This topic describes the procedure for creating empty vFiles. This feature is available for unstructured files. “Unstructured files” are a dataset that is treated as simply a directory tree full of files. It is not a database, and it does not receive any special treatment or processing by Delphix. It is just a set of files. You can create vFiles in two ways:
- provisioning from an existing dataset - that is, from a dSource or from another vFiles or
- creating an empty vFiles and filling it with data
Creating an empty vFiles places an initially-empty mount on target environments, hence the term "empty vFiles." This mount is useful when you have no existing files to copy into the Delphix Engine, but you do have files which you will generate, track, and copy with vFiles.
vFiles created without dSources are almost identical to those created by provisioning. The only thing you cannot do with them is refresh. Refreshing a dataset means overwriting the dataset’s content with new data that is pulled in from the dataset’s parent. If you create new vFiles from scratch, that newly-created dataset will not have a parent. Therefore, it cannot be refreshed. All other functionality is identical – you can provision from such a dataset, rewind, take snapshots, and so forth.
Prerequisites
- The target environment must meet the requirements outlined in Unstructured Files Environment Requirements.
Unstructured Files on Cluster Environments
You cannot create vFiles on any form of cluster environment, such as an Oracle RAC environment. To create a vFiles on a host that is part of a cluster, add the host as a standalone environment. Then, create the vFiles on this standalone host.
Procedure
To create new vFiles without provisioning:
- Login to the Delphix Management application.
- Click Manage.
- Select Datasets.
- Click the plus icon.
- Select Create vFiles.
