Using this menu item several kinds of file or a folder can be added. Each will invoke a specialized wizard to guide you through the creation process. You can add different types of file into a filesystem.

The actual set of file types that each installation supports will vary with the tool options and configuration chosen. For a review of common file types, please see the section called “Common Ambience File Types”.

Important: To be able to add files, you have to use the Repository in the Repertoire tool.

Instead of manually transferring data every time after resetting the Repository to the default, you can use the export and import tools.

The export action will copy only the latest version of all files referenced. Filesystems can be exported from the Repository and saved as a TGZ or ZIP file. To export a filesystem in the Repository to the designated location, right-click the filesystem and select Export.... Switch to the target location, type the TGZ or ZIP file name and click Save.

The import action will create a new version for the referenced files with the same name, if the contents are different from the current version. To import the designated TGZ or ZIP file to a filesystem in the Repository, right-click the target filesystem and select Import.... Switch to the location where the TGZ or ZIP file is stored, select it and click Open.

If you are importing a TGZ or ZIP file to replace an existing directory, referenced files might be overwritten. You can trace an overwritten file in the version history. Refer to the following table as an example. Before the import action, Folder X has two files A and B. The TGZ or ZIP file contains information on a previous status of Folder X, including File A* with different contents, as well as files C and D. After the import action, you will find that Folder X contains File A* with a new version created for it. The previous File A is also recorded in the version history. Although File B is not contained in the TGZ or ZIP file, it remains in Folder X. Files C and D are incrementally added.

The Repository in Ambience is different from the Repository in earlier versions. It allows you to store and edit the complete set of filesystems at the server end. However, for archiving purpose, you have the option to back up the filesystems either fully or incrementally on the designated location. When you back up the filesystem, all versions of the files referenced will be backed up. The backup file format should be TGZ or ZIP.

Full Backup: The entire filesystem will be backed up to the designated location. Right-click the filesystem and select Backup filesystem. Select Full..., which indicates everything in the current filesystem will be backed up. Specify the target folder URL in the Backup dialog and click Backup.

Incremental Backup: Only the changes in the filesystem, compared to a backup action on a start date, will be backed up to the designated location. Right-click the filesystem and select Backup filesystem. Select Incremental..., which indicates only the changes in the current filesystem will be backed up. Specify the date to start from and the target folder URL in the Backup dialog and click Backup.

You have the option to always use Full Backup for simplicity, or use Full + Incremental Backup. It is recommended that you take the Full + Incremental Backup approach and set intervals to regularly backup the filesystem. If you have sufficient disk space, the full backup interval can be shorter, for example once a week, which makes incremental backups easier and faster. If you have moderate disk space, the full backup interval can be longer, for example once a month, which saves disk space but needs more efforts on incremental backups. See Figure 2.3, “Full + Incremental Backup” for example. Company A performs a full backup on the first day of each week (Day 1). The incremental backup interval depends on the full backup interval and the frequency of changes that are happening to the filesystem. Company A decides to perform an incremental backup at the end of each work day (except Day 1).

You can restore the filesystem from one or more backup files. When you restore the filesystem, all version information backed up in the TGZ or ZIP file will be restored as well.

Full Restore: The entire filesystem will be restored from the full backup file. To fully restore the backup file in TGZ or ZIP format from the designated location, right-click the filesystem and select Restore filesystem. Select the Full... option. Specify the source file URL in the Restore dialog and click Restore.

Incremental Restore: Only the changes in the filesystem will be restored from the incremental backup file. To incrementally restore the backup file in TGZ or ZIP format from the designated location, right-click the filesystem and select Restore filesystem. Select the Incremental... option. Specify the source file URL in the Restore dialog and click Restore.

According to your backup approach, you have the option to always use Full Restore, or use Full + Incremental Restore. Take Company A for example and refer to Figure 2.3, “Full + Incremental Backup”. Assume that the designated filesystem is crashed on Day 5. How does Company A restore to the status on Day 4? The correct steps include performing a full restore from the backup file on Day 1 of the week, and then performing several incremental restores from Day 2 to Day 4 backup files. Please note that the incremental restores must follow the chronological order. If the order is incorrect, the changes in the filesystem might be messed up.

You have the option to set how many versions Ambience will keep in track for a filesystem, either within a certain number of version count or recent days. This feature makes it more convenient for you to personalize the limit of version numbers, instead of keeping a huge number of unnecessary versions. It reduces the data storage at the server end and reduces the time to look into the entire version history. To customize the version number limit, right-click the desired filesystem in the Repository. Select Retain Versions..., and the Retain Versions dialog opens. In the dropdown list, select count or days. Specify the value in the field. For example, setting the count value to “0” means keeping only the current version, while setting the days value to “100” means keeping the versions within the recent 100 days.