File Access

The Agent exposes files through its configured root folder and file permissions. The operating-system account running the service must also have access to those locations. Files.com folder permissions then control which users and workflows can act through each Remote Server Mount. Review these layers together when connecting existing disks or network shares.

The file-access settings do not confine programs launched by Agent Compute. Those programs use the service account's operating-system permissions.

Multiple Folders

A single Agent can securely access multiple folders of a system.

The root option in the Agent configuration file specifies the top-most folder that the Agent itself is allowed to access.

However, each Remote Mount and Sync can target specific lower-level folders. You can configure as many Remote Mounts and Syncs as you want using only a single Agent.

For example, let's say you want to provide secure access to 3 specific folders on your local Windows Server. In this example we'll say there are 2 folders for trading partners and 1 folder for an internal team: C:\Partners\Acme, C:\Partners\BinaryBros, C:\Internal\Teams\VendorRelations

All of the above folders share the common top-level folder of C:\ so that is what we'll specify in the Agent configuration file for the root setting.

Now we can set up 3 different Remote Mounts, each targeting one of the above lower-level folders. A Remote Mount for Acme will be configured to point to the C:\Partners\Acme folder via the Agent. Another Remote Mount, for BinaryBros, will be configured to point to the C:\Partners\BinaryBros folder. A final Remote Mount, for the internal Vendor Relations team, will be configured to point to the C:\Internal\Teams\VendorRelations folder.

Each Remote Mount exposes its configured lower-level folder. Set Files.com folder permissions on each mount so that only the intended partner or team can access it. A mount target alone does not restrict which Files.com users can access that mount.

In this example, the Agent itself can access the broader C:\ root, subject to its operating-system permissions. Prefer a narrower common parent folder when possible.

To allow the Agent to access folders outside of its root, enable its Follow Links feature.

Network Shares

Network storage must be mounted or reachable on the Agent host under the account running the service. On Windows, use a UNC path instead of a mapped drive letter, which belongs to a user's sign-in session. Installation covers service-account setup; Deployment Requirements covers the performance and cache consequences of using network storage.

NFS

NFS, the Network File System, makes remote storage show up as a local drive. NFS is popular in Linux and UNIX based environments, and it also works on macOS.

The Files.com Agent connects your NFS mounts to Files.com. Run the Agent on any system that has NFS mounts to provide persistent connectivity to those mounts.

To migrate large volumes of data into Files.com from an NFS mount, use the Files.com Command Line App (CLI). The CLI App handles one-time or ad-hoc data migration.

Microsoft Azure customers can use our Azure Files integration to connect Files.com to Azure Files file shares, and use the NFS functionality of Azure Files to mount the file share using NFS.

SMB

SMB (Server Message Block) makes remote storage show up as a local drive. SMB is most common on Microsoft Windows and serves as the basis for Microsoft's Distributed File System implementation.

The Files.com Agent connects your SMB network folders to Files.com. Run the Agent on any system that has SMB mounts to provide persistent connectivity to folders and files on those mounts.

To migrate large volumes of data into Files.com from an SMB network folder, use the Files.com Command Line App (CLI). The CLI App handles one-time or ad-hoc data migration.

Files.com does not support direct connectivity over SMB, but it offers comparable functionality on Windows and Mac through the Files.com Desktop App. The Desktop App integrates with Windows Explorer and macOS Finder and is tuned for fast upload and download performance.

Microsoft Azure customers can use our Azure Files integration to connect Files.com to Azure Files file shares, and then mount the file share over SMB through Azure Files.

WebDAV is another alternative for connecting your computer to your Files.com site.

Following Links

You can configure the Agent to follow links, allowing it to access folders that are outside of its configured root folder.

Only use links when you need the Agent to access locations that are outside of the root folder. If you want the Agent to access a network location directly, you can specify the path to the network location for the root setting in the configuration file.

To enable the Follow links option, update the configuration file to include follow_links = true and then restart the Agent.

Within the Agent root folder, or subfolder, you can create symlinks that point to folders outside of the root folder, including any network attached or mounted folders. Symlinks can point to any valid and accessible NFS, CIFS, or UNC path.

Windows Links

To create a symlink on a Windows based system, run the following commands from a Command/DOS (CMD) terminal window:

cd C:\PATH\TO\AGENT\ROOT_FOLDER
mklink /D LINK_NAME \\SERVERNAME\C$\PATH\TO\TARGET_FOLDER

When linking to network locations, Microsoft recommends the use of UNC paths rather than using mounted drive letters.

Ensure that the Windows user account, or service account, that is running the Agent has the correct access permissions for the target of the link. When the Agent is installed as a system service, we recommend using a named Windows Active Directory user account for running the service. Set the service's Log on as option to This account and select a user account which exists on both the Agent host system and on the remote system of the link target. The selected user account will require the "Log on as a service" privilege on the Agent host system. The Agent will only be able to access the link target items that the selected user account has permissions to access.

If you use a local system user account, instead of an Active Directory account, then make sure that the local system user account exists on both the Agent host system and on the remote system of the link target.

Linux and Mac Links

To create a symlink on a Linux or Mac based system, run the following commands from a terminal window:

cd /path/to/agent/root_folder
ln -s /path/to/target_folder link_name

Ensure that the user account, or service account, that is running the Agent has the correct access permissions to the target of the link.

Hidden Files

The Agent can see and access hidden files and folders on host systems.

Unix, Linux, Mac

On Unix, Linux, and Mac based systems, these files and folders are commonly called "dot files" or "dot folders" because they are named with a leading period character.

Users of Remote Mounts can interact with dot files and dot folders.

Syncs that pull from an Agent will also pull dot files and dot folders unless you use the Exclude Pattern of the sync to exclude them.

Windows Hidden Files

For Windows Hidden files and folders, see the show_hidden_files setting in the Agent configuration reference.