Bookshelf v7.5: Creating a File System

The Siebel File System consists of 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.

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

The recommended configuration is to mount the NFS 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 NFS file system could be /SiebelServer1/SiebelFileSystem.

NOTE: You should mount the NFS file system one directory level lower than the VxFS file system mount. This means that you must mount the VxFS file system before the NFS 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. This applies 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 have no direct knowledge of the location of the Siebel File System, since 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, refer to Siebel Server 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 their file system location is different from the default (Enterprise) location using the server manager.

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 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 Siebel Web Client Administration Guide.)

Naming the File System Directory

The file name must be alphanumeric and cannot contain special characters or spaces. Underscores are permitted. Also, each filename must begin with an alpha character; for example, //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 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.

SiebelFS is the host name of the machine (assuming that a dedicated machine is used for the Siebel File System) and siebel7xx is the name of the shared directory.

You will 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.

Table 5. FSM Subdirectories
Subdirectory	Purpose
`att`	Main subdirectory for attachments
`cms`	Communication Server files
`red`	Rule edit cache (used by Product Configurator)
`sme`	Siebel Marketing cache files
`ssp`	Session preferences
`eim`	Siebel transaction files for EIM
`userpref`	Siebel user preferences

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

NOTE: 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 Web Client or Siebel Mobile 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 Server

If you will be operating this File Server 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 Server Service resource will run. For information about clustering your servers, see Clustering Your Siebel Deployment for Failover.

The Siebel installer allows you to install all servers at once for which you have a license. If you will be operating certain servers as part of a cluster, you must install and configure the Siebel Gateway Name Server and the Siebel Server separately.