Understanding Provider Change Processing (Hash Files)

Introduction

To enhance performance, hash files are generated for each silo on the panel service host server during a data scan. This enables the panel service to efficiently verify whether an object within a silo has undergone changes, transmitting data to the web app only when the hash file does not match current state for the corresponding data item.

If any silo hash file is absent on the server, the panel service will generate a new one. To further optimize performance, as well as ensuring accuracy of deltas where network latency might be expected, subsequent silo scans on a panel service will occur within the same service after the initial data scan.

Where to Find Them

Before executing Panel Tool, it is recommended to identify the server on which the data scan was last performed to ensure efficient and accurate scanning with Panel Tool. The most straightforward way to obtain this information is from the browser by logging into Identity Panel, navigating to Settings / Schedules, and reviewing the location from which the scan step was last executed.

Once you have this information, you can log in (RDP) into the corresponding host server. The hash file location is determined by the HashesDir configuration item in config.json, usually residing at ~Program Files\SoftwareIDM\PanelTools\data. The relevant files are named multis_<guid>.bin and objects_<guid>.bin.

The GUID for a Silo can be easily retrieved in the rule tester by using special.Identity Silo.<silo name>, which will return the respective GUID.