Diskboss Disk Analyzer

8/6/2019 Diskboss Disk Analyzer

1/16

DiskBoss Disk Space Analyzer Flexense Ltd.

1

Disk Space Analyzer

Version 1.2

Mar 2011

Flexense Ltd.

www.flexense.com [email protected]

DiskBossFile & Disk Manager


2/16


2

Product Overview

DiskBoss is an automated, rule-based file and disk manager allowing one to search andclassify files, perform disk space utilization analysis, detect and remove duplicate files,organize files according to user-defined rules and policies, copy large amounts of files in afault-tolerant way, synchronize disks and directories, cleanup wasted disk space, etc.

All file management operations are integrated in a centralized and easy-to-use GUI applicationwith a built-in file navigator allowing one to execute any required operation in a single mouseclick. Frequently used file management operations may be pre-configured as user-definedcommands and executed using the GUI application or direct desktop shortcuts.

DiskBoss is a highly extendable and customizable data management solution allowing one todesign custom file classification plugins and purpose-built file management operations usingan open and easy-to-use XML-Based format. Custom disk space analysis and file managementoperations may be integrated into the product, executed periodically at specific time intervals,performed as conditional actions in other operations or automatically triggered by one or morechanges in a disk or directory.

In addition, IT administrators are provided with extensive database integration capabilitiesallowing one to submit disk space analysis, file classification, duplicate files detection and filesearch reports into an SQL database. Reports from multiple servers and desktop computersmay be submitted to a centralized SQL database allowing one to display charts showing theused disk space, file categories and duplicate files per user or per host and providing an in-depth visibility into how disk space is used, what types of files are stored and how much spaceis wasted on duplicate files across the entire enterprise.

Finally, IT professionals and enterprises are provided with DiskBoss Server a server-basedproduct version, which runs in the background as a service and is capable of executing all diskspace analysis and file management operations in a fully automatic and unattended mode.DiskBoss Server can be managed and configured locally or through the network using a freenetwork client GUI application or the DiskBoss command line utility, which provides the userwith the ability to integrate DiskBoss features and capabilities into other products andsolutions.


3/16


3

Disk Space Utilization Analysis

DiskBoss provides advanced disk space utilization analysis capabilities allowing one to analyzeone or more local disks, network shares or NAS storage devices and easily identify directoriesand files holding significant amounts of the disk space.

The user is provided with the ability to browse files and directories sorted by the used diskspace, filter analysis results by the file extension, category, file size, last access time, username, etc. and easily identify disk space usage hotspots. In addition, DiskBoss allows one toperform file management operations on analysis results, generate various types of disk spaceanalysis charts and export reports into a number of standard formats such as HTML, Excel CSVand ASCII text.

Finally, power computer users and IT professionals are provided with extensive SQL databaseintegration capabilities and the ability to define one or more conditional actions or notificationsto be executed when the specified conditions are met for one or more disks or directories.


4/16


4

Analyzing One or More Disks or Directories

In order to analyze one or more disks or directories, select the directories in the DiskBoss filenavigator and press the Analyze button located on the main toolbar. DiskBoss will scan theselected disks and directories and display the analysis results dialog showing disks, directoriesand files sorted by the amount of the used disk space.

The analysis results dialog allows one to browse analysis results, perform file managementoperations, categorize and filter results, generate various types of charts, save analysisreports into the HTML, text and Excel CSV formats, submit reports to an SQL database, etc.

In order to perform an operation on one or more files or directories, select the required filesand press an appropriate button on the dialogs toolbar. Alternatively, use the dialogs contextmenu, which provides access to additional options and features.


5/16


5

Using File Filters and Categories

The top view of the analysis results dialog shows directories and files sorted by the amount of the used disk space and the bottom view shows the currently selected file categories, whichare allowing one to categorize and filter files and directories displayed in the top view.

In order to apply one or more file categories as a filter, select the required file categories inthe bottom view, press the right mouse button and select the Apply Selected Filters menuitem. DiskBoss will filter the disk space analysis results and display in the top view filesmatching the selected file filters and directories containing these files.

