Novell Filr: Readme

1.0 Novell Filr 1.0.1 Readme

January 2014

1.1 Product Overview

Novell Filr allows you to easily access all your files and folders from your desktop, browser, or a mobile device. In addition, you can promote collaboration around your files by sharing files and folders with others. For a detailed overview of Filr, see the How Filr Works–Overview Guide.

You can access Filr in the following ways:

From a Web browser on your workstation, as described in the Filr Web Application User Guide

From a mobile device, as described in the Filr Mobile App Quick Start

From your desktop, as described in the Filr Desktop for Windows Quick Start and the Filr Desktop for Mac Quick Start

Novell Filr 1.0.1 provides the following enhancements:

Hyper-V support

Xen support

Performance improvements

Sharing, renaming, and deleting files and folders, as well as creating folders (when using the Filr 1.0.2 Mobile App)

Mobile Iron support

Bug fixes

1.2 Versioning Information

The Filr server and the Filr Mobile App do not share the same version number. The Filr 1.0.2 Mobile App must be used with a Filr 1.0.1 server in order for the sharing functionality to be available in the mobile app.

1.3 DFS for Windows Technical Preview Availability

Distributed File System (DFS) for Windows is available in Filr 1.0.1 as a technical preview. Be aware that this functionality is not currently supported in a production environment. Please use DFS for Windows with Filr in a testing environment and provide feedback to Novell Technical Support.

Known Issues

DFS replication is not available at this stage of the technical preview availability. This feature will be available in a future update.

1.4 Filr System Requirements

Novell Filr 1.0 system requirements (including server requirements as well as requirements to run the mobile app and the desktop application) are listed in Filr System Requirements in the Novell Filr 1.0.1 Installation and Configuration Guide.

1.5 Installation Instructions

Complete installation instructions are available in the Novell Filr 1.0.1 Installation and Configuration Guide.

1.6 Update Issues

Section 1.6.1, Rolling Upgrades Are Not Supported in a Clustered Environment

Section 1.6.2, Update Fails if You Do Not Reconfigure Filr before Updating

Section 1.6.3, Filr Configuration Wizard Can Take Over an Hour to Update

Section 1.6.4, Missing Files Due to an Accent Character Need to Be Re-Synchronized after Update

1.6.1 Rolling Upgrades Are Not Supported in a Clustered Environment

Rolling upgrades (updating one Filr or search index server while another continues to serve clients) are not supported when updating from Filr 1.0 to Filr 1.0.1 in a clustered environment.

You must shut down all Filr and search index appliances before you begin the update process, then re-start the appliances after the update is complete.

This issue does not affect small or non-clustered large installations.

For information about how to update Filr, see Updating Filr in the Novell Filr 1.0.1 Installation and Configuration Guide.

1.6.2 Update Fails if You Do Not Reconfigure Filr before Updating

You must reconfigure the Filr appliance before updating to a future version. If you do not reconfigure the appliance before updating, the update fails.

For information about how to reconfigure the Filr appliance, see Changing Configuration Options for the Filr Appliance in the Novell Filr 1.0.1 Installation and Configuration Guide.

1.6.3 Filr Configuration Wizard Can Take Over an Hour to Update

After going through the update process and clicking Finish in the Filr Configuration Wizard, the wizard takes longer to complete the update process than the expected 5 minutes. Depending on the size of your database, the update process can take over an hour to complete. For example, a 14 GB database might take 30 minutes to complete, and a 30 GB database might take an hour or more.

If the database is 25 GB or larger, contact Novell Technical Support to assist you through the update process.

For information about how to update Filr, see Updating Filr in the Novell Filr 1.0.1 Installation and Configuration Guide.

1.6.4 Missing Files Due to an Accent Character Need to Be Re-Synchronized after Update

In the initial Filr release, Filr did not distinguish accent characters in file names. As a result, if one file was synchronized from the file system to a Net Folder, and then another file with the same name (except for the presence of an accent character) attempted to synchronize, the synchronization would fail.

Filr 1.0.1 contains a fix so that separate files or directories with names that are identical other than an accent character can be synchronized to Filr from the file system.

To enable these types of files to synchronize after updating to Filr 1.0.1, do one of the following:

Enable Just-in-Time synchronization (JITS) on the Filr site if it is not enabled already. Then navigate to the folder that contains the files in order to trigger JITS and update the contents of the folder. See Enabling Just-in-Time Synchronization in the Novell Filr 1.0.1 Administration Guide.

Perform a full synchronization on the Net Folder that contains the files. See Synchronizing a Net Folder in the Novell Filr 1.0.1 Administration Guide.

1.7 Appliance Issues

Section 1.7.1, Do Not Back Up Appliance with VMware Snapshots

1.7.1 Do Not Back Up Appliance with VMware Snapshots

Do not use VMware snapshots as a backup method for Filr. Doing so creates problems when managing the system disk and inhibits your ability to update Filr in the future.

