Siebel Installation Guide for UNIX: Servers, Mobile Web Clients, Tools > Preparing for Installation > Planning the Siebel Directory Structure >

Creating a File System

The Siebel File System is a shared directory that is network-accessible to the Siebel Server. The file system may be installed on the same server as a Siebel Server or Siebel Database Server, or it may be on another network server that can share the directory, so that it is available to the Siebel Server.

NOTE:  If the operating systems of the two machines for the Siebel Server and the File System are different—for example, one Windows and one UNIX—you may need to deploy a third-party cross-platform file system mounting tool to allow both machines to share the directory. Refer to your cross-platform mounting software documentation for details.

Because it is possible that two Siebel Server instances will execute simultaneously on the same node, you must create a unique mount point for the sharable file system.

The recommended configuration is to mount the sharable file system in the same directory that is used to mount the dedicated VxFS file system for the VCS service group. A service group is a collection of resources working together to provide application services to client. For example, if the VxFS file system that supports the first Siebel Server instance is mounted on /SiebelServer1, then the mount point for the sharable file system could be /SiebelServer1/SiebelFileSystem.

NOTE:  You should mount the sharable file system one directory level lower than the VxFS file system mount. This means that you must mount the VxFS file system before the sharable file system.

When you install each Siebel Server, you are prompted for the local mount point directory of the Siebel File System. Be sure to explicitly specify the unique mount point for each Siebel Server instance. Do not use the default values or those from a previous Siebel Server installation.

When deploying a Siebel component on a specific Siebel Server instance, it may be necessary in some circumstances to override the component's attribute that specifies the directory for the Siebel File Server. Such overrides apply only to components that require access to the Siebel File Server.

NOTE:  You must create a separate 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 need no direct knowledge of the location of the Siebel File System, because they connect directly with the appropriate Siebel Server to request file uploads or downloads. File System Manager then processes these requests through interaction with the Siebel File System directory. For more information about File System Manager, see Siebel System Administration Guide.

NOTE:  The Siebel File System can be defined at the Enterprise level, Siebel Server level, and component level. In a mixed Siebel Server environment, you must individually modify the file system parameter at the Siebel Server and the component level if the file system location is different from the default (Enterprise) location using the server manager. This modification is necessary because of the drilling mechanism of parameters in the siebns.dat. Parameters' setting go from Enterprise to Server to component and then to task. If you do not change the File System at the component level, it will get the value from the Server (if it has been set there) or from the Enterprise (the default).

Because File System Manager is the sole access mechanism to the Siebel File System, only the user with administrative privileges for the Siebel Server should have access privileges to the file system directories. This precaution protects the Siebel File System from direct physical access by all other users.

When using Siebel Mobile Web Client in connected mode (known in this case as the Dedicated Web Client), you may, in some cases, want to connect directly to the Siebel File System. For examples of these cases, their potential ramifications, and for client setup instructions in each case, see Installing the Siebel Mobile and Dedicated Web Clients.

Naming the File System Directory

The filename must be alphanumeric and cannot contain special characters or spaces. Underscores are permitted. Also, each filename must begin with an alpha character. For example, name the directory something like:

/server/siebel or /server/siebel/filesystem

NOTE:  Do not specify ../att at the end of the directory string. In other words, never specify a File System location such as /server/siebel/att. Because Siebel Server installation automatically creates a subdirectory called ../att (attachments) under the File System directory, if you give a directory this name yourself, File System Manager will be unable to locate the correct subdirectory.

The remainder of this document refers to this directory as:

/SiebelFS/siebel7x

where:

SiebelFS = The host name of the machine (assuming that a dedicated machine is used for the Siebel File System) and siebel7x is the name of the shared directory.

You need to specify the shared directory when installing the Siebel Server. The shared directory must be available to all Siebel Servers in the Enterprise. You may need to use a file sharing tool to access this directory.

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

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

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

To set up the Siebel File System

1. Create the directory on the server and record the path in the copy you made of Deployment Planning Worksheet.
2. Using the appropriate administrative tools for your UNIX platform, set permissions for the Siebel administrator to access the directory and subdirectories to 700.

   NOTE:  Only the Siebel administrator for the Siebel Server should have access privileges to the Siebel File System.

3. Grant access to each Siebel Server and client for the appropriate group.

   Remember to install the third-party software required to view standard attachment types, such as MS Word, Excel, or Lotus Notes on the client machines that will be running the Siebel Mobile Web Client or Siebel Dedicated Web Client.

   If an appropriate GUI-based administrative tool does not exist on your platform, you can use the chmod and chgrp utilities to set these parameters. Consult your UNIX platform documentation for more information.

Clustering Prerequisites for the File System

If you will be operating this File System as part of a cluster, you must install it on a clustered disk drive in the same cluster resource group in which the Siebel File System Service resource will run. For information about clustering your servers, see Deployment Planning Guide.