Configuring DOM attachments on a network share

This tutorial shows you how to configure a network share as a storage backend for DOM attachments in DocumentHub.

Expected duration: 15 minutes

Prerequisites

• Access to the DocumentHub app on a DataMiner Agent.
• A network share accessible from all DataMiner Agents in the cluster.
• Network credentials that have both share-level and NTFS permissions to create and modify files in the target folder.
• IIS Web Server role installed on DMAs for browser-based file access (optional).

Note

DOM attachments can be stored on a network share without any IIS configuration. The only mandatory requirement is that the network share is reachable by the DataMiner System. The IIS-related steps are optional and only required if you want to visualize or download attachments via a web browser.

Overview

• Step 1: Prepare the network share
• Step 2: Configure the network share in DocumentHub
• Step 3: Configure browser-based access (optional)
• Next steps

Step 1: Prepare the network share

1. Verify that the network share is accessible from all DataMiner Agents in your cluster.

   Example network share location: \\server\share

2. Make sure the account used by DataMiner has the required permissions on both the share and the underlying NTFS folder:

   • At the share level, grant the account at least Change or Full Control so it can create and modify files.
   • In the NTFS permissions of the target folder, grant the same account at least Modify or Write access.

   Note

   If the network share is configured with the correct share permissions, but the folder itself is missing NTFS write access, uploads will fail even if the share is reachable.

3. Test connectivity from each DMA by accessing the share via Windows Explorer or command line:

   dir \\server\share
   

   If the share is not accessible, verify network connectivity, firewall rules, and both share-level and NTFS permissions.

Step 2: Configure the network share in DocumentHub

Configure the network share directly in the DocumentHub app:

1. Open the DocumentHub app in DataMiner.

2. Navigate to the Settings > DOM page.

   Note

   This page is only available for users with administrator permissions.

3. Click Add Source.

4. Fill in the configuration details:

   • Name: A friendly name for this backend (e.g., "DOM Attachments Share").
   • Module: The DOM module for which attachments will be stored on the network share.
   • Network Share Path: The UNC path of the network share (e.g., \\server\share).
   • Username: The user account with access to the share (e.g., domain\user1 or user1).
   • Password: The password for the user account.

5. Click Test to verify that DataMiner can access the network share.

   Important

   The test only confirms that DataMiner can reach the share with the provided credentials. It can still succeed even when the account lacks the required write permission to upload files. If the account does not have write access on the share or on the NTFS folder, uploads can still fail later during actual file creation.

   Verify the following before saving the configuration:

   • The UNC path is correct.
   • The credentials have both share-level and NTFS write permissions.
   • The share is accessible from all DMAs.
   • There are no firewall rules blocking access.

6. When the test succeeds, click Save to store the configuration.

The network share backend is now available for use with DOM attachments and document buckets.

Note

DataMiner will store and retrieve attachments directly from this network location. No IIS configuration is required for basic file storage and retrieval through the DocumentHub app.

Step 3: Configure browser-based access (optional)

If you want users to be able to visualize or download attachments via a web browser, follow these additional steps:

1. Create a local DataMiner user:

   1. In DataMiner Cube, go to System Center > Users / Groups.

   2. Create a local user with credentials matching the network share credentials:

      • Username: user1 (matching the share account)
      • Password: Use the same password as the network share account

      Note

      This user is required for IIS to impersonate when accessing the network share.

2. Configure IIS permissions on each DMA in the cluster:

   1. On each DMA, open Computer Management (compmgmt.msc).

   2. Navigate to Local Users and Groups > Groups.

   3. Open the IIS_IUSRS group.

   4. Click Add and add the DataMiner user created in the previous step (e.g., user1).

   5. Click OK to save.

      Note

      This allows IIS to impersonate the user when accessing the network share.

3. Create an IIS virtual directory on each DMA:

   1. Ensure the IIS Web Server role is installed on the DMA.

   2. Open IIS Manager (inetmgr).

   3. Expand the server node and navigate to the Default Web Site.

   4. Right-click Default Web Site and select Add Virtual Directory.

   5. Configure the virtual directory:

      • Alias: shareRedirect (or another name of your choice)
      • Physical path: \\server\share (the network share UNC path)

   6. Click OK.

   7. Select the newly created virtual directory in IIS Manager.

   8. Double-click Basic Settings in the Actions pane.

   9. Click Connect as... and configure the virtual directory to use the local DataMiner user credentials:

      • User name: user1
      • Password: The user's password

   10. Click OK to save.

   11. Click Test Settings to verify the configuration.

4. Use the following URL format to access attachments via a web browser:

   https://<dma-hostname>/shareRedirect/<filename>

   Example: https://dma.example.com/shareRedirect/document.pdf

   Tip

   The DocumentHub app can automatically generate these URLs for DOM attachments when the IIS virtual directory is configured.

Next steps

After configuring the network share backend, you can:

• Create document buckets that use this network share.
• Upload documents to the network share through the DocumentHub app.
• Configure DOM definitions to store attachments on this share.
• Link DOM attachments to jobs, assets, and other business entities.

Tip

For more information on how to work with DataMiner Object Models (DOM), refer to DataMiner Object Models (DOM).