For more detailed information about how to back up various Filr components, see Backing Up Filr Data in the Novell Filr 1.0.1 Administration Guide.

1.8 Configuration Issues

Section 1.8.1, LDAP Synchronizes Workstation Objects to Filr When Domain Services for Windows Is Configured

Section 1.8.2, Must Have Single Spaces between Memcached Instances

Section 1.8.3, Must Use DNS Name When Configuring Lucene

Section 1.8.4, Username Character Restrictions for LDAP Synchronization and Login

Section 1.8.5, User Names That Are Synchronized from LDAP Are Case-Insensitive for Filr Login

Section 1.8.6, Restrictions on Applet Support

Section 1.8.7, NFS Support

Section 1.8.8, Access Manager Issues

1.8.1 LDAP Synchronizes Workstation Objects to Filr When Domain Services for Windows Is Configured

When performing an LDAP synchronization with the default LDAP filter, and when Domain Services for Windows (DSfW) is also being used, Filr synchronizes DSfW workstation objects in addition to the intended user and group objects.

To fix this problem so that DSfW workstation objects are not synchronized, modify the Filr LDAP filter as follows:

(&(|(objectClass=Person)(objectClass=orgPerson)(objectClass=inetOrgPerson))(!(objectClass=mSDS:Computer)))

For more information about LDAP configuration in Filr, see Synchronizing Users and Groups from an LDAP Directory in the Novell Filr 1.0.1 Administration Guide.

1.8.2 Must Have Single Spaces between Memcached Instances

When specifying memcached instances for clustering, you must include only a single space between each instance in the Server Address field. Having more than one space between memcached instances results in Filr not starting correctly. For more information about configuring clustering, see Changing Clustering Configuration Settings in the Novell Filr 1.0.1 Installation and Configuration Guide.

1.8.3 Must Use DNS Name When Configuring Lucene

When configuring a large installation, you must use the DNS name when configuring the Lucene search index server in the Filr configuration wizard. Using an IP address during this configuration results in no connectivity unless there is a corresponding DNS entry.

If you want to use an IP address and there is no corresponding DNS entry, you must modify the etc\hosts file on the Filr server.

1.8.4 Username Character Restrictions for LDAP Synchronization and Login

LDAP user names must contain only numerical values 0 - 9 and upper-case and lower-case letters (A-Z). User names that contain special characters (for example, / \ * ? " < > : | ) cannot be used as Novell Filr user names. If your LDAP directory includes user names with these characters, they synchronize to the Filr site, but the associated users cannot log in.

These characters cannot be used in a Filr user name because a Filr user name becomes the user’s workspace title, and the workspace title becomes an element of the hierarchical path that leads to the workspace. These characters are not legal characters in Linux and Windows pathnames.

1.8.5 User Names That Are Synchronized from LDAP Are Case-Insensitive for Filr Login

User names that are synchronized from an LDAP directory are case-insensitive when users log in to the Filr system.

Local user accounts (user accounts that are created in Filr and not synchronized from an LDAP directory) are case-sensitive. Login credentials for local user accounts are stored in the MySQL database.

1.8.6 Restrictions on Applet Support

Applets are not supported on 64-bit Firefox on a system with a Java Runtime Environment (JRE) earlier than 1.6.0_12.

On a 64-bit operating system, updating to JRE 1.6.0.12 or later enables the applets to work.

For example, multi-file drag-and-drop from the desktop, file paste from the desktop, Edit-in-Place, and the graphical display in the workflow editor do not work where applets are not supported.

1.8.7 NFS Support

NFS file system mounts are supported for placing the Filr file repository on a remote server from where Filr is running. However, NFS file system mounts are not supported for placing the Lucene index on a remote server from where the Lucene Index Server is running. This includes NFS mounts under the hypervisor.

1.8.8 Access Manager Issues

Section 1.8.8.1, Compatibility with Access Manager

Section 1.8.8.2, Access Manager Basic Authentication Login Page Contains a Reference to Vibe

Section 1.8.8.3, Cannot Use Multiple Identity Injection Policies Simultaneously

1.8.8.1 Compatibility with Access Manager

To successfully use Novell Filr with NetIQ Access Manager, Access Manager 3.1 SP1 IR1 or later is required. The latest version is available on the Novell Downloads Web site.

1.8.8.2 Access Manager Basic Authentication Login Page Contains a Reference to Vibe

When NetIQ Access Manager is configured to front Filr, if users access Filr directly by using the Filr IP address, Access Manager displays a basic authentication login dialog box. This login dialog box contains a reference to Vibe. Instead, this should say Filr.

1.8.8.3 Cannot Use Multiple Identity Injection Policies Simultaneously

When NetIQ Access Manager is configured to front Filr, you cannot use multiple identity injection policies simultaneously.

