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Copying Perceptive Content OSM Folders with Robocopy (Full Copy and MAXAGE)

How to use robocopy to copy Perceptive Content OSM directories to a new storage location during a migration. It covers a full copy, a copy limited to recently modified files with /MAXAGE, and what each switch does.

Overview

When you migrate Perceptive Content OSM storage to a new server or file share, robocopy is the fastest reliable way to move the files. Run the full copy first to get everything over. Then use the MAXAGE version to pick up only files modified in the last X days. That works well for catch-up passes before cutover, or for splitting a large copy into smaller runs.

Run Command Prompt as Administrator. Use an account that has read access to the source and write access to the destination.

Full copy (without MAXAGE)

robocopy <SourcePath> <DestinationPath> /S /E /Z /ZB /R:5 /W:5 /TBD /NP /V /MT:32 /LOG:"<LogFilePath>"

Copy only recently modified files (with MAXAGE)

robocopy <SourcePath> <DestinationPath> /S /E /Z /ZB /R:5 /W:5 /TBD /NP /V /MT:32 /MAXAGE:<Days> /LOG:"<LogFilePath>"

The only difference is /MAXAGE. It skips any file older than the number of days you set. You can also use a date in YYYYMMDD format.

Placeholders

Placeholder Replace with
<SourcePath> UNC path to the source OSM folder
<DestinationPath> UNC path to the destination OSM folder
<Days> Number of days back to copy, or a date in YYYYMMDD format
<LogFilePath> Full path and file name for the log

Examples

Full copy of one OSM folder:

robocopy \\SourceServer\OSM\osm_01.00001 \\DestServer\OSM\osm_01.00001 /S /E /Z /ZB /R:5 /W:5 /TBD /NP /V /MT:32 /LOG:"C:\Robocopy\Logs\osm_01.00001_full.txt"

Copy only files modified in the last 30 days:

robocopy \\SourceServer\OSM\osm_01.00001 \\DestServer\OSM\osm_01.00001 /S /E /Z /ZB /R:5 /W:5 /TBD /NP /V /MT:32 /MAXAGE:30 /LOG:"C:\Robocopy\Logs\osm_01.00001_maxage30.txt"

Copy only files modified on or after a specific date:

robocopy \\SourceServer\OSM\osm_01.00001 \\DestServer\OSM\osm_01.00001 /S /E /Z /ZB /R:5 /W:5 /TBD /NP /V /MT:32 /MAXAGE:20260101 /LOG:"C:\Robocopy\Logs\osm_01.00001_since20260101.txt"

What the switches do

Switch What it does
/S Copies subdirectories, but not empty ones
/E Copies all subdirectories, including empty ones
/Z Restartable mode. If the network drops, large files resume where they left off
/ZB Uses restartable mode, and falls back to backup mode if access is denied
/R:5 Retries a failed file 5 times
/W:5 Waits 5 seconds between retries
/TBD Waits for share names to be available instead of failing right away
/NP Hides the percentage progress, which keeps the log clean
/V Verbose output that also lists skipped files
/MT:32 Copies with 32 threads at once
/MAXAGE:n Excludes files older than n days (or older than a given date)
/LOG:"path" Writes output to a log file and overwrites it each run

Notes

  • Repeat the command for each OSM folder, and use a different log file name each time.
  • The log folder has to exist before you run the command.
  • /LOG overwrites the file on every run. Use /LOG+ if you want to append to it instead.
  • Robocopy skips files that already exist and haven’t changed. Rerunning the full copy is safe and only moves the differences.
  • Check the summary at the bottom of each log. Anything in the FAILED column needs a look before cutover.
  • /S is redundant when /E is present, and /Z is redundant with /ZB. Leaving them in is harmless.