Novell Filr Desktop Application Readme

1.0 Novell Filr Desktop Application Readme

November 2014

1.1 Product Overview

The Novell Filr desktop application allows you to synchronize your Novell Filr files with the file system on your computer and then modify the files without accessing the Filr site directly. Additions and modifications are synchronized between Filr and your computer.

1.2 System Requirements

Section 1.2.1, On Windows

Section 1.2.2, On Mac

1.2.1 On Windows

The Novell Filr desktop application is supported for the following versions of the Windows operating system:

Windows XP SP3 32-bit

Windows 7 SP1

Windows 8 and 8.1

1.2.2 On Mac

The Novell Filr desktop application on Mac requires Mac OS X 10.7 64-bit or later.

1.3 Issues

The following are known issues for the Novell Filr desktop application:

Section 1.3.1, Issues When Updating to the Filr Desktop Poodle Patch on Mac OSX 10.10 (Yosemite)

Section 1.3.2, Creating a Folder from the Desktop Application Results in Two Folders Being Created

Section 1.3.3, Filr Folder Cannot Be Moved to the Root of a Volume on Mac

Section 1.3.4, Moving the Filr Application File away from the Default Directory (/Applications) on Mac Results in Errors

Section 1.3.5, Files and Folders Do Not Synchronize When Full Path Exceeds 260 Characters on Windows

Section 1.3.6, The Filr Folder Cannot Be Configured to the Same Network Location on Multiple Computers

Section 1.3.7, Synchronizing a File after Modifying It on the File Server File System Can Result in an Error Message

Section 1.3.8, Must Exit Filr after Max File Size Limit Is Changed in order for Pending Files to Be Synchronized

Section 1.3.9, Must Exit Filr after Max File Size Limit Is Changed in order for Accurate Limit to Be Displayed

Section 1.3.10, Out-of-Sync State in the Desktop Client When Renaming a Folder in the Web Client and Changing Only the Case

Section 1.3.11, Installation Location Cannot Be a Folder That Includes Extended Characters

Section 1.3.12, Default Windows Desktop Background Is Displayed During Installation

Section 1.3.13, Cannot Open Filr Desktop Application in 32-Bit Mode

Section 1.3.14, Overlay Status Icons Incorrectly Show Files and Folders As Pending

Section 1.3.15, Email Addresses in Share Dialog Cannot Contain Extended Characters

Section 1.3.16, Must Restart the Filr Desktop Application after Upgrading and Changing the Location to a New Drive

Section 1.3.17, Must Restart the Filr Desktop Application or Finder after Upgrading on Mac

1.3.1 Issues When Updating to the Filr Desktop Poodle Patch on Mac OSX 10.10 (Yosemite)

Updating the Filr Desktop application for Mac to the Filr 1.1 Poodle patch when running Mac OSX 10.10 (Yosemite) results in issues.

To successfully update, you must at a minimum exit the Filr desktop application. To ensure full Filr desktop functionality such as the presence of overlay status icons, you must uninstall the Filr desktop application and install the patched version as a new installation.

Update Fails if Client Is Running

Overlay Status Icons Are Not Always Displayed after Update

Update Fails if Client Is Running

When updating the Filr 1.1 desktop for Mac to the Poodle patch release, the Filr desktop application update fails if the Filr desktop application is running at the time you install the update.

To successfully update to the Filr 1.1 Poodle patch for the Filr 1.1 desktop for Mac, you must exit the Filr Desktop application before installing the update.

Overlay Status Icons Are Not Always Displayed after Update

When updating the Filr 1.1 desktop for Mac to the Poodle patch release, the overlay status icons on files and folders are not always displayed.

To ensure that overlay status icons are always displayed when running the Filr 1.1 Poodle patch, uninstall the Filr desktop application and install the patched version as a new installation.

1.3.2 Creating a Folder from the Desktop Application Results in Two Folders Being Created

When creating a folder with the Filr desktop application (via Windows Explorer), sometimes two folders are created instead of one: one with the name that you specify, and another that is named New Folder. If you encounter this issue, delete the folder named New Folder.

1.3.3 Filr Folder Cannot Be Moved to the Root of a Volume on Mac

Moving the Filr folder to the root of a volume on Mac (for example, /Volumes/ABC) results in an error and the folder is not moved to the specified location.

