IMPORTANT NOTICE: Desktop Sync is no longer be supported as of January 1st, 2020.
Egnyte provides a convenient Microsoft Installer (.msi) package to allow Administrators to quickly install and update software for multiple users at once. This eliminates the burden of having to manually install on each computer individually.
Requirements
- The local account used to perform the installation must have elevated admin privileges during the installation.
- Download the .msi package.
When using Windows environment variables that resolve to different values based on the user (e.g., %USERNAME% OR %LOCALAPPDATA%), it's important to ensure the installation is running as the user who will be synchronizing content so that the variable refers to the correct user account and permissions are appropriately set.
Deployment Steps
1. Enter the Command: MSIEXEC /i {path to downloaded msi file}
Supported Microsoft Installer flags:
| Name | Description |
| /i |
Installs or configures a product. |
| /qn | Silent install. No UI. |
| /l*v {log file} | Logs install to log file. |
| /x | Uninstalls a product. |
2. Add any additional parameters needed to customize the deployment.
Optional MSI Installation Parameters:
| Parameter | Description | Sample Value |
| REG_INSTALLDIR |
Path to install the application. |
%PROGRAMFILES%\Egnyte Desktop Sync |
| REG_CONFIGURATIONDIR |
Path to store Desktop Sync configuration. Default is '%localappdata%\EgnyteDesktopSync' |
C:\Users\%USERNAME%\AppData\Local\Egnyte Desktop Sync |
| REG_DESKTOPSYNCDIR | Path to store locally sync files. Default is 'C:\Egnyte' | C:\Egnyte |
| SUBDOMAIN | Pre-fill the domain for users on the login page. | None. Note: If you fill in the USE_SSO parameter, enter the domain in the SUBDOMAIN parameter. |
| USE_SSO | Set to 1 and set the SUBDOMAIN parameter so users will automatically be prompted to log in with your SSO provider instead of having to click Other login options during authentication. | 1 (e.g. USE_SSO=1) |
| REMOTE_FOLDERS | Select initial folders to sync to local clients. | /Shared/Documents,/Private |
| SYNC_TYPE | Set sync schedule for client. The default is real-time. | real-time or polling or off |
| POLL_TIME | If polling set for sync_type, specific time interval in second. | 900 |
| SILENT | Don't open browser and popup the login page. Default value is FALSE. | TRUE or FALSE |
| RESTART_EXPLORER | Restart the explorer process during installation. Default is TRUE (explorer is restarted by default). Recommendation: Set to FALSE if the installation is not being performed with the account of the user who is using Desktop Sync. |
TRUE or FALSE |
| DELETE_DATA | Set to 1 to delete Desktop Sync folder. Only content that has been synced to the cloud will be deleted; skipped files will remain in the same location. | DELETE_DATA=1 |
Sample command:
MSIEXEC /i "Egnyte Desktop Sync Setup.msi" SUBDOMAIN="acme" REG_DESKTOPSYNCDIR="C:\Egnyte" REG_CONFIGURATIONDIR="C:\ProgramData\Egnyte" /qn
3. Run the Command.
Remote Configuration
Desktop Sync includes a utility called update_config.exe which allows admins to configure the list of subscribed folders and the sync frequency. This feature is useful for admins who want to preconfigure Desktop Sync for their users after installation. Please use the following syntax:
remoteFolders: comma separated list for folder selections (i.e. "/Shared/Projects","/Private")
syncType: realtime | none
Example: From command line, Run:
"C:\Program Files (x86)\Egnyte Desktop Sync\update_config.exe" remote_folders=/Private sync_type=realtime
After users log in with their credentials, they can start syncing. They will not have to configure folders or schedule sync in the setup pages.
Uninstall Desktop Sync through Mass Deployment
To uninstall, simply run the same command that was run for upgrade or install but use /x instead of /i.
For example:
MSIEXEC /x {path to downloaded msi file}
End User Configuration
Once installed, the end user will need to launch the Egnyte Desktop Sync App from the Applications folder to run it for the first time. They will be prompted to enter their username and password at this step.
You may want to share the training videos provided here with your end users. Under Storage & Sync, they can play the Desktop Sync training video.
Known Limitations
- While upgrading from .exe to .msi is supported; we do not support upgrading users from .msi to .exe.
- Desktop Sync only allows a single user to connect their Egnyte account per machine. If you have a use case which requires support for multiple users, use the Egnyte Desktop App.
- If the .msi is installed remotely, it may not correctly set folder permissions on/Local Cloud, /Private, and /Private/<username> for standard windows users. This has not been observed for Windows administrators.