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Advanced Users

Cloud File Storage

You can store files in the cloud rather than locally. Want to take advantage of this feature? You only need one thing: an Azure account.

Azure

  • In Azure, configure a Storage Account. The Storage Account needs to have an Account Kind of Storage V2. Check out Microsoft's storage account overview for more information.
  • Within your Storage Account, configure a Container with your name and Access Level Container.

  • Configure your Shared Access Signature
    • Signing Method: Account Key Signing Key: Key 1
    • Permissions: Check all
    • Start Date: Configuration date
    • Expiry: Choose some date in the distant future (for example, five years from the configuration date)
    • Allowed Protocols: HTTPS only

  • Click Generate SAS token and URL, then use the icon to copy the generated value.

Domain

  • File Provider: "Microsoft Azure BLOB Storage"
  • File Provider Settings: Shared Access Signature value that you copied from Azure.

Migration

After configuring your Domain, you can use a utility to migrate current local files.

Note: The utility requires access to a server, so we recommend this storage option for self-hosted customers. In addition to server access, migration requires some configuration. Follow the steps below to complete your own migration, or engage Professional Services to do the migration for you. Note that migration is a one-off effort, and coaches are not available for consult.

Ready to go it alone? Find this utility and related files under the_Tools folder:

Before executing the utility, four key values are set in the Platform.Tools.MoveFiles.ex CONFIG file.

  • DomainHostName: Source value from Domain "Internal Server Name".
  • FileStorage: Set during deployment. If needed, reference Web.CONFIG.
  • Encryption: Set during deployment. If needed, reference Web.CONFIG.
  • BlobContainerUri: Source value from Domain "File Provider Settings". This should be the Azure Container's Shared Access Signature you previously copied.
Note: Inside the CONFIG file, all ampersands (&) in the Shared Access Signature must change from & to &amp for the utility to run successfully. If you skip this step, the utility does not run and you'll get an error message.

To save changes to a CONFIG file, you may need to launch an application (such as Notepad) as an Administrator. To do this, right-click the application during launch.

To run the utility, right-click the Application and choose Run as Administrator.

Important: If you do not take this step, any stops during migration are not saved. Duplicate files won't appear, but the migration starts over from the beginning.

After the migration is complete, clear the application cache from the About dialog box. This helps with any previews that cached to the old location.

Pro Tips

  • You can stop migration at any point using Ctrl+Z or Command+Z. The last processed file saves and the utility resumes from this point the next time it is launched.
  • Any files added during migration (or at any point after you configure the Domain for Azure) immediately display in Azure.
  • Depending on your church's unique storage needs, migration may take several days. You may want to inform your staff that they can't preview files until a file migrates over.
MinistryPlatform

Last updated: July 12, 2024