When moving the folder to a subdirectory (for example,/Volumes/ABC/Novell), the folder is successfully moved.

1.3.4 Moving the Filr Application File away from the Default Directory (/Applications) on Mac Results in Errors

The Filr application file (Filr.app) does not function properly if it is moved from its default installation location of /Applications.

1.3.5 Files and Folders Do Not Synchronize When Full Path Exceeds 260 Characters on Windows

When the full path to a file or folder on the Windows file system exceeds 260 characters, the file or folder does not synchronize to the Filr desktop application.

The full path includes all characters in the path, such as C:\Users\username\Filr\My Files\Meeting Notes and so forth.

1.3.6 The Filr Folder Cannot Be Configured to the Same Network Location on Multiple Computers

When selecting a location for the Filr folder, you should not configure the Novell Filr desktop application on multiple computers to use the same shared location on the network. This is because the Novell Filr desktop application does not synchronize files properly if two instances are synchronizing to the same shared location, even if the instances are not running simultaneously. Because of this, it is best to always avoid configuring the Filr folder to be on a network drive.

1.3.7 Synchronizing a File after Modifying It on the File Server File System Can Result in an Error Message

If a file is modified on the Net Folder’s file system outside of Filr, an error might be displayed the next time it is synchronized to your the Filr desktop application, indicating that the application failed to validate the file’s checksum. This occurs because the Filr server’s metadata does not match the file on the Net Folder’s file system.

This issue should resolve itself automatically the next time the desktop application synchronizes, because it will direct the Filr server to update its metadata. If the issue is not resolved, doing one of the following will resolve it, depending on how your Filr administrator has configured synchronization between Net Folders and Filr:

Access the file from the Filr Web client. After accessing the file, the change might be reflected in the Filr desktop application.

Wait for the Filr server to detect the change on the Net Folder file system and update its metadata. The update frequency depends on the Net Folder synchronization schedule, which is configured by your Filr administrator.

1.3.8 Must Exit Filr after Max File Size Limit Is Changed in order for Pending Files to Be Synchronized

If you attempt to add a file to Filr via the Filr desktop application, and the file exceeds the Max File Size limit, the file is not synchronized.

Your Filr administrator can adjust the Max File Size limit. If the limit is increased after you attempt to add files that exceed the limit, you must exit (fully quit) and relaunch the Filr desktop application, in order for any pending files to be synchronized.

1.3.9 Must Exit Filr after Max File Size Limit Is Changed in order for Accurate Limit to Be Displayed

If your Filr administrator adjusts the Max File Size Limit, the new value is not displayed in the Filr console (on the Account Information page) until you exit and restart Filr.

1.3.10 Out-of-Sync State in the Desktop Client When Renaming a Folder in the Web Client and Changing Only the Case

When renaming a folder in the Filr web client and changing only the case (for example, renaming marketing to Marketing), the change is not synchronized to the Filr desktop client, and the desktop client displays the folder in an out-of-sync state.

To bring the folder back in sync, rename the folder in the web client and change more than the case (for example, rename Marketing to Marketing_Notes).

1.3.11 Installation Location Cannot Be a Folder That Includes Extended Characters

When installing the Filr desktop application, the folder where you choose to install the application cannot contain extended characters in the folder name.

1.3.12 Default Windows Desktop Background Is Displayed During Installation

When the Filr desktop application is being installed, the Windows Desktop background might temporarily revert to the default Windows background. You can safely ignore this issue.

1.3.13 Cannot Open Filr Desktop Application in 32-Bit Mode

After installing the 64-bit Filr desktop application on Mac OS X, you are able to right-click the Filr icon in the menu bar and then see an option to launch Filr in 32-bit mode. This functionality is not supported.

1.3.14 Overlay Status Icons Incorrectly Show Files and Folders As Pending

When moving or copying a file or folder into the root of the Shared with Me area in the Filr desktop application for Windows, the overlay status icons incorrectly show the file or folder as pending synchronization. Moving or copying a file or folder to the root of the Shared with Me area is not supported (as described in Which Folders Are Synchronized in the Filr Desktop Application for Windows Quick Start), and therefore the files and folders cannot be synchronized.

To resolve the pending status, remove the pending files or folders from the root of the Shared with Me area.

