Blob storage / media system questions

Vote:
 

Im trying to get my head around the new blob storage system after using the VPP for a long long time in EPi 6 and 7. Hopefully someone can help with the following questions:

1. The documentation details that the default blob storage stores "media" to disk. On my local development install - I cannot see the files anywhere (app data etc) how is the location for the provider configured?

2. Global files - In the old VPP days, two folders existed called Global and Documents which were 'global' buckets for files. I can see a sysGlobalAssetts file exists in my development instance which I can use for that purpose.

Can more 'global' type start point/folders be configured?

Can the sysGloballAssetts be renamed to somehting more editor friendly?

3. Modules/Modules bin - in EPi7 - these two 'system' vpp folders were used for holding the files and assemblies used in UI. How does this now work? Do I need to understand/configure this anymore?

4. Load Balancing - with reference to questions to 1 and 3. The website I am working on will be load balanced across multiple front ends - I will need to configure a network file share to be used for the media persistence - how is this done?

With the UI files - If they are stored through the blob providers (which I guess they are) - what considerations do I need to make around load balancing. There will be no dedicated website for editing, each of the servers in the cluster will allow editing to be made on them.

Thanks

Adam

#91202
Sep 29, 2014 16:38
Vote:
 

Answering from top of my head (errors may occour :))

By default is using EPiServer.Framework.Blobs.FileBlobProvider (which should be registered as default if you haven't specified anybody else) files should be stored in [appDataPath]\blobs.

Global assets is supposed to serve files or resources that should be available for all content types.

Modules directory under [appDataPath] and modulesbin under web root is still used by AddOns installed via UI. Modules (more specific modules/_protected) and modulesbin under web root is also used by CMS UI (starting from 7.6 I guess). So eventually modulesbin should contain libraries from CMS UI and from AddOns installed.

I guess if you are running in load balanced mode and even editing would be allowed only on one of the servers you still need to consider to locate appDataPath and blobs and search indexes and any other shared reosurces on network share accessible for all servers in the cluster.

For the UI files (if you are referring to CMS UI) I guess no special actions needed if you are distributing those files within your site deployment and those are located under web root.

#91204
Sep 29, 2014 20:27
Vote:
 

Valdis is correct in the description and it seems strange that you cant see any files in your appdata-folder, maby you have forgotten to run the VPPMigrationTool?

About load balanced solution you should put your AppData-folder (old VPP-folder) on either a shared instance or replicate it with DFS or some other tool. You can also if you want put the blob's in the database if there are not a lot of them or in Azure or Amazon if you want to get away from the share folder problem for those.

The main thing to think of is the problem with EPiServer Search and load balanced enviroment. You can not set up so all servers write to the index because in that case it will be corrupt. You have to follow these instructions: 

http://world.episerver.com/Documentation/Items/Developers-Guide/EPiServer-CMS/75/Search/Installing-And-Deploying-Search-Service/

Hope this help

#91221
Sep 30, 2014 7:48
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