Arnica FileServer is a web-based tool, which helps you implement web-based access to files and folders, allowing users to view and download files, and perform other general operations with files and folders, such as: delete, rename, copy, move, upload and email. Access to files and folders is given through FileServer-maintained entities called "virtual folders", which hide the physical location of actual resources and exposed files via web interface with presentation style features specified by virtual folder designers. Arnica FileServer does not use FTP protocol and does not rely on the Internet Information Server to map physical folders to virtual folders, i.e. the location of resources is not exposed to direct web requests.

True Thin Client 

Arnica FileServer is a true thin client solution: design, user access and administration are all done through a web browser. To ensure broader compatibility and ease of integration, Arnica FileServer uses pure HTML/XML/CSS content on web pages and does not utilize client-side ActiveX components, DLLs, or heavy-duty JavaScript libraries. No deployment is required for newly designed virtual folders, thus minimizing maintenance and development costs.  Remote design, maintenance and customization through a web browser provide great flexibility and opportunities in both internal and outsourced development.  Because of its true thin client nature, virtual folder design, presentation and customization may be performed on desktops running different operating systems (Windows, Linux, Mac, etc.).

Easy To Integrate 

Pure HTML nature of output generated by Arnica FileServer means its content may be easily integrated with content produced by other tools, e.g. .NET or PHP pages, portal content, etc.

Arnica FileServer may be used as a stand-alone tool or it may be integrated with web portals, such as Arnica WebPortal, Microsoft SharePoint, and others.

Template Driven 

Arnica FormServer is a template-driven solution. Templates are created using standard HTML content fragments with evaluatable expressions and may be used to customize virtually any presentation part of FileServer output: top level page composition, headers and footers, toolbars, folder items, file items, hierarchical current file location presentation, etc. Shared presentation features saved in a virtual folder template may be re-used by multiple virtual folders and managed centrally. A contemporary default template may be used for all new solutions, with further modifications added at a later stage to fit your style requirements.

Central Database Repository  

Arnica FileServer stores its meta data (virtual folder definitions) in a central database repository (based on Microsoft SQLServer or free SQLServer Express Edition) and allows certain operations to be performed simultaneously against multiple virtual folders at design time, for example, meta search and updates against several virtual folders or templates, virtual folder and template export/import, ability to use global parameters shared by multiple virtual folders, etc. There are no individual components to deploy on multiple servers to make the solution available at runtime, as all virtual folders definitions and templates are stored in a database and Arnica FileServer pulls this information from the database at realtime when displaying file and folder lists or accessing individual files. 

Broad Compatibility and Integration Capabilities 

Web interface of Arnica FileServer allows easy integration with virtually any contemporary tools and technologies supporting HTTP communication, such as .NET, PHP, Java, COM, Microsoft SharePoint, IBM WebSphere, open source portals and other integration platforms.

Access Control and Activity Log 

Arnica FileServer supports user authentication and authorization provided by .NET and allows granular user access control with zero programming efforts through integration with Arnica UnifiedLogon identity management system (single application version of Arnica UnifiedLogon is included at no cost with Arnica FileServer).

FileServer publishes detailed activity events into central database repository, enabling you to perform statistical analysis of activity by various parameters, such as per user, per virtual folder, within specified date range, etc.