Attaching a vault

A vault can be detached from M-Files Server (see Detaching a vault). This means that all data in the vault is kept in a file folder on a hard drive but the vault is not registered on the server. If you know the name of the vault and want to start to use it again, attach the vault back to M-Files Server with M-Files Admin.

When the vault is detached from the server, it is not displayed in the list of available vaults in M-Files Admin and users cannot access it, but all the data stored in the vault stays intact. You can, for instance, move a detached vault to a another server machine and take it back into use by attaching it to the new server.

If, for example, lack of space makes it necessary to move a vault from one server to another, this can be done with the Detach and Attach functions: simply detach the vault on server A, copy the vault data to server B, and attach the vault on server B.

To attach a vault:

  1. Open M-Files Admin.
  2. In the left-side tree view, expand a connection to M-Files server.
  3. Select Document Vaults.
  4. In the task area, click Attach Document Vault.
    Result:The Attach Document Vault dialog is opened.
  5. In the Name field, enter the name of the detached vault.
    You may look for the name of the detached vault on the server computer in the folder C:\<M-Files installation directory>\Server Vaults.
  6. Select either:
    • Attach using original identity: Select this option if you want to use the existing ID of the vault.
      or
    • Attach as a different vault (new identity): Select this option if you want to create a new unique ID for the vault.
    The vault identity is used in establishing vault connections to the server.
  7. Optional: On the Advanced tab, you may select and configure the database engine for storing vault data.
    See Using Firebird as the database engine and Using Microsoft SQL Server as the database engine for more information.
  8. Click OK.
    Result:The Attach Vault Options dialog is opened.
  9. Select the features to be disabled in the attached vault:

    If you do not know which features to disable, do not make changes.

    Change the setting Ignore vault options listed below for multi-server mode vault that is already attached to at least one server only if you have a good reason to do so. If the vault is not part of multi-server mode setup, the setting has no effect even when it is enabled.

  10. Click Disable selected.
    Result:A dialog is displayed listing the features that will be in use in the attached vault.
  11. In the Attach Vault dialog, click Attach.
The selected vault is attached to M-Files Server and can be accessed again.
The users of the vault must add a connection to it with M-Files Desktop settings. For instructions, see Adding a vault connection.