With an active file filter, all operations such as browsing, file copy, move and delete, reports

generation, charts, etc. will be performed on filtered results only. In order to reset thecurrently active file filter, press the right mouse button over the filters view and select the Clear Selected Filters menu item.


6/16


6

Using Disk Space Usage Pie Charts

DiskBoss provides numerous types of charts capable of displaying the used disk space perdirectory, file category, extension, file size, last access, modification and creation times, etc.In order to open the charts dialog, just press the Charts button located on the results dialogstoolbar.

By default, the charts dialog shows the amount of the used disk space per directory for thecurrently displayed file system location. In addition, the chart mode selector allows one to

show the number of files per directory, the used disk space per category and the number of files per category.

In general, the charts dialog shows information about the directory view and the categoriesview. In order to display a different type of categories, just select the required category in the

categories view and then open the charts dialog. In addition, the charts dialog allows one toedit chart options displayed in the charts status string and copy the charts image to theclipboard making it very easy to integrate DiskBoss' charts in users documents and reports.


7/16


7

Using File Management Commands

DiskBoss allows one to copy, move and delete files and directories displayed in the disk spaceanalysis results dialog. In order to perform a file operation on one or more files or directories,select the required items in the directory view, press the right mouse button and select anappropriate file operation.

For copy and move operations, enter the destination directory and optionally press the Advanced Options button to open the copy options dialog.

The copy options dialog allows one to control the file overwrite mode, file copy rules,performance tuning options and error handling options. When copying files with an active filefilter, DiskBoss automatically adds one or more file matching rules to the Rules tab ensuringthat only filtered files are copied to the destination directory.


8/16


8

Saving Disk Space Analysis Reports

DiskBoss allows one to save disk space analysis results into a number of standard formatssuch as HTML, text and Excel CSV. In addition, the user is provided with the ability to saveresults to the DiskBoss' native report format, which is capable of preserving all informationrelated to each specific disk space analysis operation and may be loaded at any time just byclicking on a report file in the DiskBoss' file navigator.

In order to save a report file, press the Save button located on the results dialogs toolbar.On the save report dialog, select an appropriate report format, enter a report title, a file nameand press the Save button. Each report begins with the top 10 file categories followed by ahierarchy of directories and files sorted by the amount of the used disk space. If one or morefile filters are active, DiskBoss will export files matching the selected file filters and directoriescontaining these files.

By default, DiskBoss saves a short report, which includes up to 3 file system levels beginning

from the current location. In order to change the amount of information saved to a report file,press the More Options button and select the number of file system levels and the number of items per level that should be exported.


9/16


9

Exporting Reports to an SQL Database

DiskBoss Ultimate allows one to save disk space analysis reports into an SQL database. Along-term history of disk space analysis reports from multiple servers and desktop computersmay be submitted to a centralized SQL database and used to analyze disk usage trends acrossthe entire enterprise.

Before exporting reports to an SQL database, open the Options dialog, enable the ODBCinterface and specify the name of the data source, database user name and password to useto connect to the database.

In order to export a disk space analysis to an SQL database, press the Save button locatedon the results dialogs toolbar and select the SQL Database report format. Optionally, pressthe More Options button and specify the number of file system levels and the number of items per file system level to be exported to the database.

For each report in the database, DiskBoss displays the report date and time, the host name,the input directories, the total number of files and disk space and the report title. To open apreviously saved report, just click on the report item in the database reports dialog.


10/16


10

Analyzing Disk Space Usage Per User

DiskBoss Ultimate and DiskBoss Server provide the ability to analyze disk space usage reportsfrom one or more servers or desktop computers and display charts showing the amount of used disk space and the number of files per user.

In order to analyze disk space usage per user, connect DiskBoss to an SQL Database andsubmit disk space usage reports containing files owned by multiple users to the SQL databaseusing the DiskBoss GUI application or the DiskBoss command line utility. Once reports are inthe database, open the Database dialog and press the Users button to open the UsersStatistics dialog.

diskboss -analyze -dir \\server\share -host -save_to_database

The simplest way to submit reports from multiple servers or desktop computers is to use theDiskBoss command line utility to analyze all the required hosts through the network. In orderto simplify submission of reports to the SQL database, the command line utility may beexecuted on the same host where the SQL database is installed on. In this case, the userneeds to specify one or more network shares to be processed and the host name to be set foreach report.

diskboss -analyze -dir -save_report

Another option is to execute the command line utility on each specific host, save disk spaceanalysis reports and later submit reports from all hosts to the SQL database using the

DiskBoss GUI application. In this case, there is no need to set the host name, which will be setautomatically to the name of the host the command line utility is executed on.

