Frequently Asked Questions (F.A.Q.)

What is a "snapshot"?

A "snapshot" is a copy of a document as it existed at a specific date and time.  DocShield takes snapshots of your shielded documents anytime they change.  You can view and/or restore any document snapshot under DocShield's care.

What is the archive file?

The archive file (also known as the "archive") is a compressed file that DocShield uses to store all snapshots.  To protect against hardware failure, DocShield can maintain copies of the archive on multiple devices or "destinations".  If any of those storage devices fail, the DocShield archive is always safe at another location.

Are snapshots compressed?

Some documents already exist in compressed form.  Others may be too small to obtain the advantages of compression.  In those cases, the files are not further compressed.  All others are compressed, sometimes reducing their size more than 90%, depending on file type.

How do I keep the archive from growing too large?

DocShield gives you several options for automatically controlling the size of the archive.  Using the options tab, you can select how you want to manage its growth, including automatic removal of older snapshots and visual prompts when the archive size limit is reached.  You may also specify the maximum number of snapshots per document.  In such cases, DocShield will store from one to many, to unlimited snapshots of each document.

Does DocShield modify my documents?

Absolutely not.  DocShield only READS your documents from storage and NEVER writes, modifies, or deletes them in any way.

What do I do if my archive is growing too fast?

You have several options, but more than likely, you should probably increase the "shield action" time interval.  This is the amount of time that DocShield waits until it next checks your documents for changes.  Fast archive  growth typically happens when documents are rapidly changing.  If you increase the interval time, you won't create as many snapshots in the same period of time.  Another question to ask yourself is "Do I really need an unlimited number of snapshots of each document?"  Perhaps 5, 20, or 100 snapshots are sufficient for your purposes.

Does DocShield protect against hardware failure?

DocShield can protect against hardware failure only if you utilize its "multiple destination" feature and/or Remote Destination feature, which makes copies of the archive on other devices in case of hardware failure.  For maximum protection, utilize a remote FTP server to be a destination for your archive file

Will DocShield degrade the performance of my system?

DocShield is designed to be virtually unnoticeable.  However, it is possible to overload it by shielding too many documents that are rapidly changing.  This is further aggravated if those documents are large.  Remember that DocShield will perform its shielding duties as you have directed it to, trying to use the resources of your system.  If you notice that your system is adversely affected, make adjustments to your DocShield configuration.

Do I have to manually add each document I want shielded?

No.  While documents can be manually added individually or as a group, the "Auto-Add" feature allows you to specify which folders to monitor for document types of your choosing.  This way, any new document that appears in those folders is automatically added to the archive and monitored from that point on.