How do I point my data directory or reportsdb to a different location for storage to other than the

03/26/2020 1043 11438

DESCRIPTION:
How do I point my data directory or reportsdb to a different location for storage to other than the default installation location?

RESOLUTION:

Using the datadir.xml file to point the data directory or reportdb to a location to other than the default installation location.

The datadir.xml file is a file that is used to tell the software, where to look for the data directory (the location of all the relevant settings files for any email security install) and the reportdb (the folder that contains most of the data related to our reporting and monitoring section) The data directory usually isn't that large, but can be in some cases. The reportdb can be large depending on how long the server has been configured. The reason for editing these is usually to gain more space on a server with limited disk space. Editing this file doesn't mean that you can go below the minimum specs for the harddrive that email security software is installed on. In fact the 40 GB limit should not be bypassed for any reason. Editing this file is only useful in the case where you are using our software on a windows server. If you have an appliance you will not have the option to edit this file. If you need more disk space on an appliance you will need to consult with your salesperson about upgrading hardware, or moving to the software model.

When editing this file please stop services. Once the services are completely stopped then edit the file as desired. When editing xml files please remember that every character counts. If you put an extra space or miscellaneous character in accidentally the system will not be able to read the file and then will not function. Once edited save the changes without renaming the file and start services again after closing the file you opened. It is recomended that the edited file is copied before any changes are made, and moved out of the install directories (like to the desktop or a TEMP directory) and this way a working file can be reclaimed in the case where something goes wrong. This a best practice that will save you in times where you didn't see the extra characters that were saved to the file.

The contents of the datadir.xml are as follows:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="ISO-8859-1"?>
<dirs>
<datadir>C:Program FilesSonicWallESdata</datadir>
<reportdbdir>C:Program FilesSonicWallESreportdb</reportdbdir>
</dirs>

As you can see the datadir is a line that contains a file path for the data directory which is just named data. You can browse to where you want it to be, copy and paste the file path in here, or you can type it manually. Either way make sure it is correct before saving.

Now,  the reportdbdir is a line that  contains a file path for the report database folder which is named reportdb. The reportdb folder can be placed inside or outside the data folder but by default is on the level as data as shown above. If you wanted to move the file to a different harddrive you can do so quite easily. An example of this is shown below.

 <?xml version="1.0" encoding="ISO-8859-1"?>
<dirs>
<datadir>D:Program FilesSonicWallESdata</datadir>
<reportdbdir>C:Program FilesSonicWallESreportdb</reportdbdir>
</dirs>

Here you can see the data directory has been pointed to a different harddrive that is named D:, but the reportdb was actually left on the C: drive. From this I would assume the install was on D:, but it actually could be either way. If you saw an install like the following:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="ISO-8859-1"?>
<dirs>
<datadir>D:Program FilesSonicWallESdata</datadir>
<reportdbdir>D:Program FilesSonicWallESreportdb</reportdbdir>
</dirs>

Again I would assume this was installed on D: but it actually could be installed on the C: drive like this: C:Program FilesSonicWallES or possibley like this:  D:Program FilesSonicWallES and of course it could be here  C:Program FilesMailfrontierEG or here: D:Program FilesMailfrontierEG as well. The point being this pointer file is very flexible and useful when  you want to customize your installation. If you decide to use this I recommend documenting what you did well so as to avoid confusion when support or engineering looks at the setup. Also I only recommend using this if needed for some reason and if you have questions about why, how, or when to use this please contact email security support.