Asynchronous (Backgrounded) Operations

Large or complex operations on files are sometimes performed asynchronously. Examples include copying files, moving files from Files Native Storage to a Remote Server, moving files on or between Remote Servers, renaming files or folders on Remote Servers, and deleting folders on Remote Servers. Any copy, move, or delete operation can potentially run asynchronously. We are constantly optimizing our platform and its services, so the set of operations that can run asynchronously is always evolving.

Asynchronous operations improve performance and make features on remote mounts behave similarly to locally attached storage.

An asynchronous operation can be triggered from any connection type, including the web portal, any protocol connection (FTP, SFTP, etc.), the REST APIs, and our SDKs.

Web Portal

When a request is being processed in the background, status information appears in the web portal UI under a dropdown labeled Actions In Progress.

API

Asynchronous operations triggered through the REST APIs return a FileMigration ID in the API response, which can be queried for the status of the migration operation.

SDK

Some of our SDKs manage the asynchronous operation and present it as a synchronous operation. We are extending this capability to all our SDKs, including those used by our iPaaS partner connectors.

Desktop Apps

The Files.com Desktop app, Mobile app, and third-party client apps are unaware of asynchronous background operations and reflect the current view of files and folders. Once the asynchronous operations complete, refreshing reflects the updated file and folder view.

Sessions

The results of an asynchronous background operation may be reflected differently between user sessions. For example, the user session that initiated the operation reflects the outcome before other user sessions do.

Troubleshooting

The vast majority of asynchronous background operations complete successfully and quickly. We have seen occasional cases where operations get stuck in the Actions In Progress view. If you notice this, report it to us right away and we will investigate.