Adaptive Block Caching (ABC) - Overview (Limited Availability)

Adaptive Block Caching (ABC) is a next-generation caching technology built into the Egnyte Desktop App, designed to transform how teams work with large and complex files by intelligently streaming and syncing only what is necessary for a given period of time. This means faster file access, smoother performance, and a more responsive experience.

• ABC defers downloading and uploading entire files
• When a user opens a file, it downloads the parts (block) of the file that’s needed to get started
• As a user works and saves on a file, only their changes are synced back to Egnyte
• This results in faster access and lower bandwidth usage
• This is especially beneficial for large project files (for example, CAD drawings, video timelines), where only parts of the file are accessed and modified

ABC runs entirely inside the existing Egnyte Desktop App - no separate software or hardware is needed. Existing drive letters can be upgraded to ABC without re-mapping.

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Prerequisites

Supported Drive Configuration

Use Cases

Steps to Enable ABC

End User Experience

Configuring the ABC Cache (Location and Size)

Disabling ABC (Switching to Classic)

Additional Resources

 

Prerequisites

• Users should be on the Egnyte Desktop App version 4.1.0 or later for Windows
• After installation or upgrade, restart the Desktop App so it can check eligibility and offer to enable ABC. For eligible users, Egnyte drives for that domain are mounted in ABC mode instead of Classic mode

Supported Drive Configuration

All drives for a given user + domain on a device operate in either ABC or Classic mode; mixed modes are not supported

• A user cannot have both an ABC drive and a Classic drive at the same time for the same domain
• However, if a user is connected to multiple domains, they can have ABC enabled for some domains and Classic enabled for others

File Handling in ABC

Files uploaded through an ABC-enabled drive are stored in block format. Existing non-block files open normally, are downloaded fully on first access, and are automatically re-uploaded in block format after being saved

• In this format, large files are divided into smaller blocks, allowing uploads, downloads, file opens, and caching to be handled more efficiently at the block level
• This process does not change the file’s content or structure and fully preserves any links or external references
• Existing non-block files continue to open normally, just as they do on a Classic drive. After they are fully downloaded on first access and saved, they are automatically re-uploaded in block format for future use

Use Cases

• Teams working with large design files (AutoCAD, Civil 3D) stored in Egnyte Cloud, where files are opened, edited, and saved repeatedly that require improved performance without downloading full files locally
• Distributed project teams across multiple offices or remote locations accessing shared project data, where network latency impacts file open and save operation times and local caching can reduce repeated data transfers.
• Projects that rely heavily on reference files or linked models (such as AutoCAD Xrefs), where only portions of large files are accessed frequently and caching file blocks can improve responsiveness when opening or updating drawings.
• Individual users or roles (designers, engineers) who primarily work on a limited subset of very large project files on a regular basis, making block-level caching effective over time as frequently accessed data remains locally available.

Steps to Enable ABC

Once Adaptive Block Cache (ABC) is available for the Egnyte domain, the admin needs to enable ABC for users. By default no user will have access to ABC. 

User Eligibility (Group-Based)

1. Create a new user group in the web UI. Go to the left side menu > Settings > User Management > Groups > Add Group
   
   
2. Name the group exactly Egnyte ABC Users and click on Save
   
3. Add all the users who want to access ABC to this group and click Save. It may take up to 15 mins to reflect.

End User Experience

ABC Mode Notifications 

• When a user becomes eligible for ABC a system notification appears.
  
• Welcome message on the Egnyte Desktop app appears as:
  
• Clicking the notification or the desktop welcome message opens a confirmation dialog
  
• Clicking on Continue direct the user to the ABC Cache configuration flow. 

Configuring the ABC Cache (Location and Size)

When a user opts in, they see a Configure ABC Drive screen where they can configure the following options: 

1. Choose a cache location (internal drive only) 
   • Only internal drives are listed, sorted by drive letter with label and free space. 
   • Drives with less than 8 GB free are greyed out and cannot be selected. 

   • A non-editable path is displayed where the cache folder will live (for example, a sc_cache folder under the app’s data directory). 
     

     Once selected, the cache location is permanent for that device. In order to change the location later, users must remove all ABC drives and re-add them. 

2. Set the eviction threshold (cache size)
   • Minimum: 8 GiB 
   • Default: 50 GiB 
   • Maximum: 90% of the total capacity of the selected drive (rounded). 
   • The app validates the value as the user types and only allows numbers within this range. 
   • The eviction threshold defines how much space ABC can occupy before it starts removing least-used blocks.

For any additional ABC drives (for example, multiple domains or users on the same device), the cache location is reused and fixed, but each drive’s eviction threshold can still be configured separately. Existing ABC drives can adjust the threshold later via a Settings > three dots menu on the drive > Configure > Adaptive Block Caching tab in the Desktop App. 

Disabling ABC (Switching to Classic)

Users have the option disable ABC themselves (unless an admin has locked drive management): 

1. Open the system tray and click the Egnyte Desktop App icon. 
2. Click the gear icon (Settings).
3. Next to the drive letter, click the three dots (…).
4. Select Disable ABC Mode.
   

If the admin has explicitly disabled drive management via Desktop Configurations, users cannot remove the drive but they can still disable ABC mode on it.

 

Additional Information and Resources

Adaptive Block Caching - Usage Guide 

Adaptive Block Cache - FAQs 

Desktop App Overview

Desktop App Installers

Desktop App Installation for Windows

Desktop App Limitations