1.9 Net Folder Issues

Section 1.9.1, Files and Folders Owned by Active Directory Groups Are Not Synchronized

Section 1.9.2, Sharing Folders from the Home Folder with Active Directory Can Result in Files Not Being Displayed

Section 1.9.3, Internal or System Errors on OES Server Can Result in Incorrect Information in Net Folders

Section 1.9.4, DFS Junctions Are Not Currently Supported

Section 1.9.5, Users Cannot See Net Folder When No Trustees Are Assigned to the Volume

Section 1.9.6, Moving or Renaming a File from the File Server Removes Shares

Section 1.9.7, Testing the Connection for the Net Folder Server Is Successful When Incorrect Path Information Exists

1.9.1 Files and Folders Owned by Active Directory Groups Are Not Synchronized

On a Windows file server, files and folders that are owned by built-in Active Directory groups (such as the “Administrator group”) are not synchronized to Filr as part of the normal Net Folder synchronization process.

If you have files and folders that are not synchronizing due to this limitation, change the owner of the entry on the NTFS file system to be a user rather than a group. Doing so ensures that the entry is synchronized to Filr.

1.9.2 Sharing Folders from the Home Folder with Active Directory Can Result in Files Not Being Displayed

There are many ways to configure Windows file servers to support user Home folders. In general, folder sharing from Filr for Active Directory users works successfully. However, if NTFS permissions on a Windows file system are not set up in a way that is compatible with Filr, when Active Directory users share a folder from their Home folder with another user, files in the shared folder might not be visible.

To ensure that files within a folder (in an Active Directory user’s Home folder) are shared when a folder is shared, ensure that inheritance is disabled for each user’s Home directory. You must also explicitly grant rights for subfolders in the Home directory.

In addition, Filr supports Microsoft’s Access Based Enumeration (ABE), which is available on Windows Server 2003 through Windows Server 2012. Home folder shares work properly when the Windows file system is set up using ABE.

1.9.3 Internal or System Errors on OES Server Can Result in Incorrect Information in Net Folders

If the OES file server is online and Filr can communicate to that server through NCP or CIFS, Filr might retrieve incorrect information from that server if it has internal or system errors (such as NDSD being down). If Net Folders do not appear to have the correct contents in Filr, check the health of the file server and ensure that it is configured and running as expected.

1.9.4 DFS Junctions Are Not Currently Supported

DFS junctions on Windows and OES are not currently supported in Filr. Support for this feature will be available in a future Filr release.

1.9.5 Users Cannot See Net Folder When No Trustees Are Assigned to the Volume

If users have file system rights to a folder on an NSS volume, and the Filr administrator configures a Net Folder and grants the users rights to access the Net Folder within Filr, users cannot see the Net Folder in Filr if:

There are no file system trustees assigned to the volume

There are no eDirectory trustees present (including treeadmin and ncp server)

1.9.6 Moving or Renaming a File from the File Server Removes Shares

If a user moves or renames a file directly from the file server (instead of using a Filr client to do the move or rename), any shares that are associated with that file in Filr are removed. This means that users who gained access to a file via a share in Filr no longer have access to the file if the file was moved or renamed from the file server. Additionally, the file is not displayed in users’ Shared by Me and Shared with Me views.

If this situation occurs, files must be re-shared in Filr.

1.9.7 Testing the Connection for the Net Folder Server Is Successful When Incorrect Path Information Exists

When testing the connection for a Net Folder Server, the test connection is successful when the path in the Server Path field contains forward slashes (/). However, files and folders are not successfully synchronized to Filr through the Net Folder Server. Instead, backslashes (\) must always be used in the Server Path field when configuring a Net Folder Server.

1.10 Filr Issues

Section 1.10.1, Reporting Issues

Section 1.10.2, My Files Storage Directory Is Displayed in Search

Section 1.10.3, Sharing Issues

Section 1.10.4, External Users Cannot Browse to a Folder When Moving or Copying a File from a Shared Folder

Section 1.10.5, LDAP Synchronization Issues

Section 1.10.6, Password-Protected Files Cannot Be Viewed

Section 1.10.7, Folder Nesting Issue

Section 1.10.8, Email Issues

Section 1.10.9, Cannot Drag and Drop Files into a Folder When Using Safari on Windows

Section 1.10.10, Filename Should Not Be More Than about 200 Characters

Section 1.10.11, WebDAV Issues

Section 1.10.12, Viewing a Filr Folder through Windows Explorer Displays an Additional Folder on Windows XP

Section 1.10.13, Cannot Log in to Web Client When Password Is Longer Than 79 Characters

Section 1.10.14, Display Issues Due to Third-Party Software

Section 1.10.15, Cannot View ODP and ODG Files That Contain Charts, Graphs, and Tables When Viewing in HTML Format

Section 1.10.16, Time Stamps for Catalina.out Log File Are Always in UTC Time Zone

Section 1.10.17, Time Is Incorrect after Filr Is Restarted

1.10.1 Reporting Issues

Section 1.10.1.1, Email Report Is Missing Items from the Last Day of the Report

Section 1.10.1.2, License Report Issues

Section 1.10.1.3, Generating a User Activity Report Causes High Memory Utilization

1.10.1.1 Email Report Is Missing Items from the Last Day of the Report

When running an Email report (as described in Email Report in the Novell Filr 1.0.1 Administration Guide), emails are not displayed for the last day of your report date range.

