel Deployment.

The Siebel File System is a shared directory, or set of directories, that is network-accessible to the Siebel Server and that can store files such as attachments for use by Siebel applications. Siebel File System directories may optionally exist on separate devices or partitions.

Each File System directory may be created on a server machine where you have installed a Siebel Server, or on another network server that can share the directory, so that it is available to the Siebel Server. Consult your third-party documentation for requirements for networked file systems.

A primary Siebel File System directory must be created before you configure the Siebel Enterprise. You specify this location during configuration. The location must be specified using UNC format, such as \\machine_name\FS. If this directory is located on the same machine where you are installing and configuring Siebel software, the directory must be created as a shared directory. The user running the Siebel Configuration Wizard must have write permission in this directory.

Creating multiple Siebel File System directories in different locations can enable you to store larger volumes of data. As new file attachments are inserted, they are evenly distributed across the multiple File System directories. If you create multiple File System directories, you must include all directory locations, delimited by commas, when you specify the File System location during configuration of your Siebel environment. Each File System directory location must be uniquely named within the network context where it will be accessed.

For information about migrating an existing Siebel File System deployment to use multiple File System directories, see Siebel System Administration Guide.

The ability to use multiple directories and devices for the Siebel File System does not apply to Siebel Mobile Web Clients, for which the Siebel File System must use a single directory on the client machine.

NOTE:  If the operating systems of the machines hosting the Siebel Server and a File System directory are different (for example, one Windows and one UNIX) you may need to deploy a third-party cross-platform networking tool, such as Samba, to allow both machines to share the directory. Refer to your third-party documentation for details.

You must create a completely separate Siebel File System for each Siebel Enterprise Server. For example, if you have development and test databases, you must have two separate Siebel Enterprise Servers, and therefore two Siebel File Systems.

Each Siebel Server accesses its Enterprise's Siebel File System by means of a dedicated server component, called File System Manager (FSM). Individual Web clients require no direct knowledge of the locations of the Siebel File System directories, because they connect to FSM through the Application Object Manager (AOM) component on the Siebel Server to request file uploads or downloads. The AOM passes such requests to the FSM component, which processes the requests through interaction with the File System directories.

Because the Siebel Server is the sole access mechanism to the Siebel File System, the user with administrative privileges for the Siebel Server, and no other user, must have access privileges to the File System directories. This precaution protects the File System from direct physical access by all other users.

Some Siebel Server components may access the Siebel File System directly, without using File System Manager.

The Siebel File System parameter defines the particular directory or set of directories you are using for the Siebel File System. Specify multiple File System directories delimited by commas.

The Siebel File System parameter can be defined at the Enterprise level, Siebel Server level, or server component level. Use Server Manager to individually modify the parameter at the Siebel Server or component level, if the File System that is to be used by a particular Siebel Server or applicable component has different directory locations than are defined for the Enterprise.

NOTE:  Verify that the network names of servers that will support the Siebel File System are properly recorded in your copy of the worksheet in Deployment Planning Worksheet. Use the machine names, not the IP addresses, for the Siebel File System names. IP addresses are not supported.

Two utilities are available to help you manage your Siebel File System directories: sfscleanup and sfspartition.

For more information about the File System Manager component, about the Siebel File System parameter, and about Siebel File System management tasks using sfscleanup and sfspartition, see Siebel System Administration Guide.

For more information about deployment options for the Siebel File System, see Siebel Deployment Planning Guide.

For information about populating the Siebel File System with files such as correspondence templates, see Populating the Siebel File System.

Naming a Siebel File System Directory

Each Siebel File System directory name must be alphanumeric, must begin with an alphabetic character, and cannot contain special characters or spaces. Underscores are permitted. For example, you might name a directory something like this:

\\server\siebel

Such a directory may be referred to using the following notation:

\\SiebelFS\siebel8x

where:

• SiebelFS = The host name of the machine (for example, where a dedicated machine is used for the Siebel File System).
• siebel8x = The name of the shared directory.

You need to specify all applicable UNC sharenames (delimited by commas) when configuring the Siebel Enterprise. These shared directories must be available to all Siebel Servers in the Enterprise.

As part of the Siebel Server installation, File System Manager automatically generates a set of subdirectories under each Siebel File System root directory, as described in Table 5.

NOTE:  When you create a Siebel File System shared directory, only the associated Siebel Servers must be allowed to create subdirectories in that location. Do not manually create subdirectories in that location.

For more information about these subdirectories, see Siebel System Administration Guide.

Setting Up the Siebel File System

Use the following procedures to set up the Siebel File System directories.

NOTE:  In addition to the steps below, you must install the third-party software required to view standard attachment types, such as Microsoft Word, Excel, or Lotus Notes, on client machines where users will run the Siebel applications.

To set up the Siebel File System

1. Create each directory on the applicable server and record the path in the copy you made of the worksheet in Deployment Planning Worksheet.
2. Under Windows Explorer, select the directory, and then choose File, Properties, and then Sharing. Select Share this folder.
3. Type a name for the Share name.

   NOTE:  When you want to add a client or new user to this share, you click Add under the Security tab to browse for the user or group name.

   You may want to type the number of the Siebel release you are installing in the Comments field for future identification. However, completion of the field is not required.

   NOTE:  When installing a new File System directory, do not change the default setting for Maximum Allowed.

4. To grant UNC access to the Siebel administrator, click Permissions and choose the appropriate user or group name. When you want to add a client or new user to this share, you click Add to browse for the user or group name.

   NOTE:  Only the system administrator for the Siebel Server, and no other user, must have access privileges to the Siebel File System directories.

5. From the Permissions list, make sure Full Control is selected.
6. Click OK to finish.
7. Grant Windows access to each Siebel Server and client:
   1. On the Security tab, select the appropriate user or group name and make sure Full Control is selected on the Permissions list.
   2. Click Advanced.
   3. On the Access Control Settings dialog box, make sure you check the option to allow inheritable permissions from the parent to propagate to this object.
8. To close the Permissions and File Properties dialog boxes, click OK.

Clustering Prerequisites for the Siebel File System

If you will be operating a File System directory as part of a cluster for failover purposes, you must create the directory on a clustered disk drive with a clustered network share resource. For information about clustering your servers, see Siebel Deployment Planning Guide.