File Server Consolidator

Lets say you have decided to put your file servers in order. You are going to migrate them, consolidate them or just restructure the folders. We IT professionals like it when it is not necessary to involve users. We like to buy better, bigger, faster machines and move data there, hoping the only thing the users will notice is better speed and more space. There is nothing wrong with that. But do you really have to move all the data? Is it really necessary to keep all those files forever? There might be files that nobody has opened for years! Wouldn’t it be great if you could just delete them? But how do you know if you can delete a file that hasn’t been opened for eight years? It might make sense that you can, but what if the law requires that you have to keep it for ten years? Unfortunately, only the owner of this file knows that information, and so it becomes necessary to involve users.

Involve Users

When you really want to clean up your file servers you have to involve users. They have to give you the information on which folders should be preserved and where they should be placed. I know it sounds like a big hassle if there are many users, but you do not have to work with each user individually. Instead, meet with key users or department heads and explain the details to them. Provide them with all the information material they need to inform others, then ask them to forward the information to their subordinates.

Get Management to Support You

As with all important changes in the company, it is very important to have top management support. Explain to them the problem you are solving and the benefits of the changes. Usually it is not difficult to persuade management to give their support. They also feel the pain every day when they try to find files on file servers. Users will generally take the project much more seriously if top management introduces it to them. It is a good idea to prepare an introductory e-mail message and ask the manager to send it to all the users.

Carefully Prepare the Timeframe and Deadlines

You have to give the users enough time to prepare the information you will need. When deciding on a deadline, keep in mind that it usually takes several weeks to get all the information. Some users will be very busy on their projects. Some will be out of the office and won’t be able to prepare the information for you as quickly as you would like. On the other hand, you don’t want to give them too much time. The more time you give them the more they will procrastinate. Often people collect the information you need only after being reminded several times. You should be prepared to receive most of the information just before the deadline. Schedule the deadline at least a week before the folder restructuring will actually take place. Expect also that some users will miss the deadline. Of course, no data should be lost and you will have to migrate their folders too.

Keep Users Informed

Inform the users regularly about the status of the information collection. If possible, display graphically which folders will be migrated and which folders will be deleted. If you can prepare a tree view of the source folders it will be very illustrative to them. Mark bold all the folders for which you have received the necessary information. This will get the users’ attention when they see that a folder they use is not going to be migrated. Then they will make sure you get the necessary information.

Make a Backup and Test It

No matter how much time you give to users, there will always be some files that they won’t tell you about. Make sure to make a backup to tape or other media before you move the data. It is very important to test that backup. If you are going to delete the source folders after the folder reorganization you have to make sure you can get the data from the backup.

Imagine a company that has decided to setup a file server. After the file server is installed and a share is set up, the users create several folders, where they place their files.

With time the users notice that file sharing is easier when the files are stored on the file server, rather than stored locally on their individual computers. In addition, the IT department runs a backup every night. The number of files and folders constantly increases; therefore, it now takes a great deal of effort to find the correct folder.

Additionally, users quickly find out that it is useful to prefix their folders with numbers. This way the folder appears right on top of the list. Shortly, the folder structure looks similar to the one below:

They quickly find out that other characters are even more effective. The folder list becomes like this:

Soon the filer server content becomes a muddled set of folders, with several folders serving the same purpose. It gets harder and harder to find the folder one needs.

How to prevent this problem

The solution to muddled file server content is quite simple. Do not permit users to create first level folders by themselves. They should always ask when they need a folder on that level.

In some environments it might be even better to fix the first level folder structure. Get together all the key users and have them decide on the folders that should be on the first level. After that, new folders could be added to the first level only exceptionally. Users must decide which first level is the most suitable for their data and then create a new folder beneath. All new folders must be created on the second level or lower.

What if you already have a file server in need of folder restructure?

Eventually you will have to grasp the nettle. Remember, many users will resist any change. For that reason it is essential to have top management support.

Make it easy for users to give you information on which folders they use and how they should be restructured. For smaller file servers you can create a template in Word or Excel and ask them to fill in the information. For each folder on the new server they should send you the name of the folder, where should it be placed and which folders from the old server must be migrated to the new folder. Combine the information that users send to you in a spreadsheet and periodically send it back to them. If they notice that some of their folders are not marked for processing they should send you that information.

With some effort you can transform that spreadsheet to a script that can be used to copy the old file server to a new one.

For larger file servers you might need to consider a tool designed for folder restructuring.