Shortcut files

When a file is archived, Enterprise Vault can optionally leave one of the following types of shortcut in its place:

An internet (URL) shortcut. This is a .url text file that contains a hypertext link to the archived file.
A placeholder. This is a special file that appears exactly as the original file but, when opened, forces Enterprise Vault to fetch the archived file.

Internet shortcuts can be placed on any network share. When a user double-clicks an internet shortcut, the archived file is retrieved and is shown in the appropriate application.

Internet shortcuts have a suffix of .url, which means that, for example, files that are shortcuts to Word documents do not appear as .doc files. When a user opens an internet shortcut from within an application such as Word the shortcut file itself is opened, not the archived file.

Internet shortcuts have the advantage that they can be used on both NTFS and non-NTFS devices.

Placeholder shortcuts behave exactly as the original files. A placeholder shortcut has the same file extension as the file to which it is a shortcut. When a user opens a placeholder shortcut, the original file is automatically retrieved.

Table: Characteristics of placeholder shortcuts shows the behavior of placeholder shortcuts.

Table: Characteristics of placeholder shortcuts

Action on placeholder	Effect
Open	The file is recalled from the archive. A file that is recalled to the file server replaces the placeholder shortcut. If the recalled file remains unmodified, then Enterprise Vault converts the file back to a placeholder on the next archiving service run. The only exception is if the archiving policy's shortcut creation rules are based on the last access time. In that case, Enterprise Vault reverts the file only when the shortcut creation rules are met. If the recalled file becomes modified, then Enterprise Vault converts the file back to a placeholder according to the archiving policy's shortcut creation rules.
Copy	The source file is restored and then copied. The destination file is a copy of the restored original file. Enterprise Vault converts a restored original file back to a placeholder on the next archiving service run. The only exception is if the archiving policy's shortcut creation rules are based on the last access time. In that case, Enterprise Vault reverts the file only when the shortcut creation rules are met.
Move	If the destination is on the same volume, the placeholder is moved. If the destination is on a different volume, the archived file is restored and then moved to the destination.
Delete to Recycle Bin	The placeholder is moved to the Recycle Bin. If the volume archiving policy says delete the archived file when the placeholder is deleted, then emptying the Recycle Bin causes the corresponding archived item to be deleted.

Placeholder shortcuts are supported on NTFS devices, NetApp Filers, and EMC Celerra devices. For details of the exact requirements, see the Enterprise Vault Compatibility Charts.

In the archiving policy you can control the time at which Enterprise Vault creates shortcuts. For example, you can create a rule to archive Microsoft Office files. The rule can make Enterprise Vault leave the original files on the disk and create shortcuts to them later. Enterprise Vault can create a shortcut to a file according to any of the following:

Archived time
Last accessed time
Last modified time
Created time

By creating a rule like this one you can ensure that files are archived for safety but are still available for editing. When a file is no longer being changed frequently, Enterprise Vault creates a shortcut to the archived copy.

File System Archiving can archive all file types. However, some file types such as executable files and .PST files are not suitable candidates for file archiving.