For example, if you are running an email report between February 3 and April 26, the email report does not show emails from April 26.

1.10.1.2 License Report Issues

The License Report currently counts Administrator, Guest, and three internal users (_emailPostingAgent, _jobProcessingAgent, and _synchronizationAgent) as local users. The Administrator counts as an active user, but the other four local users do not count against your Filr license usage.

For information about how to generate a license report, see License Report in the Novell Filr 1.0.1 Administration Guide.

1.10.1.3 Generating a User Activity Report Causes High Memory Utilization

Generating a user activity report for workspace or folder activity (as described in User Activity Report in the Novell Filr 1.0.1 Administration Guide) can lead to high memory utilization, depending on the number of files that were recently added to the Filr system.

This issue occurs only when no users are selected. To avoid this issue, select one or more users for which you want to generate the activity report, then generate the report.

1.10.2 My Files Storage Directory Is Displayed in Search

When Personal Storage is disabled and Home folders have not been configured, users can find a directory called My Files Storage when clicking in the global Search field and pressing the Spacebar. This is normally a hidden directory, but can it be displayed under these special circumstances.

When you click My Files Storage, it can take you to either your My Files area or to the profile of another user (depending on where you are when you do the search).

1.10.3 Sharing Issues

Section 1.10.3.1, Cannot Share with a Group Whose Membership Includes an External User

Section 1.10.3.2, Editing an .rtf File Results in an Editing Conflict Error

1.10.3.1 Cannot Share with a Group Whose Membership Includes an External User

If you try to share a file or folder with a group whose membership includes an external user, an error occurs and the file or folder is not shared with the group.

1.10.3.2 Editing an .rtf File Results in an Editing Conflict Error

After editing an .rtf file from Filr in a text editor (such as Microsoft Word), saving the file results in a message indicating that the file has been changed by another author. In this case, select the option to combine your changes with the other author’s changes, then click OK.

Changes that you make to the file are saved to Filr as expected.

For more information about editing files in Filr using Edit-in-Place functionality, see Editing Files with Edit-in-Place in the Novell Filr 1.0.1 Web Application User Guide.

1.10.4 External Users Cannot Browse to a Folder When Moving or Copying a File from a Shared Folder

External users who have Contributor rights in a folder that has been shared with them are not able to browse to a destination folder when moving or copying a file. Instead, external users must specify the name of the folder where they want to move or copy the file in the Destination Folder field, as described in Moving Files and Copying Files in the Novell Filr 1.0.1 Web Application User Guide.

1.10.5 LDAP Synchronization Issues

Section 1.10.5.1, Issues When Deleting Users through LDAP

Section 1.10.5.2, Issues with Initial Synchronization of Filr Users

Section 1.10.5.3, Hardcoded LDAP Limitation with Windows Server 2008 R2 and Windows Server 2008

Section 1.10.5.4, Default Groups and Containers in Active Directory Are Not Synchronized to Filr through LDAP

Section 1.10.5.5, Issues with Renaming and Moving Users in Your LDAP Directory

Section 1.10.5.6, Users Cannot Log in to the Filr Mobile App or Desktop Application with New Name after They Are Renamed in LDAP

Section 1.10.5.7, LDAP Referrals Are Not Supported

Section 1.10.5.8, Active Directory Cross Forest Trust Relationship Is Not Supported

1.10.5.1 Issues When Deleting Users through LDAP

Novell recommends that you never select the option Delete Users That Are Not in LDAP when configuring your LDAP synchronization. This feature will either be enhanced or removed in future Filr releases. User accounts that are deleted cannot be recovered. As a best practice, leave this LDAP option unchecked. Doing so disables users rather than deleting them.

1.10.5.2 Issues with Initial Synchronization of Filr Users

The LDAP value of the attribute you specify for the LDAP configuration setting LDAP attribute for Filr name must be unique throughout your LDAP directory. For example, if you specify cn, all users in the LDAP directory might not have a unique value.

To resolve this issue, use an attribute whose value is always unique across all containers, such as emailAddress.

1.10.5.3 Hardcoded LDAP Limitation with Windows Server 2008 R2 and Windows Server 2008

Hardcoded LDAP limitations that exist with Windows Server 2008 R2 and Windows Server 2008 can result in LDAP returning less information for a single LDAP query. The limitations are:

Maximum number of users that can be synchronized: 20,000 (the default limitation is 5,000)

To work around this issue, create a base dn for each subcontainer.

For more information about this issue, see Windows Server 2008 R2 or Windows Server 2008 domain controller returns only 5000 attributes in a LDAP response in the Microsoft Support Forum.

1.10.5.4 Default Groups and Containers in Active Directory Are Not Synchronized to Filr through LDAP

Membership of groups that are located in the Default Users OU (such as the Domain Users group) in Active Directory are not synchronized to Filr through LDAP.

