Are my files safe when using Drive Bender?

Understanding how Drive Bender handles files, is important as it allows users to feel confident about the data they store on a Drive Bender pool.

First up, the Drive Bender development mantra, KISS ("Keep it simple, Stupid!") is the core focus of every aspect and feature of the product. This starts with the way Drive Bender stores files on each drive in the pool, through to how Drive Bender manages these files once they get there.

Drive structure

The structure of each drive is simple. Each drive employs the native NTFS format which mean that each drive in the pool can be removed and read by any Windows machine without any special tools or drives. All files store on that drive will be visible just like any other drive (see Understanding a pooled drive;s structure for more information).

Coping a file to the pool

When copying a file to the pool, Drive Bender's primary function is to determine what drive within the pool will hold this file. This is determined by the percentage of available space on each drive within the pool (i.e. balanced). Once done, the calling application will then start writing the file contents to the pool, with Drive Bender then writing the content to the designated drive.

Managing the file

Another one of the design principles is not not touch the users files once they reach the pool. As desirable as this is, the need to balance the pool overrides this and means that Drive Bender may move the file from one pooled drive, to another. This is the ONLY TIME Drive Bender touches users files, with the exception of when the Health Monitor finds the same file on more than one pooled drive, when this happens, Drive Bender renames the extra files (this excludes files used in duplication).

The file move operation is performed using a transactional process, this means that the move operation ensures that the file being moved is validated (via CRC) before the original file is removed. In the worst case, if there was a power failure during the move, you would end up with one of the two scenarios. 1) The original file is still in place with an incomplete "Temp" file on another drive. 2) There is a copy of the original file and a second copy of the file on another drive (this will be renamed by the Health Monitor in time).

Removing a drive from a pool

When removing a drive, Drive Bender does not move the files from the drive being removed to the pool, but instead copies the file. This means that a copy of the file(s) will now be in the pool, and on the drive being removed (this is to change in v1.3, files will be moved from the drive being removed using the same transactional process as described with file balancing).