During the installation of a FileFly Agent, you must choose whether to install an "Agent for Migration" or a "Gateway Agent". This is the essential difference:
- Agent for Migration moves files from a data source (server) to a target destination (storage); an agent must be installed on every server that you plan to migrate data from.
- Gateway Agent acts as a proxy between FileFly Migration agents and the destination storage location; this provides access to Swarm and CloudScaler destinations when direct access isn't possible..
Note that the Gateway Agent does not migrate data. Use a Gateway Agent only when it's not possible for a server running a Migration Agent to have direct access to the destination storage. Examples of this include:
- You use a dedicated proxy to connect to a cloud-based endpoint
- Your destination storage (e.g., Swarm Storage) is on another network segment, and it's not desirable to have the source server connected directly to the destination storage network
Best practice
Review your requirements for network connectivity between FileFly sources and destinations before making your agent installation choices.