housekeeping on Main network Drive

2binspired · 6 Apr 2009 at 11:08

Hi,

Wondering if you guys could help me out.... Our file and print server at work is fast running out of space. I have asked users to preform some house keeping and delete/archieve old files they no longer require or use and any duplicate files they may have. As you can imagine the request fell on deaf ears.

I want to search the server for all files that have not been accessed in the last 2 years so i can archieve these off and delete them from the server. Is there any software to do this? I have used Windows search which brings back minimal results.

Is there also any good software that will search for duplicate files.....preferably free?

thanks in advance.

BoomAM · 6 Apr 2009 at 12:23

What OS is it your running on the server?

Things i would enforce:
File type restrictions (gets rid of music)
User Quotas (you decide how much they can store not them).

And consider using SIS if the OS your using supports it.

mr.bond · 6 Apr 2009 at 13:26

Don't rule out folder/file compression also.

iaind · 6 Apr 2009 at 14:11

Space ObServer - there's a free trial

2binspired · 6 Apr 2009 at 14:23

Its a Windows 2000 server, I have already removed peoples holiday pics, music etc.

I will take a look at Space Observer

slylittlefox · 6 Apr 2009 at 14:26

When your say Windows search returns minimal results, how'd you mean?

That is, does the search not find old files that you know exist? Very strange if so, maybe refine/tweak your search?

oddjob62 · 6 Apr 2009 at 15:08

Just run a robocopy and tell it to move all files over 2 years to another folder. Then just archive that folder. Can't remember the switch but google will help you.

You can get it to keep the folder structure as well which would probably be handy.

a1ex2001 · 7 Apr 2009 at 14:31

Be very careful removing old files and definately talk to the legal and accounting people first as a lot of files may have a compulsory retention period on them and as you move them off the drive you will be responsible for the storage and retrival of this information.

neil_g · 7 Apr 2009 at 14:42

only problem with quotas if i remember rightly is that they only start recording whats been used from the point they are turned on. so if your data is in place already it wont take that into account.

Rob7865 · 7 Apr 2009 at 15:00

Upgrade the server to 2003 R2 / 2008 and implement the File Server Resource Manger ?

Rob

iaind · 7 Apr 2009 at 15:30

neil_g said:
only problem with quotas if i remember rightly is that they only start recording whats been used from the point they are turned on. so if your data is in place already it wont take that into account.

Most systems look at file ownership, or you can apply them to individual folders.

Northern storage suite will do this, for example if you had:

e:\home\%username% for your user's home folders

You can apply a 200mb quota to each subfolder of e:\home

neil_g · 7 Apr 2009 at 15:58

iaind said:
Most systems look at file ownership, or you can apply them to individual folders.

Northern storage suite will do this, for example if you had:

e:\home\%username% for your user's home folders

You can apply a 200mb quota to each subfolder of e:\home

thats cool, just the way MS explain theirs is seems to suggest it wont go back and "count" whats there.

iaind · 7 Apr 2009 at 16:25

I think thats probably for the reporting of trends etc

ethos · 7 Apr 2009 at 17:46

HDDs are cheap nowadays, have you looked into adding additional storage to the file server?

iaind · 8 Apr 2009 at 07:57

Depends on the server, SAS and U320 SCSI drives aint that cheap

BoomAM · 13 Apr 2009 at 10:14

Seriously look into quotas imo.
You might have to 'trim' some users after you have set them, but it'll save you one heck of a headache with storage as its always a finite value. Making backups easyier as well.