Overview

This article provides a step by step on how to perform a collection with Dossier Windows Collector.

What is Dossier?

Unstructured data is one of the fastest growing data categories in the world. Dossier is designed to bring insight to unstructured data through rapid File Characterization and reporting management. Dossier enables IT professionals to provide PDF reports as it includes information for useful suggestions focusing on data capacity utilization, de-duplication effectiveness, and compression reduction percentage.

Getting Started

To get started, download and extract the Dossier software from www.liveoptics.com. You will need your Live Optics credentials to do so. If you have never logged into Live Optics before, go to Live Optics Signup and request your account be created or contact your Dell Sales Team and request they register you to the Live Optics portal.

Dossier collector can be found on the Live Optics Portal in Collector > Dossier https://app.liveoptics.com/tools/dossier  Click on "Download" button to save the Dossier .ZIP file locally to your computer.

Run, configure and start Dossier Collector

Dossier software executable, LiveOpticsDossier.exe, is memory resident and does not require any installation for it to run on any Windows operating system.

• Double-click on LiveOpticsDossier.exe. The following configuration window will pop up and allow you to setup Dossier to collect file-based information from drives and paths specified.

• Dossier Configuration Settings

• • C: Drive:  Allows you to choose between the three most popular local drive settings for Dossier to scan (entire C: drive, User folders, and Program Data folders).
  •  Additional Drives:  This list is dynamic and based upon any mapped drives that are connected to the server.

NOTE: all drives are selected by default and it does not matter what operating system is on the host end of the mapped drive.  Dossier uses SMB/CIFS to scan network drives at the host.

•   Custom Paths:  Allows you to either browse for other local drives that were not available in the first two configuration category or to enter a UNC path to a network drive on the network. The import path list takes any text file and attempts to import a path list from it with the following rules:

• • Each line is treated as a separate path to try and import.
  • Lines starting with # are ignored.
  • Empty lines or lines consisting only of spaces are ignored.
  • A user can select up to 20 paths in one scan.

Dossier Collector Settings

Dossier is more memory and processor intensive than the standard Live Optics software as it actively looks at file systems for all file and folder data on specified drives.  The amount of memory and processor threads can be set to increase or decrease the amount of compute resources Dossier can dedicate to the file scan.  

NOTE: The amount of time Dossier takes to complete can be affected by the values set in this area.

This area is also where you can choose which files you would like Dossier to test for compressibility or data de-duplication along with the percentage of files that will be tested.

NOTE: Increasing the number of CPU threads or the capacity of memory used by Dossier will consume a larger number of performance resources on the computer running Dossier collector.

Dossier Processing Drives

Once "Start Collection” is clicked, Dossier will begin scanning each of the drives listed in the configuration window and will run for as long as it takes to scan all drives, directories, and files.  During this process, a progress window will display the list of drives, number of files processed with total capacity and the amount of memory currently in use by Dossier.  

The "Cancel Scan Operation" button will signal the program to stop processing and begin the end program operations to create the Dossier at any time during the processing of Dossier.

Generating Dossier Report

As a conclusion of Dossier’s processing, a file will be generated.  The benefit of running Dossier is the analysis provided in reports.

To generate a Dossier report you will need to:

• Login to Live Optics.
• Click on Dossier link.
• Click "Browse for .Dossier File".
• This will start uploading the Dossier file and entering your contact information for in-report labeling.

NOTE: If the report is being generated for somebody else, their information should be entered in the optional Name and Email section.  

• Once all files and information are entered, click "Create Report" and a zipped folder with your report will be generated after a few minutes.