CIFS (Common Internet File System)

This document outlines the integration with the CIFS (Common Internet File System) connector, enabling streamlined metadata management through features such as crawling and data preview. It also ensures secure authentication via Credential Manager.

Overview

Connector Details

Connector Category	File System
Connector Version	Release7.2
Releases Supported (Available from)	Release6.0
Connectivity [How the connection is established with CIFS]	SMB (Username-password Authentication)
Verified CIFS Version	SMB 3.1.1

The CIFS connector has been validated with the mentioned "Verified CIFS Versions" and is expected to be compatible with other supported CIFS versions. If there are any issues with validation or metadata crawling, please submit a support ticket for investigation and feedback.

Connector Features

Feature	Availability
Crawling	✅
Delta Crawling	❌
Profiling	✅
Query Sheet	NA
Data Preview	✅
Auto Lineage	NA
Manual Lineage	✅
Secure Authentication via Credential Manager	✅
Data Quality	❌
DAM (Data Access Management)	❌
Bridge	✅

The application supports profiling only for files. Supported file types include: XLS, XLSX, CSV, JSON, Parquet, AVRO, and ORC.

Metadata Mapping

The following objects are crawled from CIFS and mapped to the corresponding UI assets.

CIFS Object	CIFS Attribute	OvalEdge Attribute	OvalEdge Category	OvalEdge Type
Bucket	Bucket	Bucket	Bucket	Bucket
Folder	Folder	Folder	Folder	Folder
File	File	File	File	File
XLSX	File	File	File	XLSX
XLS	File	File	File	XLS
CSV	File	File	File	CSV
TXT	File	File	File	TXT
PARQUET	File	File	File	PARQUET
ORC	File	File	File	ORC
JSON	File	File	File	JSON
YAML	File	File	File	YAML
PIP	File	File	File	PIP

Set up a Connection

Prerequisites

The following are the prerequisites to establish a connection.

Service Account User Permissions

It is recommended to use a separate service account to establish the connection to the data source, configured with the following minimum set of permissions.

👨‍💻Who can provide these permissions? These permissions are typically granted by the CIFS administrator, as users may not have the required access to assign them independently.

Operation	Objects	Permissions
Validate	Connector Validation	Read permission
Crawling	Crawling	Read permission
Crawling & Profiling	Folder	Read permission
Crawling & Profiling	Files	Read permission

Connection Configuration Steps

Users are required to have the Connector Creator role in order to configure a new connection.

1. Log into OvalEdge, go to Administration > Connectors, click + (New Connector), search for CIFS, and complete the required parameters.

Fields marked with an asterisk (*) are mandatory for establishing a connection.

Field Name	Description
Connector Type	By default, "CIFS" is displayed as the selected connector type.
Credential Manager*	Select the desired credentials manager from the drop-down list. Relevant parameters will be displayed based on the selected option. Supported Credential Managers: OE Credential Manager AWS Secrets Manager HashiCorp Azure Key Vault
Connector Environment	Select the environment (Example: PROD, STG) configured for the connector.
Connector Name*	Enter a unique name for the CIFS connection (Example: "CIFSdb").
Connector Description	Enter a description to identify the purpose of the connector.
CIFS User Name*	Enter the username used to access the CIFS shared drive.
CIFS Password*	Enter the password associated with the CIFS username.
Share Name*	Enter the name of the shared folder (as configured on the server).
CIFS URL*	Enter the full path to the CIFS shared location
Folder Path	Enter the specific folder path within the shared directory to access files.

Default Governance Roles

Default Governance Roles*	Select the appropriate users or teams for each governance role from the drop-down list. All users configured in the security settings are available for selection.

Admin Roles

Admin Roles*	Select one or more users from the dropdown list for Integration Admin and Security & Governance Admin. All users configured in the security settings are available for selection.

No of Archive Objects

No Of Archive Objects*	This shows the number of recent metadata changes to a dataset at the source. By default, it is off. To enable it, toggle the Archive button and specify the number of objects to archive. Example: Setting it to 4 retrieves the last four changes, displayed in the 'Version' column of the 'Metadata Changes' module.

Bridge

Select Bridge*	If applicable, select the bridge from the drop-down list. The drop-down list displays all active bridges that have been configured. These bridges facilitate communication between data sources and the system without requiring changes to firewall rules.

1. After entering all connection details, the following actions can be performed:

   1. Click Validate to verify the connection.

   2. Click Save to store the connection for future use.

   3. Click Save & Configure to apply additional settings before saving.

2. The saved connection will appear on the Connectors home page.

Manage Connector Operations

Crawl

To perform crawl operations, users must be assigned the Integration Admin role.

1. Navigate to the Connectors page and click Crawl/Profile.

2. This action initiates the metadata collection process from the data source and loads the retrieved metadata into the File Manager.

3. In the File Manager, select the specific folder(s) or file(s), then click Catalog Files/Folders from the Nine Dots menu.

4. The selected files or folders will be added to the Data Catalog> Databases/Files/File Columns tab.

Other Operations

The Connectors page provides a centralized view of all configured connectors, along with their health status.

Managing connectors includes:

• Connectors Health: Displays the current status of each connector using a green icon for active connections and a red icon for inactive connections, helping to monitor the connectivity with data sources.

• Viewing: Click the Eye icon next to the connector name to view connector details, including databases, tables, columns, and codes.

Nine Dots Menu Options:

To view, edit, validate, build lineage, configure, or delete connectors, click on the Nine Dots menu.

• Edit Connector: Update and revalidate the data source.

• Validate Connector: Check the connection's integrity.

• Settings: Modify connector settings.

  • Crawler: Configure data extraction.

  • Business Glossary Settings: Manage term associations at the connector level.

  • Others: Configure notification recipients for metadata changes.

• Delete Connector: Remove a connector with confirmation.

Connectivity Troubleshooting

If incorrect parameters are entered, error messages may appear. Ensure all inputs are accurate to resolve these issues. If issues persist, contact the assigned support team.

S.No.	Error Message(s)	Error Description & Resolution
1	Error while validating connection: Error while validateConnection from CIFS : Error while validateConnection from CIFS: STATUS_LOGON_FAILURE (0xc000006d): Authentication failed for 'ovaledge' using xxxxx.xxx	Description: Authentication failed for the provided CIFS username. Resolution: Verify that the username and password are correct and have access to the shared folder.

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