How the Data Vault Works

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Data Vault

The Data Vault Service listens for data being sent from Clients, processes the data, and stores it in the Data Vault folders. You will manage the Data Vault Service and file storage from the Control Center's Data Vault Properties.

The Data Vault depends on:

Network access to Client computers.
A static IP address for the Data Vault computer, ensuring Client communication.

Data Vault Service Tasks

The recorded data follows this sequence of events.

To store data:

The Client records events, storing the data temporarily on the Client computer hard drive.
Once every four minutes, the Client attempts to deliver the data across the network through the established port.

The Data Vault service listens on the established port and responds to the Client communication.
When the recorded events are received by the Data Vault service, the Client deletes them from the local client hard drive.
The Data Vault Service receives the data and stores it in a user or computer folder on the Data Vault computer.

Client Connection

The Client Service facilitates the transfer of recorded data from the Client to the Data Vault Server.

To transfer the data:

The Data Vault Server listens on its configured port for communication from Clients.
Every few minutes, the Client Service attempts to communicate with the Data Vault via the configured name or static IP address, as set by the Server Settings.
As soon as connection is made, the Client pushes all stored data to the Data Vault Server. The transmission lasts a maximum of thirty seconds. Any remaining events are transmitted to the Data Vault on subsequent connections. The Client would only reach this thirty-second threshold if it has been disconnected from the Data Vault for a long period and has accumulated a large number of recorded events in the local Data File.

If the Client Service cannot make contact with the Data Vault Server, the recorded data remains on the Client computer until a maximum number days have passed or a storage limit is reached. If a maximum limit is reached (for example, the computer is offline for several weeks), the Client begins deleting the oldest data.
The Data Vault Server it transfers all recorded events to the Data Vault Storage Folders. Once the data is in the Data Vault, a user can open the Viewer (from the Control Center or as a standalone application), navigate to the Data Vault folders, and select one to load and view the data. A user with appropriate privileges can save and delete data, and the Control Center provides several automatic archiving options.

Network Requirements

The Data Vault service must be installed on a network computer that all Clients will be able to communicate with at any time. Servers are rarely turned off or removed from the network; for this reason, a server is an excellent candidate on which to install the Data Vault.

If you move or add a Data Vault Server, make sure it has direct network connection to Clients and that the Client Server Communication Settings are properly configured.

Multiple Data Vaults

In larger installations, for example, 200+ Clients, it may become necessary to install multiple instances of the Data Vault to allow the Data Vault service to handle the volume of traffic being recorded. For each Data Vault, you need to install a Control Center to manage it, not necessarily on the same computer. See the Spector CNE Deployment Guide.