1.10.5.5 Issues with Renaming and Moving Users in Your LDAP Directory

In order to rename or move users in your LDAP directory, ensure that you have specified a value for the setting LDAP attribute that uniquely identifies a user or group, as described in LDAP Attribute to Identify a User or Group in Managing Users in the Novell Filr 1.0.1 Administration Guide. If a value is not specified for this setting, renaming or moving users in your LDAP directory might result in new users being created in Filr or in the existing user account being deleted.

1.10.5.6 Users Cannot Log in to the Filr Mobile App or Desktop Application with New Name after They Are Renamed in LDAP

After users are renamed in the LDAP directory, users must use their old user names when logging in to the Filr mobile app or the Filr desktop application.

Users can use their old or new user names when logging in to Filr from the Web client.

1.10.5.7 LDAP Referrals Are Not Supported

Novell Filr does not currently support the use of LDAP referrals in regards to LDAP synchronization.

1.10.5.8 Active Directory Cross Forest Trust Relationship Is Not Supported

Cross Forest Trust relationships in Active Directory are not supported in Filr.

1.10.6 Password-Protected Files Cannot Be Viewed

Files that have been password-protected in the application where they were created cannot be viewed on the Novell Filr site. This is working as designed.

1.10.7 Folder Nesting Issue

Because of database restrictions, the maximum number of nested folders that Filr allows is 45. For example, you can create a folder within a folder, then create a folder within that folder, and so forth, until the folder structure is 45 levels deep. You cannot exceed 45 levels in the folder structure.

1.10.8 Email Issues

Section 1.10.8.1, Cannot Communicate with an External Outbound Mail System

Section 1.10.8.2, Test Connection Fails without User Name and Password Even When Authentication Is Not Required

Section 1.10.8.3, Test Connection of the Outbound Email Server Fails after Reconfiguring the Filr Server

1.10.8.1 Cannot Communicate with an External Outbound Mail System

If you cannot get your Filr site to communicate with an external outbound mail system (such as Novell GroupWise), you might need to configure the Filr outbound email server with TLS over SMTP. If your email application requires this type of configuration, you can configure Filr with TLS over SMTP by using STARTTLS, as described in Configuring Outbound Email with TLS over SMTP in Managing Email Configuration in the Novell Filr 1.0.1 Administration Guide.

1.10.8.2 Test Connection Fails without User Name and Password Even When Authentication Is Not Required

When configuring Filr to use an external outbound mail system (such as Novell GroupWise), the Test Connection button fails when no user name and password is specified, even when the Authentication required option is not selected.

For information about how to configure Filr to use an external outbound mail system, see Changing Outbound Email Configuration Settings in the Novell Filr 1.0.1 Installation and Configuration Guide.

1.10.8.3 Test Connection of the Outbound Email Server Fails after Reconfiguring the Filr Server

After reconfiguring the Filr server, the Test Connection button does not work because the password is cleared from the Outbound E-Mail page. However, outbound notifications are still sent from the Filr system because the password is retained in the system. (For more information about configuring outbound email, see Changing Outbound Email Configuration Settings in the Novell Filr 1.0.1 Installation and Configuration Guide.)

Retype the password in the Password field on the Outbound E-Mail page in order for the Test Connection button to function properly.

1.10.9 Cannot Drag and Drop Files into a Folder When Using Safari on Windows

You cannot drag and drop files into a folder (as described in Adding Files to a Folder in the Novell Filr 1.0.1 Web Application User Guide) when using Safari on Windows.

This is because the drag-and-drop window for adding files to folders in Filr uses HTML 5 functionality, which is not currently supported with Safari on Windows.

1.10.10 Filename Should Not Be More Than about 200 Characters

The exact maximum filename length depends on the configuration of the Filr server, but generally it is not less than about 200 characters. If filenames are too long, files cannot be added to Filr.

1.10.11 WebDAV Issues

Section 1.10.11.1, Cannot Edit a File through WebDAV (Edit-in-Place) When the User Password Contains a Space

Section 1.10.11.2, Cannot Edit a File through WebDAV (Edit-in-Place) When Using LibreOffice on a Mac

Section 1.10.11.3, Windows Update for WebDAV Functionality for Windows Vista and Windows XP

Section 1.10.11.4, WebDAV/Edit-in-Place Issues with Microsoft Windows Vista and Microsoft Office

Section 1.10.11.5, WebDAV Limitations on Mac

1.10.11.1 Cannot Edit a File through WebDAV (Edit-in-Place) When the User Password Contains a Space

If you try to edit a file through WebDAV (as described in Editing Files with Edit-in-Place in the Novell Filr 1.0.1 Web Application User Guide) when your user password contains a space, the authentication fails.

To edit files through WebDAV, ensure that your user password does not contain a space.

