MLtek is a United Kingdom-based company that has produced a range of programs with the goal of tackling some problems that IT infrastructure can have. Their staff has all had experience working with IT infrastructure and is quite familiar with many of the challenges this field of computer technology presents. Each of their products was created after a “if only I could find an application that did X” moment. All their solutions are designed to offer an effective yet simple answer to several of these problems.
ArchiverFS
You can find an index of their products at https://www.mlteksoftware.com/Products/ArchiverFS/Index.aspx with their most popular product being the ArchiverFS program which is a simple file storage program. But unlike the many other archiving products on the market, this does not store your files in a database. Rather, they use a share that you create anywhere on your network. Instead, it uses NTFS from beginning to end and this makes this product fast, reliable as well as being incredibly scalable. By using NTFS permissions which can be retained on your folders and files after processing is unlike most programs that are centered around a database and you still get all the features that you would expect and need.
Overview
This is an easy thing to clarify and that is because the principals underlying are quite simple. Simply, ArchiverFS allows you to automatically move old as well as unused files from numerous devices where they are stored to other storage devices by UNC paths while leaving behind managing permissions and links. You also have the choice of criteria you want to use such as:
- Type
- Size
- Last dates of access or modification
A user may also choose the type of links that are to be left behind or you can choose to leave none. The file system’s live directory arrangement is automatically illustrated in the archive storage as a part of the process of archiving (they mirror each other). This includes all NTFS attributes as well as permissions.
Once moved
Once all the files are moved, the Maintenance Function or Job comes into play. Among other tasks, this Maintenance Job function takes care of keeping the permissions synchronized between the archive and the live file systems, and the returning of used files that were recently used back to the live file system.
How it works
This program uses shortcuts that are able to be left behind so that the users can recall files without any need to trouble IT staff members and since it doesn’t involve a database to store any information in, so processed files are exceedingly cost-effective to employ. In fact, you can even transfer files over a WAN to any of several cloud services such as:
- Azure
- AWS
- Google Cloud
This all adds up to a program that giving you scalability that is massive scalability and for a great price. Many customers come from a plethora of backgrounds including:
- Local government departments
- Educational institutions
- Health authorities
- Multi-billion-dollar multi-nationals
- A whole lot in between
This program does not only help make the most of your present tier of storage, but they meet all the regulatory compliance such as the new EU based GDPR requirements, as well as other Data Protection compliances.
ArchiverFS works at the file system level and gives you a structured method to migrate all your old as well as unused files to 2nd tier storage, without trying to store files, pointers to files or even the metadata of files in a database.
Features
With this program, the users get all the features that one would expect in such a program:
- Stubs that are seamless can be left in place of old files once they have been moved.
- Reporting functions.
- Various choices to control files moved such as the age of the file, size, type, etc.
- Ability to compress these files once they have been moved.
But you do get massive scalability, agent-free operation and compatibility with many technologies such as DFS and de-duplication. You can find further information at https://www.mlteksoftware.com/Products/ArchiverFS/FAQ/ArchiverFS_HowItWorks.aspx.
Upgrading
MLtek has wanted to overhaul the reporting function in ArchiverFS for some time, and they are now announcing that phase 1 of this overhaul is complete. Version 3.471 includes a new statistics collection function that does away with the separate reporting service, leading to scalability and performance that is improved.]
Customer services
In a world that perfect, you would probably never need to seek help, but this company realizes that this is not a world that is perfect. For that reason, they pride themselves on the reliability of the software and ease of use, but also because of the large difference in possible operating configurations that these products can be used, occasionally user issues will develop. If you do need help, just contact this company and your issue will become their support team’s top priority. You will be delighted with not just their programs but also their superb customer service.
It doesn’t matter whether you:
- Need some advice on how to best configure a feature.
- You have encountered a problem.
- Have a feature request.
- Anything similar.
Be certain to contact them either by support email address or by phone.
What makes this program special?
This program is certainly one of the better designed and faster ways to archive files because of the clever way that this company has chosen to design this program. When it comes right down, that design is what makes ArchiverFS so unique on the market today. Plus, you do not have to do anything with your servers and there is no software that needs to be loaded onto your workstations – just install, configure and you are good to go.
