File transfer

File transfer gives people a drive inside their remote session and a file browser in the portal, so they can upload files from their own computer into a published application or desktop and download results back again. This page explains how to switch it on, where the files are kept, and how to give each person a private folder.

What file transfer is

A published application runs on a host, not on the person's own computer. Without file transfer, a document on their laptop cannot reach the application, and a report the application saves cannot come back. File transfer closes that gap in two parts:

• A drive inside the session. When file transfer is on for a resource, an extra drive appears inside the Windows session. The application can open files from it and save files to it exactly as it would with any other drive, through its normal Open and Save As dialogs.
• A file browser in the portal. In the portal, the session's toolbar gains a folder button. It opens a file browser showing the same drive, where the person can upload files from their computer (by picking them or dragging them in) and download files back, several at once as a ZIP.

Both views show the same folder, which lives in a location you choose: a folder on the DartRelay server, or a network share. Nothing is installed on the host to make this work.

Before you begin

• Decide where the files should live. A folder on the DartRelay server is the simplest. A network share (a UNC path such as \\fs01\dartrelay) keeps the files on your file server and lets you use its backups and permissions.
• If you use a network share, have an account ready that can read and write to it, unless you plan to use each person's own Windows account (see Choosing who connects to the share).
• Make sure every parent folder of the path already exists. DartRelay creates only the last folder in the path for you. See Known issues.
• You need an administrator role that may change system settings (for the global share) and edit desktops or apps (to switch file transfer on for a resource). See Administrator roles and permissions.

How the settings fit together

File transfer has two layers:

1. The global file share, in System → Settings on the File Share card. This is the location, the account and the file permissions used by every resource that has file transfer switched on.
2. A per-resource override, on each desktop's or app group's edit page. If you tick Override Global Settings, that resource uses its own path, account and permissions instead of the global ones. Leave it unticked and the resource simply follows the global card; the page shows a summary of what is in effect.

For each session DartRelay uses the resource's override if there is one, otherwise the global share. If neither has a path, the resource gets no drive, even with file transfer switched on.

Set up the global file share

1. Open the settings. In the console, go to System → Settings and find the File Share card.
2. Enter the share path. In Global Share Path, type an absolute path: a local folder such as D:\RelayFiles\{username}, or a network path such as \\fs01\dartrelay\{username}. The tokens are explained in Per-user folders and tokens.
3. Choose who connects (network paths only). As soon as the path is a UNC path, Connect As and the credential fields appear. Pick how DartRelay should sign in to the file server and, if needed, enter the username, domain and password.
4. Choose the file management permissions. Tick what people may do in the file browser besides upload and download: delete, rename and create folders. All three are off unless you tick them.
5. Click Test share. DartRelay connects to the share with the account you entered, lists it and disconnects, then shows the result inside the card. Nothing is saved by the test.
6. Click Save. The button saves the whole Settings page, including this card.

File Share card reference

Per-user folders and tokens

A path can contain tokens that DartRelay fills in for each session. This is how you give everybody a private folder from one setting.

How {username} is turned into a folder name:

• The domain part is removed, so CORP\JSmith and jsmith@corp.example.com both become jsmith.
• It is lower-cased, so the same person never ends up with two folders that differ only in capital letters.
• Characters other than letters, digits, dots, hyphens and underscores are replaced. When that happens a short code is added to the end (for example josé becomes something like jos-d994e1d0), so two different names can never collapse into one folder.
• The account name is used, never the display name, so two people who happen to share a display name still get separate folders.

Example: private folders for everyone, a team folder for Finance

A company keeps files on its file server fs01. Everybody should have a private folder, but the Finance desktop should open a folder the whole Finance team shares.

1. On the global card, set Global Share Path to \\fs01\dartrelay\{username}, connect as a service account that can write to \\fs01\dartrelay, and save.
2. On the Finance desktop's edit page, tick Override Global Settings and set its network path to \\fs01\finance\shared. Untick nothing else; leave the account as the global one.

Every other resource with file transfer on gives each person \\fs01\dartrelay\<their name>. The Finance desktop shows everyone the same team folder.

Choosing who connects to the share

For a network share, Connect As decides which identity the file server sees.

Switch file transfer on for a resource

File transfer is switched on per desktop and per app group.

1. Open the resource. Go to Catalog → Desktops or Catalog → Remote Apps and open the desktop or app group for editing.
2. Find the File Transfer card and switch file transfer on.
3. Optionally name the drive. The drive name is what people see inside Windows, for example in File Explorer or a Save As dialog.
4. Decide whether to override. Leave Override Global Settings unticked to use the global card; the card shows the global path, account and permissions in effect. Tick it to give this resource its own settings (below).
5. Click Save. The next session opened for this resource has the drive. Sessions already open are not changed.

The File Transfer card is on the desktop edit and create pages and on the app group edit page. For a new app group, create it first, then switch file transfer on when you edit it.

Override Global Settings reference

What people see in the portal

When a session with file transfer is open, its toolbar shows a folder button. It is greyed out while the session is connecting and becomes available once the drive is ready. Clicking it opens the file browser, where people can:

• move between folders with Up, refresh the list, and filter the current folder by name;
• upload files by dragging them onto the browser or by picking them; uploads go into the folder currently shown;
• select one or more files or folders and download them; several items, or a folder, download as one ZIP file;
• delete, rename or create folders, but only if you allowed it.

Uploading a whole folder is not supported; the file browser says so if somebody tries. People can create the folder first (if allowed) and upload its files into it. The end-user view is described in Files and printing in a session, which you can send to your staff.

Known issues

If something goes wrong

Related pages