1.10.11.2 Cannot Edit a File through WebDAV (Edit-in-Place) When Using LibreOffice on a Mac

If you are accessing Filr from a Mac and using LibreOffice as your document editor, you cannot edit files through WebDAV using Edit-in-Place functionality (as described in Editing Files with Edit-in-Place in the Novell Filr 1.0.1 Web Application User Guide).

If you are using Apache to front the Filr system, users are able to edit files through WebDAV when accessing Filr from a Mac and using LibreOffice as the document editor.

1.10.11.3 Windows Update for WebDAV Functionality for Windows Vista and Windows XP

IMPORTANT:Install this update only on Windows Vista and Windows XP. Do not install this update on Windows 7.

In order to use the Novell Filr Edit-in-Place feature in your browser on Windows Vista and Windows XP, you must install the following Windows WebDAV update:

Software Update for Web Folders (KB907306).

This Windows update enables OpenOffice.org and Microsoft Office to interact correctly with the Filr Edit-in-Place feature.

1.10.11.4 WebDAV/Edit-in-Place Issues with Microsoft Windows Vista and Microsoft Office

Microsoft Windows Vista has some issues with WebDAV access that affect all WebDAV interactions. In addition, a Vista-specific issue with applets can prevent the Novell Filr Edit-in-Place feature from working properly. Be sure you are running the latest version of Vista. Be sure you have installed the Windows WebDAV update described in Section 1.10.11.3, Windows Update for WebDAV Functionality for Windows Vista and Windows XP.

Windows Vista users who are using Internet Explorer might see a Java warning when they try to use Edit-in-Place. (Firefox users do not see this error.)

To configure Internet Explorer to support the Filr Edit-in-Place feature:

In Internet Explorer, click Tools > Internet Options.

Click Security, select Trusted Sites, then click Sites.

In the Add this website to the zone field, specify the URL of your Filr server, then click Add.

Select or deselect Require server verification (https:) for all sites in this zone, as appropriate for your Filr server.

Click Close, then click OK to save the security settings.

To configure Windows Vista to support the Filr Edit-in-Place feature in Microsoft Office, you must add new keys to the Windows registry for each Microsoft Office application.

In Windows Explorer, navigate to Program Files/Microsoft Office/Office12.

Scroll down to each Microsoft Office .exe in turn:

excel.exe
powerpnt.exe
winword.exe
...

Right-click each executable, then click Properties.

Click Compatibility.

Select Run this program in compatibility mode for, then select Windows XP (Service Pack 2) from the drop-down list.

Reboot the computer.

You should now be able to use the Filr Edit-in-Place feature with Microsoft Office files.

NOTE:Although these steps enable Edit-in-Place for Filr, they do not fix Vista’s inability to attach via WebDAV in Filr.

For additional information on applets, view the following Sun bulletins:

Bug 6440902

Bug 6432317

1.10.11.5 WebDAV Limitations on Mac

When you use WebDAV functionality in a Mac environment, you encounter the following limitation:

Section 1.10.11.5.1, Limitations When Editing Files on Mac through WebDAV

1.10.11.5.1 Limitations When Editing Files on Mac through WebDAV

Edit-in-Place functionality is not supported on a Mac when you use Microsoft Office as your document editor. To use Edit-in-Place functionality on a Mac, you must use OpenOffice or LibreOffice as your document editor.

1.10.12 Viewing a Filr Folder through Windows Explorer Displays an Additional Folder on Windows XP

On Windows XP, when you view a Filr folder through Windows Explorer, an additional sub-folder with the same name as the parent folder might be displayed.

To resolve this problem:

Launch a Web browser.

Navigate to the Microsoft Download Center and install the Software Update for Web Folders (KB907306) http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=17C36612-632E-4C04-9382-987622ED1D64&displaylang=en

Follow the on-screen instructions to install the software update.

1.10.13 Cannot Log in to Web Client When Password Is Longer Than 79 Characters

Users cannot log in to the Filr Web client if the password length exceeds 79 characters.

1.10.14 Display Issues Due to Third-Party Software

Section 1.10.14.1, Scroll Bars That Serve No Purpose Are Sometimes Displayed

Section 1.10.14.2, Filr is Not Displayed Correctly When the Ask Toolbar Is Installed on Chrome

1.10.14.1 Scroll Bars That Serve No Purpose Are Sometimes Displayed

Scroll bars that serve no purpose are sometimes displayed in certain folders and collection views. This issue is only occasionally seen and is not harmful.

1.10.14.2 Filr is Not Displayed Correctly When the Ask Toolbar Is Installed on Chrome

When the Ask toolbar is installed on a Chrome browser, it inhibits users from being able to view all of the Filr masthead. The Ask toolbar is not a Chrome-sanctioned toolbar and should not be installed on a Chrome browser.

1.10.15 Cannot View ODP and ODG Files That Contain Charts, Graphs, and Tables When Viewing in HTML Format

ODP and ODG files that contain charts, graphs, or tables are not displayed when viewing files by using the HTML view, as described in the following situations:

When viewing the file in a browser.

For more information, see Viewing the File in Your Web Browser in the Novell Filr 1.0.1 Web Application User Guide.

