File Groups - Amazon FSx for Windows File Server
File group usageFile name patternsDefault file groupsManagement commands
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File Groups

File groups define logical collections of file name patterns that you must use when configuring file screens, and that you can optionally use when generating storage reports. A file group contains include patterns (files to match) and exclude patterns (files to exclude from matches), which you reference by the file group name rather than specifying individual patterns each time.

How file groups are used

File groups are required for the following FSRM features:

  • File screens - You must specify one or more file groups to define which file types to block or monitor.

  • File screen exceptions - You must specify one or more file groups to define which file types to allow despite blocking file screens in parent folders.

  • File screen templates - You must specify one or more file groups to define which file types the template will block or monitor.

File groups are optional for the following FSRM features:

  • Storage reports - You can optionally filter reports by file group to analyze storage usage for specific file types. For example, you can generate a report showing only audio and video files.

File name patterns

File groups use wildcard patterns to match file names. You can specify both include patterns (files to match) and exclude patterns (files to exclude from matches).

FSRM supports the following wildcards:

  • Asterisk (*) - Matches zero or more characters

  • Question mark (?) - Matches exactly one character

For example, the pattern *.doc* matches files like report.doc , report.docx, and document.doc, while the exclude pattern ~$* excludes temporary files created by Microsoft Office applications.

Default file groups

When you enable FSRM on your file system, the following file groups are created automatically:

Audio and Video Files

Matches common audio and video file formats including *.mp3, *.wav, *.avi, *.mp4, *.mpeg, and *.wmv

Backup Files

Matches backup file formats including *.bak, *.backup, and *.old

Compressed Files

Matches archive and compressed file formats including *.zip, *.rar, *.7z, *.gz, and *.tar

E-mail Files

Matches email message and mailbox formats including *.eml, *.msg, and *.pst

Executable Files

Matches executable and script file formats including *.exe, *.dll, *.com, *.bat, *.cmd, and *.vbs

Image Files

Matches common image file formats including *.jpg, *.jpeg, *.png, *.gif, *.bmp, and *.tif

Office Files

Matches Microsoft Office document formats including *.doc, *.docx, *.xls, *.xlsx, *.ppt, and *.pptx

System Files

Matches Windows system file formats including *.sys, *.dll, *.ocx, and *.drv

Temporary Files

Matches temporary file formats including *.tmp, *.temp, and ~*

Text Files

Matches text-based file formats including *.txt, *.log , *.csv, and *.xml

Web Page Files

Matches web content file formats including *.html, *.htm, *.asp, *.aspx, *.php, and *.js

You can use these default file groups immediately in file screens and storage reports, or you can modify them to match your specific requirements.

File group management commands

FSRM provides PowerShell commands for creating and managing file groups. Use these commands to define custom file groups that match your organization's file management policies.

Note

All the examples in this page assume that you have defined the $FSxWindowsRemotePowerShellEndpoint variable with your file system's Windows Remote PowerShell endpoint. You can find this endpoint in the Amazon FSx console on your file system's details page, or by using the Amazon CLI describe-file-systems command.

New-FSxFSRMFileGroup

Creates a file group that defines a logical collection of file name patterns. These patterns can be used for file screens, file screen exceptions, and storage reports.

Parameters:

  • Name (string) - Required. A name for the file group.

  • Description (string) - Optional. A description for the file group.

  • IncludePattern (array) - Optional. An array of pattern strings that specify files to include.

  • ExcludePattern (array) - Optional. An array of pattern strings that specify files to exclude.

Examples:

  1. Create a file group for text files.

    Invoke-Command -ComputerName $FSxWindowsRemotePowerShellEndpoint -ConfigurationName FSxRemoteAdmin -ScriptBlock {
    New-FSxFSRMFileGroup -Name "My Text Files" -IncludePattern "*.txt"
}

  2. Create a file group for source code with include and exclude patterns.

    $includePatterns = @("*.cpp", "*.h", "*.cs", "*.py")
$excludePatterns = @("*.tmp", "*.bak")

Invoke-Command -ComputerName $FSxWindowsRemotePowerShellEndpoint -ConfigurationName FSxRemoteAdmin -ArgumentList @($includePatterns, $excludePatterns) -ScriptBlock {
    param($includePatterns, $excludePatterns)
    New-FSxFSRMFileGroup -Name "Source Code" -Description "Programming source files" -IncludePattern $includePatterns -ExcludePattern $excludePatterns
}

Get-FSxFSRMFileGroup

Retrieves one or more file groups from your file system. File groups define collections of file patterns used in file screening and reporting.

Parameters:

  • Name (array) - Optional. An array of names of file groups to retrieve. If you don't specify a name, the command returns all file groups on the file system.

Examples:

  1. Retrieve all file groups on the file system.

    Invoke-Command -ComputerName $FSxWindowsRemotePowerShellEndpoint -ConfigurationName FSxRemoteAdmin -ScriptBlock {
    Get-FSxFSRMFileGroup
}

Remove-FSxFSRMFileGroup

Removes one or more file groups from your file system. After removal, the file group cannot be used in file screens or file screen exceptions.

Parameters:

  • Name (array) - Required. An array of names of file groups to remove.

  • PassThru (boolean) - Optional. If set to true, returns the removed file group object.

Examples:

  1. Remove a single file group.

    Invoke-Command -ComputerName $FSxWindowsRemotePowerShellEndpoint -ConfigurationName FSxRemoteAdmin -ScriptBlock {
    Remove-FSxFSRMFileGroup -Name "My Text Files" -PassThru
}

Set-FSxFSRMFileGroup

Modifies the properties of existing file groups.

Parameters:

  • Name (array) - Required. An array of names of file groups to modify.

  • Description (string) - Optional. A new description for the file group.

  • IncludePattern (array) - Optional. A new array of pattern strings that specify files to include.

  • ExcludePattern (array) - Optional. A new array of pattern strings that specify files to exclude.

  • PassThru (boolean) - Optional. If set to true, returns the modified file group object.

Examples:

  1. Update the description and patterns for a file group.

    $includePatterns = @("*.docx", "*.pdf", "*.rtf")
$excludePatterns = @("~$*", "*.tmp")

Invoke-Command -ComputerName $FSxWindowsRemotePowerShellEndpoint -ConfigurationName FSxRemoteAdmin -ArgumentList @($includePatterns, $excludePatterns) -ScriptBlock {
    param($includePatterns, $excludePatterns)
    Set-FSxFSRMFileGroup -Name "Documents" -Description "Updated document types" -IncludePattern $includePatterns -ExcludePattern $excludePatterns -PassThru
}