Create a network share for private data storage

Storage zones for ShareFile Data requires a network share for your private data. When multiple storage zones controllers are configured for high availability and load balancing within a zone, all controllers access the same shared location for private data.

Even if you store ShareFile files in a supported third-party storage system, storage zones controller requires a network share for encryption keys, queued files, other temporary items, and a storage cache for file uploads to or downloads from that storage system. For more information about the storage cache, see Customize storage cache operations.

Storage zone controllers access a network share using the IIS Account Pool user. By default, application pools operate under the Network Service user account, which has low-level user rights. Storage zones controller uses the Network Service account by default. You can use a named user account instead of the Network Service account to access the share. Use the Network Service account to run the IIS application pool and ShareFile Services.

1. If you want to use a named user account instead of the Network Service account to access the share, create a named user account in Active Directory. We will refer to that named user account as the ShareFile Service account. Note: When you configure storage zones controller, you will specify the Network Share User Name and Network Share Password, which are the credentials for the account you will use to access the share, either the ShareFile Service account or the Network Service account.

   To improve security, the admin will need to deny permissions to all other users to the particular folder containing the ShareFile storage repository and give access only to the storage location user that is being configured.

2. Connect to the server that will host the network share and create a folder for your ShareFile private data.

3. Right-click the folder and choose Share with specific people….

4. Add the account you will use to access the share (Network Service account or ShareFile Service account) and change the Permission Level to Read/Write.

5. Click Share and then click Done.

6. Right-click the folder and choose Properties.

7. On the Security tab, verify that the account you will use to access the share (Network Service account or ShareFile Service account) has Full Access permissions.

Increase the number of files per zone

By default, a storage zones controller is configured to use a CIFS share to store files in a hierarchy of folders instead of a single folder.

You can configure storage zones controller to divide the persistent storage layout. This increases the maximum number of files per zone for some types of storage arrays from less than a half million to ten million or more. If you need additional capacity, you can change the default.

To enable storage zones controller to store files in multiple folders

Caution:

Editing the Registry incorrectly can cause serious problems that might require you to reinstall your operating system. Citrix cannot guarantee that problems resulting from the incorrect use of Registry Editor can be solved. Use Registry Editor at your own risk. Be sure to back up the registry before you edit it.

Note:

If the Storage Zone Controller has been upgraded, Please check if the value of the registry key HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Wow6432Node\Citrix\storagezone\PathSelection is set to 1. If it is set to 0, update it to 1.

Restart IIS on the storage zones controllers when you are finished editing the registry.

To increase the maximum number of folders

By default, divided storage layout has 256 top-level folders, each of which contains 256 folders. That configuration is represented in the primary storage zones controller registry key HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Wow6432Node\Citrix\storagezone: PathSelectionParams=2,2.

The first value constrains the number of top-level folders to “16 to the power of 2” or 256. The second value also constrains the number of child folders of the top-level folders to 256.

Using that same formula (16 to the power of N) you can determine the appropriate values for your site. For example, PathSelectionParams=3,4,4,4 constrains the number of top-level folders to 4096 (16 to the power of 3). The second value constrains the number of child folders of the top-level folders to 65536 (16 to the power of 4). The third value constrains the number of child folders of the second-level folders to 65536, and so on.

Restart IIS on the primary and secondary storage zones controllers if you are finished editing the registry.

To remove empty folders

When storage zones controller stores files in multiple folders, file deletion can result in empty folders. By default, storage zones controller removes empty folders. The file delete service will delete empty folders, starting at the bottom of the tree and continuing up until it reaches a non-empty folder.

However, some upgrade paths might not update your settings. After an upgrade, verify that the following key appears in C:\inetpub\wwwroot\Citrix\StorageCenter\SCFileCleanSvc\FileDeleteService.exe.config:

<add key="DeleteEmptyFoldersAfterFileDeletion” value=“1”/>

If you need to add the key, restart the File Delete Service when you are finished.