When viewing a file from the Filr mobile app and clicking Generate Online Preview.

1.10.16 Time Stamps for Catalina.out Log File Are Always in UTC Time Zone

Time stamps for entries in the catalina.out log file are always in the UTC/GMT time zone.

1.10.17 Time Is Incorrect after Filr Is Restarted

The time of the Filr system clock is displayed incorrectly for a brief period of time after the Filr appliance is restarted and until another time synchronization in the Filr appliance occurs.

During this period of time, various issues can arise in your Filr site related to functionality that depends on correct time zone settings.

To force a time synchronization to occur in the Filr appliance and resolve this issue, specify the following command from the terminal prompt of the Filr appliance:

sntp -P no -r pool.ntp.org (or your preferred time server that is available to your network)

1.11 Database Issues

Section 1.11.1, Database Schema Returns Error When Folder Path Is Too Long

Section 1.11.2, Version Is Incorrectly Labeled in MySQL Appliance

1.11.1 Database Schema Returns Error When Folder Path Is Too Long

When a folder is created too deep in the folder hierarchy, the database schema returns an error in the ssf.log file similar to the following, due to the long folder path:

SQL Error: 1406, SQLState: 22001
Data truncation: Data too long for column ‘binder_sortKey’ at row 1

The error is repeated in the log file and the folder is not created.

1.11.2 Version Is Incorrectly Labeled in MySQL Appliance

In the MySQL appliance, the version number is displayed incorrectly as version 1.0.0.8. The correct version of the MySQL appliance is 1.0.1.8.

1.12 Search Index Issues

There are currently no known search index issues.

1.13 Desktop Application Issues

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.

For information about how to set up the Filr desktop application for your organization and perform other administrative tasks, see Configuring the Filr Desktop Application to Access Files in the Novell Filr 1.0.1 Administration Guide.

For information about how to install and run the Filr desktop application, see the Novell Filr Desktop Application for Windows Quick Start.

For specific issues related to end users of the Filr desktop application, see the Novell Filr Desktop Application Readme.

Section 1.13.1, Creating a Folder from the Desktop Application Results in Two Folders Being Created

Section 1.13.2, Files Might Be Removed from the Desktop Client When a New Index Appliance Is Added or When an Existing One Is Re-Indexed

Section 1.13.3, Behavior When Deleting files and Folders Is Described Incorrectly in the Filr Desktop Quick Start in Languages Other Than English

Section 1.13.4, Must Restart the Filr Desktop Application When Changing the Time Zone of the Filr Server

1.13.1 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), two folders are sometimes 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.

1.13.2 Files Might Be Removed from the Desktop Client When a New Index Appliance Is Added or When an Existing One Is Re-Indexed

If a user is uploading files to Filr via the desktop client, and at the same time either a new search index appliance is being added or an existing search index appliance is being re-indexed (as described in Rebuilding the Lucene Index in the Novell Filr 1.0.1 Administration Guide), all files from the user’s desktop client might be removed from the desktop client. Files are synchronized back to the desktop client after the re-indexing is complete.

To avoid this issue, you must shut down all search index appliances before you begin the update process, then re-start the appliances after the update is complete.

1.13.3 Behavior When Deleting files and Folders Is Described Incorrectly in the Filr Desktop Quick Start in Languages Other Than English

In the Filr Desktop Quick Start in languages other than English, the Quick Start incorrectly states the following, regarding the deletion of folders and files from the Filr desktop application: “Only documents and folders in your My Files folder are deleted on the server. If you delete a document or folder that is not in your My Files folder, it is no longer synchronized to the Filr desktop application, and the files and folders remain on the server.”

Ensure that your users are aware of the correct behavior. Otherwise, if they follow the incorrect statement, it can lead to information being inadvertently deleted from Filr.

The correct information is as follows:

When deleting files and folders from the Filr desktop application, the files and folders are also deleted on the server for all files in Net Folders and in the My Files area. The behavior when a file or folder is deleted in the Shared with Me area is different.

If you delete a file or folder from the Shared with Me area, and that file or folder has been directly shared with you, it is no longer synchronized to the Filr desktop application, and the files and folders remain on the server.

If you delete a file or folder that is a subfolder of a folder that was shared with you, or if the file is located in a folder that was shared with you, the file or folder is deleted, if you have sufficient rights to delete it.

1.13.4 Must Restart the Filr Desktop Application When Changing the Time Zone of the Filr Server

When changing the time zone on the Filr server, the time zone of the Filr desktop application does not change until you log out and restart the Filr desktop application on the user workstation.

1.14 Mobile App Issues

For information about how to install and run the Filr mobile app, see the Novell Filr Mobile App Quick Start.

