Configure temporary directories
The applications that make up Nuix Neo use temp directories to store data temporarily while tasks are being performed. These directories are areas of high activity and when configured properly, can provide improved performance. Depending on the task, these directories may contain large amounts of data.
The following application switches can be applied at startup to change the location of temp locations from the default directories used by Nuix Neo:
Nuix application temp directory
Switch: -Djava.io.tmpdir=.\temp
Description: General location used for temp files created by Neo applications.
Default location: Specified by JAVA installation.
Worker temp directory.
Switch: -Dnuix.worker.tmpdir=.\temp\worker
Description: Tasks that use Nuix workers copy items to this directory for processing to ensure the original data is preserved and not altered.
Default location: Case directory.
OCR and Imaging temp.
Switch: -Dnuix.investigator.bulkProcessingTemp=.\temp\bulk
Description: Images and text are created in this directory and may be recovered in the event of a job failure.
Default location: Case directory.
Notes Storage Facility (NSF) shared copy temp.
Switch: -Dnuix.processing.sharedTempDirectory=.\temp\shared
Description: When processing NSF data, working copies of the data are saved to this directory.
Default location: Case directory.
Note: For increased performance, it is recommended to use the specified switches to relocate these directories to fast storage.
How much storage does a temporary directory require?
When configuring a temporary directory, the size and type of storage that is used depends heavily on project scope and the volume of data being processed at any given time.
Due to the heavy read/write activity within most temp directories, it is recommended to use fast storage that is separate from the OS and application installation.
For the Worker temp directory, the following guidelines are recommended:
Very fast disk (SSD if possible or RAID 0 array) with low latency.
Recommended minimum capacity = largest single processing job size x 5 (500 GB to process 100 GB).
Redundancy is not required as data is only accessed during processing or exporting then deleted.
What data is stored within these directories?
Temporary directories often contain copies of items that are being processed or exported, images and OCR related data, or other artifacts that are created when opening or viewing an item. The Nuix application temp directory is also used to cache certain data that can improve performance within the application.
What is the data needed for in these directories?
Data is copied to these directories temporarily for processing before being saved in the case. This is done to preserve the original data. In some situations, if a task fails before completing, processed data may be able to be recovered from a temporary directory.
Can the files within temporary directories be deleted?
In most cases, temporary files will be removed automatically after a task completes. However, there may be instances where temporary directories require manual cleanup.
If the files included within a temp directory have not been modified in several days, they can be deleted after safety shutting down all related services.
Deleting dormant temp files should not have any negative effects on the applications of Nuix Neo.