Important: By default, processing and display of user names is disabled. In order to beable to see user names, open the options dialog, select the 'General' tab and enable thisoption.


11/16


11

Analyzing Disk Space Usage Per Host

DiskBoss Ultimate and DiskBoss Server provide the ability to submit disk space usage reportsfrom multiple servers and desktop computers into a centralized SQL database, analyze diskspace usage reports and display various types of charts showing disk space usage per hostallowing one to gain an in-depth visibility into disk space usage patterns across the entireenterprise.

In order to perform advanced disk space usage analysis, the user needs to connect DiskBossto an SQL Database, perform disk space analysis on multiple hosts using the DiskBoss GUIapplication or the DiskBoss command line utility and submit reports from all hosts to the SQLdatabase. Once reports from all hosts are in the database, open the Database dialog andpress the Hosts button to open the Hosts Statistics dialog.

diskboss -analyze -dir \\server\share -host -save_to_database

The simplest way to submit reports from multiple servers or desktop computers is to use theDiskBoss command line utility to analyze all the required hosts through the network. In orderto simplify submission of reports to the SQL database, the command line utility may beexecuted on the same host where the SQL database is installed on. In this case, the userneeds to specify one or more network shares to be processed and the host name to be set foreach report.

diskboss -analyze -dir -save_report

Another option is to execute the command line utility on each specific host, save disk spaceanalysis reports and later submit reports from all hosts to the SQL database using theDiskBoss GUI application. In this case, there is no need to set the host name, which will be setautomatically to the name of the host the command line utility is executed on.


12/16


12

Analyzing Specific File Types or Categories

One of the most powerful analysis capabilities provided by DiskBoss is the integration betweendisk space analysis and file search features allowing one to perform disk space analysis onfiles matching one or more user-specified rules. For example, the user is provided with theability to analyze files related to a specific file category, with a specific file size that weremodified or created during a specific time period or any other combination of user-specificrules.

In order to add one or more file matching rules to a disk space analysis operation, press the Advanced Options button on the analyze disk space dialog, select the Rules tab and pressthe Add button. Once finished to add file matching rules, select an appropriate rules logicmode (AND/OR) and press the Save button.

For a rule-based disk space analysis operation, the results dialog will show files matching thespecified rules and directories containing these files. All types of charts and reports will includeinformation about filtered files only making it very easy to focus on specific file groups andcategories.

Moreover, the second-level file categories and filters located on the bottom side of the results

dialog, provide the user with the ability to further categorize and filter files using additionalcategories such the file extension, file type, last access, creation and modification time, filesize, file owner, etc.


13/16


13

Multi-Level Disk Space Utilization Analysis

The DiskBoss' disk space analyzer provides the ability to combine disk space analysisoperations with file classification capabilities allowing one to precisely understand what typesof files are stored in directories holding most of the disk space.

In order to classify files in one or more directories displayed in the disk space analysis resultsdialog, select the required directories in the directory view, press the right mouse button andselect the Classify Files menu item. On the Classification Plugins dialog selected anappropriate file classification plugin and press the Classify button.

The file classification results dialog shows file categories and classes according to the selectedfile classification plugin and provides the user with the ability to export charts, save reports,submit results to an SQL database, perform file management operations on specific file types

and physically reorganize files on the disk. Moreover, the user is provided with the ability toapply second-level file categories and filters by the file size, extension, last access, creationand modification dates, etc. to further focus on specific files or file groups.


14/16


14

Using Disk Space Analysis Conditions and Actions

Power computer users and IT professionals are provided with the ability to automaticallydetect specific disk space utilization patterns, send E-Mail notification and/or executeDiskBoss' user-defined commands or custom actions. The user is provided with the ability todefine one or more disk space analysis conditions, evaluate these conditions on disk spaceanalysis results and send E-Mail notifications and/or execute actions if one or more of thespecified conditions are met.

