NXPowerLite for File Servers can be configured in a matter of minutes to either reclaim space or watch folders. To get started, download, install and register NXPowerLite and then expand the sections below and follow the steps described.
Note that it is not possible to configure the software to reclaim space and watch folders at the same time. Contact us and we can discuss workarounds.
Configure NXPowerLite to reclaim space
Configure NXPowerLite to watch folders
Reclaim space
NXPowerLite will reclaim space on your server by replacing original files with compressed versions. It works on local or network folders and drives, allows custom compression settings, can exclude file types per folder and can be run to a custom schedule. It can be run for a single pass across datasets or can be configured to run automatically in the background to continuously compress old and new content.
Configure NXPowerLite to reclaim space
1. Add folders
Configure the folders and drives that you want NXPowerLite to compress by adding folders. Use the Add folder... button to browse for folders or use the Add Multiple Folders... button to configure network drives and UNC paths or paste a list of folder paths from Explorer. See How to scan multiple servers or drives with UNC paths for more details.
For 7-day evaluations, you are only permitted to use NXPowerLite for File Servers compression on copies of production data. We recommend collecting around 5GB of representative user files for the evaluation. Checking individual files is unlikely to be representative of performance across folders or drives.
2. [Optional] Add rules to exclude folders or customize settings and file types
When folders or drives are added the software uses default Files to include and Settings profiles which are optimized for best results in most use cases. However, you can also exclude folders, customize the file types that will be processed or apply custom compression settings.
For example, a Files to include profile may be set to skip PDF files or a Settings profile may be set to apply different JPEG quality settings.
For more information, please see the Files to include and Settings sections in the included help documents
3. [Optional] Customize when the software runs
This is a global schedule that controls when the software is processing files and when it is paused. By default, the schedule is set to run continuously, however it is possible to create a schedule profile to control when the software is run. For example, you may want to run the software at weekends only.
4. Select Run Mode
Set the Run Mode option in the Preferences dialog to choose between:
- Single Pass: The software will pass once through the configured folders and then stop compressing files, producing a detailed report of reclaimed space.
- Loop Automatically: After NXPowerLite's first pass through the configured folders, it re-scans the configured folders for any new content and reduces it after arrival. It automatically keeps the size of the configured folders to a minimum while skipping data that has already been compressed.
5. Configure the Windows service
NXPowerLite for File Servers relies on the underlying NXPowerLite File Server Windows Service in order to process files. By default, the service uses the Local System Account which is unlikely to have the permissions required to access all of the folders and drives that will be configured on the Dashboard.
Ensure the service is configured with an account that has full access to all the folders and drives configured. See Configuring the NXPowerLite Windows Service for more details.
6. Start compression and review results
Once started NXPowerLite for File Servers will scan your configured folders and search for files it can compress. Once compression is finished it will automatically produce a detailed report for you to view.
It is also worth spot-checking the compressed files to ensure that you (and other stakeholders) are comfortable with the compressed file quality.
Watch folders
NXPowerLite can be configured to rescan folders every minute so that it picks up new files and compresses them as they arrive. It quickly skips files that it has seen in previous scan attempts which means that usually within a minute of arrival in a configured folder, a file will be compressed.
To configure NXPowerLite for File Servers in this way please follow these steps:
Configure NXPowerLite to watch folders
1. Configure Run Mode and rescan period
On the preferences dialog, set the Run Mode to Loop Automatically and then set Pause if no new files for: to 1 minute.
Note: By default, NXPowerLite for File Servers will pause for 24 hours before rescanning configured folders if it does not find any new files to compress. By changing the setting you are instructing it to rescan each configured folder every 1 minute.
2. Exclude older files
Create a Files to Include profile so that NXPowerLite for File Servers only considers files that were modified within the last day. This will make the scanning and compression time quicker but may unexpectedly exclude some files.
- From the Profiles menu item click Files... to open the Add/Edit Files to Include dialog.
- Click Add... and then check the Limit files by date.
- Ensure Only include files modified in the last is selected and set it to 1 day.
- Name and save the profile appropriately
3. Add folders to watch
Add the folders that you want NXPowerLite to watch by using either the Add Folder... or Add Multiple Folders... buttons. When adding folders apply the Files to include profile you created in step 2 if necessary.
4. Configure the Windows service
NXPowerLite for File Servers relies on the underlying NXPowerLite File Server Windows Service in order to process files. By default, the service uses the Local System Account which is unlikely to have the permissions required to access all of the folders and drives that will be configured on the Dashboard.
Ensure the service is configured with an account that has full access to all the folders and drives configured. See Configuring the NXPowerLite Windows Service for more details.
5. Start watching and review results
Start watching folders by clicking the Start button. Files that are added to configured folders will be compressed within a minute. You can check if a file cannot be compressed by looking at the detailed logs stored here: %ProgramData%\Neuxpower\NXPowerLite for File Servers v8\Logs