A Central Asset Location is a single storage location used to store specific digital assets. Employing a Central Asset Location ensures your assets remain accessible to all, and can more easily be accounted for. Cumulus lets you choose between different types of Central Asset Locations:
• File System – Any standard file system location can be used as a Central Asset Location. The most common example is a network file server. This type is supported by the Asset Storage Modules for the operating systems.
• Internet (FTP) Servers – If you need to keep files accessible from an Internet FTP server, you can choose an FTP server as Central Asset Location. This option is less popular for works-in-progress because of performance and other limitations associated with this type of server access; but when archiving assets, this option can be ideal. This type is supported by the URL AssetStore.
• Cumulus Vault – This type provides asset check in/out and version control services not available with the other two types. The file system on the Vault Server machine physically stores the assets kept in the Vault, but Cumulus Vault controls access to the files, which enables it to offer these advanced services not available when using the file system directly. This type is supported by the Vault AssetStore.
• Amazon S3 – If you want to employ a cloud service, you can choose an Amazon Simple Storage Service (Amazon S3) bucket as Central Asset Location. You need an Amazon Web Services account and must be signed up for Amazon S3. Amazon’s CloudFront can be employed for best possible performance as well. This type of Central Asset Location is supported by the Amazon S3 AssetStore (optional) that provides versioning.
A Central Asset Location is chosen as a catalog property setting. Each catalog can have its own Central Asset Location. What the best choice is depends on how the catalog is used.
PRECONDITIONS: To set up a Central Asset Location for a catalog, you must have the appropriate Administrator permissions (Permissions > Administrator Permissions > Modify Central Asset Location (option for the Modify Catalog Settings permission.)
To configure a catalog to employ a Central Asset Location:
1. Make sure the collection window containing the catalog is the active window in Cumulus.
2. Select Cumulus / Edit > Preferences.
3. Click Catalog Settings.
The Catalog Settings window is displayed. If the active collection window contains more than one catalog, select the catalog you want to edit under Catalogs.
4. Click General.
5. Under Copy Assets to Central Location, enable Use Central Asset Location.
The next step is to choose where to store the copies and which Asset Storage module you want to use.
6. Click Browse. The Choose an Asset Storage Module dialog opens.
7. Select the desired module and click OK. The next steps depend on the selected module:
• Selecting the URL AssetStore opens a dialog for entering a URL. Enter a valid URL of an existing FTP directory and click OK.
• Selecting a File System AssetStore opens a dialog to select a folder. Browse for the folder you want the asset to be stored in and then click OK. A further dialog appears offering options for the automatic creation of subfolders:
None: All cataloged assets are stored in the same folder
By Date: Subfolders are created on a daily basis. Assets cataloged on the same day are stored in the same folder. If two or more assets have identical file names, a unique identifier will be added to the file name.
By Unique Identifier: Every cataloged Asset gets it’s own folder and unique path where it is stored within the Central Asset Location.
Select the desired option and click OK.
• Selecting the Vault AssetStore opens the Select Remote Module dialog. Select the computer running the file system or the Vault Server from the Computer field. Your next step is to decide whether you want the assets to be stored directly in the folder of the Vault Server or in a subfolder nested in the Vault Server folder. Such a subfolder is called a Vault Folder.
Select the desired option. If you decided on Use Vault Server Directly, your next step is to click OK. If you decided on Use Vault Folder, the list for selecting this folder is activated. Then your next step is to select the Vault Folder you want the asset to be stored in and click OK.
NOTE: If a catalog is set as exclusive for a Vault Folder this folder cannot be used as a central asset storage location for any other catalog. If you want a catalog to be set as exclusive, you have to create a new Vault Folder for it.
• Selecting the Amazon S3 AssetStore opens a dialog to define the Amazon S3 location where the assets should be stored.
Select the credential used to authenticate and authorize calls that Cumulus makes to Amazon Web Services (AWS). You can also add a new credential by clicking the button to the right of the Credentials field. This opens the list of available credentials which allows you to add or edit credentials. (For a description on how a credential is defined, see “Amazon S3 AssetStore (optional)” .) Define the bucket to store the assets. Either select it from the drop-down-list or enter the name. The listed buckets depend on your Amazon account permissions. Click OK to save the chosen location.
8. Select the mode for copying assets to the central asset storage location chosen above. The mode determines when the Central Asset Location is used:
• As Set in Asset Handling Set – the Asset Handling Set employed for cataloging decides if assets are copied to the selected Central Location.
• Always – Assets are always copied to the selected Central Location, regardless of the Asset Handling Set used.
• Always and Exclusive (available with Vault AssetStore only) – Assets are always copied to Vault and their asset storage location is exclusively Vault.
9. Click Apply to save your changes and select the next catalog you want to set up for a Central Asset Location. OR Click OK to save your changes and close the Preferences window.
When users catalog assets to this catalog from now on, the asset can be copied or will be copied to the selected Central Asset Location.
NOTE: Central Asset Locations and Asset Handling Sets Every Asset Handling Set that is to be used with a Central Asset Location (for cataloging or access), must be configured with the Central Asset Location’s corresponding asset storage module activated. So, activate the Mac OS and Windows AssetStore modules for file system locations, the URL AssetStore for FTP locations and the Vault AssetStore for Vault locations.
Cumulus / 
Edit > Preferences. 
button to the right of the Credentials field. This opens the list of available credentials which allows you to add or edit credentials. (For a description on how a credential is defined, see “Amazon S3 AssetStore (optional)” .)