Following are known issues in the Filr mobile app:

Section 1.14.1, Files in Downloads Area Are Not Synchronized with Just-in-Time Synchronization

Section 1.14.2, Files from the Home Folder in the Downloads Area Are Removed after Personal Storage Is Enabled

Section 1.14.3, Files from Net Folders Are Removed from the Downloads Area after Being Renamed or Moved

Section 1.14.4, Cannot Authenticate to Mobile App if Password Contains Double-Byte Characters

Section 1.14.5, Folders in Net Folders That Contain More Than 500 Folders Are Not Displayed

Section 1.14.6, Cannot Open Files in Another App with BlackBerry OS 10.0

1.14.1 Files in Downloads Area Are Not Synchronized with Just-in-Time Synchronization

Accessing a file from the Downloads area from the mobile app does not trigger Just-in-Time synchronization.

If you have configured only Just-in-Time synchronization (scheduled synchronization is not enabled), files that are located in a Net Folder that have been added to the Downloads area on the mobile app are not automatically updated with changes made from the file system. The file is updated in the Downloads area only after a user uses one of the Filr clients to browse to the Net Folder that contains the file.

1.14.2 Files from the Home Folder in the Downloads Area Are Removed after Personal Storage Is Enabled

If users have added files from their Home folder to the Downloads area on the mobile app, and then the Filr administrator enables personal storage (as described in Setting Up Personal Storage in the in the Novell Filr 1.0.1 Administration Guide), files from the Home folder are removed from the Downloads area on the mobile app.

1.14.3 Files from Net Folders Are Removed from the Downloads Area after Being Renamed or Moved

If users have added files from a Net Folder to the Downloads area on the mobile app, and then the file is renamed or moved on the OES or Windows file system, the file is removed from the Downloads area on the mobile app.

1.14.4 Cannot Authenticate to Mobile App if Password Contains Double-Byte Characters

If a user’s Filr password contains double-byte characters, the user cannot log in to the Filr mobile app.

1.14.5 Folders in Net Folders That Contain More Than 500 Folders Are Not Displayed

Folders in Net Folders are not displayed in the mobile app if the Net Folder contains more than 500 folders. Instead, a message is displayed indicating that users must use the search functionality to locate files and folders within the Net Folder.

1.14.6 Cannot Open Files in Another App with BlackBerry OS 10.0

You cannot open Filr files in another app when using BlackBerry OS 10.0.

To resolve the issue, update your device to BlackBerry OS 10.1, uninstall the Filr app, then re-install it.

1.15 Localization Issues

Section 1.15.1, Chinese Characters in Activity Logs

1.15.1 Chinese Characters in Activity Logs

When a report.csv file for an activity report is opened in Microsoft Excel, Chinese characters do not display correctly, even though the report.csv file has been created correctly. This is because Excel always reads the file using the ISO Latin character set.

One workaround is to use the OpenOffice.org Calc spreadsheet program instead of Excel. It displays Chinese characters correctly.

As a workaround in Excel:

Import the report.csv file into Excel by using Data > Import External Data > Import Data.

Select the report.csv file, then click Open.

Select Delimited, select UTF-8, then click Next.

Select Comma as the delimiter, click Next, then click Finish.

Excel should now display the Chinese characters correctly.

1.16 Security Issues

Section 1.16.1, Logout Does Not Happen When Filr Is Accessed Directly and Is Fronted by Access Manager

Section 1.16.2, External Users Can Search for and View Internal Users

1.16.1 Logout Does Not Happen When Filr Is Accessed Directly and Is Fronted by Access Manager

When Filr is fronted by NetIQ Access Manager, only the Filr administrator is able to access Filr directly. When Filr is accessed directly in this configuration, simultaneous logout for the Filr system is not successful.

After the Filr administrator logs in directly to Filr (and Filr is configured with Access Manager), all browser sessions should be immediately closed to ensure logout.

1.16.2 External Users Can Search for and View Internal Users

When an external users accesses the Filr site (either as the Guest user or with an external user account), the external user can use the Filr Search functionality to search for any user in the Filr system. External users can search on usernames or information in the user profile, such as the domain of an email address.

Novell sees this as an undesirable effect and plans to address this issue in a future release.

For more information about external users, see Allowing External Users Access to Your Filr Site in the Novell Filr 1.0.1 Administration Guide.

For more information about performing a search in Filr, see Searching for Information in the Novell Filr 1.0.1 Web Application User Guide.

1.17 Filr 1.0.1 Bug Fixes

For a list of bugs that have been fixed since Filr 1.0, see the Novell Filr 1.0.1 Bug List. For more information about each bug, you can look up the bug numbers in Bugzilla.

1.18 Filr Documentation

The following sources provide information about Novell Filr 1.0:

Online product documentation: Novell Filr 1.0 Documentation Web site.

Help system for each client:

In the Web view, click your linked name in the upper-right corner of the Filr Home page, then click Help.

In the desktop client, click the Help icons on each page in the Filr Console.

In the mobile app, click Settings > Help.

In addition to the Novell Filr product documentation, the following resources provide additional information about Filr 1.0:

Novell Filr product site

Novell Filr Cool Solutions

Novell Filr Support Forum

1.19 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 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.

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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.