1.3.15 Email Addresses in Share Dialog Cannot Contain Extended Characters

When specifying an email address in the Share dialog, if the email address contains extended characters (such as an apostrophe), an error message is displayed indicating that the item cannot be shared with the specified user.

1.3.16 Must Restart the Filr Desktop Application after Upgrading and Changing the Location to a New Drive

After upgrading the Filr desktop application and changing the location to a new drive (for example, if the Filr desktop application was originally installed on drive C:\ and you change the location to drive E:\), you must restart the Filr desktop application. If you do not restart the application, unexpected errors can occur.

1.3.17 Must Restart the Filr Desktop Application or Finder after Upgrading on Mac

After upgrading the Filr desktop application on a Mac, you must do one of the following in order for the Get File Link feature to be fully functional:

Restart the computer

Log out of the computer as the current user

Restart Finder

1.4 Filr Desktop Application Documentation

For information on how to install, configure, and use the Novell Filr desktop application on your computer, see the Filr Desktop Application for Windows Quick Start or the Filr Desktop Application for Mac Quick Start.

For information about how to enable or disable the Novell Filr desktop application, as well as perform other administrative functions, see Configuring the Filr Desktop Application to Access Files in the Novell Filr 1.1 Administration Guide.

1.5 Legal Notices

Novell, Inc. makes no representations or warranties with respect to the contents or use of this documentation, and specifically disclaims any express or implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for any particular purpose. Further, Novell, Inc. reserves the right to revise this publication and to make changes to its content, at any time, without obligation to notify any person or entity of such revisions or changes.

Further, Novell, Inc. makes no representations or warranties with respect to any software, and specifically disclaims any express or implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for any particular purpose. Further, Novell, Inc. reserves the right to make changes to any and all parts of Novell software, at any time, without any obligation to notify any person or entity of such changes.

Any products or technical information provided under this Agreement may be subject to U.S. export controls and the trade laws of other countries. You agree to comply with all export control regulations and to obtain any required licenses or classification to export, re-export, or import deliverables. You agree not to export or re-export to entities on the current U.S. export exclusion lists or to any embargoed or terrorist countries as specified in the U.S. export laws. You agree to not use deliverables for prohibited nuclear, missile, or chemical biological weaponry end uses. Please refer to the Novell International Trade Services Web page for more information on exporting Novell software. Novell assumes no responsibility for your failure to obtain any necessary export approvals.

Copyright © 2013-2014 Novell, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, photocopied, stored on a retrieval system, or transmitted without the express written consent of the publisher.

For Novell trademarks, see the Novell Trademark and Service Mark list.

All third-party trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

A.0 Legal Notices

Novell, Inc., makes no representations or warranties with respect to the contents or use of this documentation, and specifically disclaims any express or implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for any particular purpose. Further, Novell, Inc., reserves the right to revise this publication and to make changes to its content, at any time, without obligation to notify any person or entity of such revisions or changes.

Further, Novell, Inc., makes no representations or warranties with respect to any software, and specifically disclaims any express or implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for any particular purpose. Further, Novell, Inc., reserves the right to make changes to any and all parts of Novell software, at any time, without any obligation to notify any person or entity of such changes.

Any products or technical information provided under this Agreement may be subject to U.S. export controls and the trade laws of other countries. You agree to comply with all export control regulations and to obtain any required licenses or classification to export, re-export or import deliverables. You agree not to export or re-export to entities on the current U.S. export exclusion lists or to any embargoed or terrorist countries as specified in the U.S. export laws. You agree to not use deliverables for prohibited nuclear, missile, or chemical biological weaponry end uses. See the Novell International Trade Services Web page for more information on exporting Novell software. Novell assumes no responsibility for your failure to obtain any necessary export approvals.

Copyright © 2013-2014 Novell, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, photocopied, stored on a retrieval system, or transmitted without the express written consent of the publisher.

Novell, Inc.

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Provo, UT 84606

U.S.A.

www.novell.com

Online Documentation: To access the latest online documentation for this and other Novell products, see the Novell Documentation Web page.

Novell Trademarks

For Novell trademarks, see the Novell Trademark and Service Mark list.

Third-Party Materials

All third-party trademarks are the property of their respective owners.