In Configuration Console, an administrator can specify a volume archive service provider, or archive application, that the system uses to archive files before deleting them. The archive application is software that is the interface between iHub and an external archiving tool.

You can use an archive application that calls the online archive SOAP‑based API. iHub ships with a configurable, Java-based Encyclopedia volume autoarchive application that uses the SOAP-based autoarchive API.

When iHub performs autoarchiving, it loads the archive application. If a file autoarchive policy specifies deletion and includes the Archive files before deletion option, iHub exports the file to the external archiving tool.

iHub read-locks the file during the archive process so no other process can delete or change the file during archiving. After the archive service signals that the archive process succeeded, iHub deletes the file. If the archiving fails, iHub does not delete the file.