In order to add one or more disk space analysis conditions and actions, open the disk spaceanalysis options dialog, select the Actions tab and press the Add button. On the actiondialog, select the directory mode, enter the directory to evaluate the condition for, select thecondition type, enter the condition value, select the action type and enter the action value.

During runtime, DiskBoss will perform disk space analysis and evaluate the specifiedconditions for one or more directories depending on the selected directory mode. Execution of disk space analysis actions depends on the selected actions mode. In the Preview mode,DiskBoss will mark directories matching the specified conditions in the results dialog and showthe actions preview dialog allowing one to verify and manually confirm the specified disk spaceanalysis conditions, E-Mail notifications and actions.

In the Execute mode, instead of showing the disk space analysis results dialog, DiskBoss willautomatically send E-Mail notifications and execute actions for each directory matching theuser-specified conditions. The Execute mode is especially useful for automatic disk space

analysis and file management operations performed periodically using the DiskBoss' commandline utility allowing one to trigger user-defined disk cleanup and file management operationsbased on disk space analysis results.


15/16


15

Advanced Disk Space Analysis Options

DiskBoss provides a large number of advanced disk space analysis options allowing one tocustomize and configure disk space analysis operations for user-specific needs and customhardware and storage configurations.

The disk space analysis options dialog allows one to control the file scanning mode, the defaultreport title, advanced reporting options, the default file scanning filter and enable/disableautomatic report generation. In addition, the user is provided with the ability to analyzespecific file types, control performance tuning options, exclude specific directories from thedisk space analysis process and specify one or more conditional analysis actions.

User-Defined Disk Space Analysis Commands

One of the most powerful and flexible capabilities of DiskBoss is the ability to pre-configurecustom disk space analysis operations as user-defined commands and execute suchcommands in a single mouse click using the DiskBoss GUI application or direct desktopshortcuts.

User-defined commands may be managed and executed through the commands dialog or thecommands tool pane. In order to add a new command through the commands pane, press the

right mouse button over the pane and select the Add New Disk Space Analysis Command menu item. In order to execute a previously saved command, just click on the command itemin the commands tool pane or create a direct desktop shortcut on the Windows desktop.


16/16


16

Analyzing Disk Space Using the Command Line Utility

In addition to the GUI application, DiskBoss Ultimate provides a command line utility capableof performing disk space utilization analysis operations and executing user-defined disk spaceanalysis commands from shell scripts and batch files. The DiskBoss command line tool islocated in the /bin directory.

Command Line Syntax:

diskboss analyze -dir [ ... ]

diskboss execute

Parameters:

-dir [ ... ]

This parameter specifies the list of input disks or directories to analyze. In order to ensureproper parsing of input disk and directories, directories containing space characters should be

double quoted.

Options:

-save_html_report [ ReportFileName ]

This parameter instructs to save a disk space analysis report and the list of all file categoriesto an HTML file. If no file name is specified, DiskBoss will automatically generate a file nameaccording to the following template: diskboss_[date]_[time].html

-save_csv_report [ ReportFileName ]

This parameter instructs to save a disk space analysis report and the list of all file categoriesto an Excel CSV file. If no file name is specified, DiskBoss will automatically generate a filename according to the following template: diskboss_[date]_[time].csv

-save_text_report [ ReportFileName ]

This parameter instructs to save a disk space analysis report and the list of all file categoriesto a text report file. If no file name is specified, DiskBoss will automatically generate a filename according to the following template: diskboss_[date]_[time].txt

-save_report [ ReportFileName ]

This parameter instructs to save a disk space analysis report and the list of all file categoriesto a native DiskBoss report file. If no file name is specified, DiskBoss will automaticallygenerate a file name according to the following template: diskboss_[date]_[time].flr

-exclude_dir [ ... ]

This parameter specifies the list of directories that should be excluded from disk spaceanalysis operation. In order to ensure proper parsing of command line arguments, directoriescontaining space characters should be double quoted.

-v

This parameter instructs to show the products major and minor versions.

-help

This parameter instructs DiskBoss to show the command line usage information.

Diskboss Disk Analyzer

Documents

Transcript of Diskboss Disk Analyzer