User Interfaces

The Remote Storage snap-in presents a hierarchical view of the Remote Storage system. Each node in the hierarchy represents a different component of the Remote Storage system. This allows the system administrator to configure the components of the Remote Storage by invoking their corresponding configuration screens or property sheets.

The top level component of the Remote Storage hierarchy is the Windows 2000 Server hosting remote storage. All other components in the Remote Storage snap-in are descendants of the Windows 2000 Server hosting remote storage.

The Remote Storage user interface (UI) is comprised of four parts: the Remote Storage Administrative user interface; the Recall Notification user interface; Windows Explorer integration; and Disk Management integration. The Remote Storage snap-in runs on Windows 2000 Server and Windows 2000 Professional. The nonadministrative UIs (Recall Notification, Windows Explorer integration, and Disk Management integration) run on the same platforms.

Remote Storage Snap-in

The Remote Storage snap-in provides the following components:

• Snap-in registration and initialization
• Namespace node enumeration
• Command architecture action enumeration
• Toolbar and toolbar button enumeration
• Menu and menu item enumeration
• Drag-and-drop registration and negotiation
• Persistent storage handling

The characteristics of the Remote Storage snap-in include the following:

• A two-paned representation of the system in which the console tree contains a hierarchical view of the objects in an administered system, and the right view contains information, properties, and images describing the objects.
• Easy access to frequently used features; features used less often don't clutter the interface.
• Direct manipulation of objects (drag-and-drop, inserting, deleting with single keystrokes, or mouse movements).
• Use of visual metaphors: similar actions have similar interfaces.
• Minimal intervention by the administrator when the Remote Storage is behaving correctly. However, when a problem arises, the Remote Storage snap-in provides very clear and unambiguous notification of the problem.
• All administrative functionality housed in the user interface. No separate, stand-alone administrative utilities exist, although distributed end-user user interface tools exist outside the Remote Storage snap-in.
• Integration of system configuration and monitoring in a single tool.

Recall Notification

On Windows 2000 recall notification can monitor currently active client initiated recalls. The name of the file is shown to the user when a recall is in progress.

This application allows the administrator to cancel the recall. This has the effect of freeing the application (the read, write, or memory map request fails) but, if data transfer has started, the file is still recalled.

Windows Explorer Integration

Placeholders in Windows Explorer are visually different from normal (untruncated) files, but premigrated files appear the same as normal files. Remote Storage integration with Windows Explorer requires adding a new property page to both the file and directory property sheets (accessible through Windows Explorer) to represent storage management properties. The new storage management pages provide information on migration status, premigrated file data location in remote storage, premigrated date and time, and possibly other relevant information. Users have read-only access to the new Remote Storage property pages, though they can force immediate premigration of individual files or entire directories by setting a Premigrate Now option on the Remote Storage page.

Specific integration areas include (in order of priority):

1. Windows Explorer does not open the unnamed data stream of placeholder files unless the user needs access to the file data. For less essential tasks, such as showing the icon in the file list, Windows Explorer must use a default icon or an alternative storage location.
2. Windows Explorer must preserve the last access date when a file is opened for behind-the-scenes use (for example, preserving the last access date when searching files for content indexing or when finding a string to satisfy a user query).
3. Content indexing or search operations needs to skip placeholders unless the user has been made aware of the consequences (such as the extended wait to fetch the data from remote storage) and wants to proceed. If the search includes placeholders, use FILE_OPEN_NO_RECALL on the open request. This open mode allows the file to be read without recalling it to primary storage.
4. When a list of files is displayed, the application needs to indicate which files are placeholders.
5. When showing file properties, those that are contained in the unnamed data stream are not be shown by default if the file is a placeholder. When the file is a placeholder, the user is alerted to this fact and made to take extra steps to retrieve this information.
6. Defer the read, write, or memory map of a placeholder until the last moment to avoid unnecessary recall in case the user aborts the operation. For example, do not open the file when Copy or Cut is selected; wait until the Paste operation is performed.

Remote Storage introduces a new property page into the property sheet for managed volumes, which shows statistics and graphics indicating the amount of free space, used space, space taken up by placeholders, and a representation of how much virtual disk space the placeholders represent.

Disk Management Integration

Windows 2000 Disk Management allows the user to bring up a property sheet for each volume on a computer. This property sheet is the same property sheet accessible through My Computer. The Remote Storage property sheet shows total used space, free space, premigrated file space, truncated files (placeholders), untruncated file disk usage, premigration space savings, truncated file compression ratio, percent of files that are placeholders, and other volume report information. The property sheet used by Windows 2000 Disk Management (and by My Computer) is Remote Storage–aware, but the Remote Storage snap-in is not required to use Disk Management.

Miscellaneous Windows 2000 Shell Integration

In addition to integration with Windows Explorer and the Windows 2000 Disk Management snap-in, the Remote Storage snap-in also integrates with the Windows 2000 shell in the following ways:

• Major Remote Storage system events are logged with and reported from the Windows 2000 Event Log.
• Controls, dialogs, and property pages are consistent with Microsoft® Windows® 95 and Microsoft® Windows® 98.

Local Storage Configuration and Management

Remote Storage supports the configuration and management of volumes for local storage. Volumes can be managed individually or in groups.

Disk Management (All Volumes Being Managed)

Disk Management, a subfolder of Remote Storage Computer in the snap-in, deals with the administration and configuration of all managed volumes.

Single Managed Volume

Individual managed volumes are controlled at the Disk Management level.

Directories and Files on a Single Managed Volume

Inside each managed volume are directories and files. Placeholders are shown differently from normal, untruncated files. If you are viewing the file in Windows Explorer, it appears with an overlay icon. From the command prompt, the Dir command displays the file size in parentheses.

Single Unmanaged Volume

The administrator has configuration control over volumes that have Remote Storage installed, but which are not currently managed by Remote Storage. Although a volume might not be currently managed, it can still have placeholders on it that can be recalled.

Local Storage Management Monitoring

Remote Storage supports the monitoring of local storage system activity by means of the Remote Storage snap-in. This monitoring occurs at the Disk Management level, the single managed volume level, for directories and files on a single managed volume, and for single unmanaged volumes.

Remote Storage Configuration and Management

Remote storage administration involves managing and configuring the storage devices and media that make up remote storage. The ability to configure and manage remote storage requires administrator privileges.

Remote Storage Management Monitoring

Remote Storage supports monitoring remote storage system activity by means of the Remote Storage snap-in. This monitoring occurs at the overall remote storage level and the volume level or libraries level.

Job Management and Monitoring

The Remote Storage snap-in provides wizards to create and define jobs.

The Remote Storage snap-in provides monitoring of jobs currently running in the system. This provides visual feedback of current system activity. All currently running jobs can be viewed in one monitor screen.

Setup, Installation, and License Management

System installation and setup are integrated with Microsoft® BackOffice® setup and license management. Remote Storage provides Systems Management Server extensions to improve distributed administration. The installation procedure provides an acceptable default configuration of the Remote Storage system that can be run in batch or interactive mode. The installation addresses the following areas:

• Provides instructions and warnings on how the installation proceeds.
• Explains license agreement.
• Gathers user information (such as name and company).
• Allows installer to select components to install.
• Allows installer to specify location of Remote Storage server, UI administration tool, and other tools.
• Selects premigrate volumes.
• Selects media copying policy.
• Selects program folder.
• Copies files and installing, setting up the registry, and performing other tasks.
• Sets up licensing defaults.
• Reboots the system, if desired.

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