4. Fileset Creation and Deployment

Please review the sub-sections in this "Fileset Creation and Deployment" guide for your managed OS platforms. Once you have you have at least one Fileset created, please review the guide on how to Associate your Filesets.

Fileset Creation and Deployment

Section Details

Please review the sub-sections in this "Fileset Creation and Deployment" guide for your managed OS platforms. Once you have you have at least one Fileset created, please review this page to see how to Associate your Filesets.

Associate Filesets to Clients

Now that we have your Fileset created, let's associate them to your Client devices, set them to either deploy in the background without any user interaction or on-demand via the FileWave Kiosk and possibly schedule the installation. This section will cover the most commonly used methods to associate Filesets to devices. However, there are "shortcut" methods to associate new content directly from the "Clients" perspective or "Filesets" perspective.

Associate Fileset using drag-n-drop

  1. Open FileWave Admin and navigate to "Associations".
  2. Find and select either an individual device or Client group from the left-hand pane.
    • We will be using the macOS device named "Avery Thomas".
  3. Find and select either an individual Fileset or Fileset group from the right-hand pane.
    • We will be using the macOS Fileset named "macOS - Google Chrome".
  4. Drag-n-drop the "macOS - Google Chrome" Fileset from the right-hand pane onto the "Avery Thomas" macOS device.
    • You can associate Filesets at any level; one to many, many to one, one to one.
  5. You should now see a new "Standard" Association appear in the bottom pane.
    • "Standard" associations are the default and will deploy in the background without any user interaction.

macOS Association.png

Deploy Fileset in the Kiosk

As mentioned above, the default deployment setting is "Standard" which will result in a background deployment without any user interaction. If you'd like to make the Fileset installation optional to the end-user you can change the Association type to "Kiosk". You can think of the Kiosk as your in-house App Store as it can also be customized to match your organization's look and feel. The FileWave Kiosk is available on macOS, Windows, and iOS (App Portal).

  1. Open FileWave Admin and navigate to "Associations".
  2. Double-click an existing Association from the bottom pane.
  3. Check the "Kiosk Association" box.
  4. Click "OK" to save the changes.
  5. "Update Model" if you'd like to commit the Association changes to devices.

Kiosk Association.png

Kiosk.png

Schedule Fileset deployment

If you need to precisely schedule the deployment of a Fileset or a group of Filesets, please follow the steps below. Please note that you cannot schedule the deployment of a Kiosk association with the exception of the "Reboot Deadline".

  1. Open FileWave Admin and navigate to "Associations".
  2. Double-click an existing Association from the bottom pane.
  3. Specify a time and date for any of the scheduled events.
    • Start Downloading at: - Start downloading all Fileset files including installers to a discreet temporary location.
    • Activate files at: - Move Fileset files to the their final location and execute any installers or "Activation" scripts.
    • Make files inactive at: - Move Fileset files from their final location back to discreet temporary location.
    • Delete files at: - Deletes the Fileset files entirely.
    • Reboot deadline at: - Forces a reboot of the Client device; must have "Requires Reboot" enabled from Fileset Properties.
  4. Click "OK" to save the changes.
  5. "Update Model" if you'd like to commit the Association changes to devices.

Scheduled Association.png

Windows Software

Windows Filesets

FileWave allows you to deploy any file, native installer, or script to a Windows machine. FileWave has no file-type or file-size restrictions and all scripts and installers will be launched with elevated privileges by default.

After creating a Fileset, please make sure to review the Fileset Creation and Deployment page to learn how to associate and deploy your new Filesets.

Create an MSI Fileset

Deploying an MSI is very easy in FileWave and also supports native MSI behavior for the uninstallation process. If you're looking to deploy a piece of Windows software very quickly, an MSI Fileset is the recommended way to go. However, since a MSI is a native installer, FileWave's Self-Healing is not supported.

  1. Open FileWave Admin and navigate to "Filesets".
  2. Drag-n-drop your desired MSI directly into the "Filesets" view.
    • Or...
  3. Select "New Desktop Fileset" from the black menubar.
  4. Click "MSI / PKG" and select your desired MSI.
  5. You should now see your MSI Fileset in the "Filesets" view.
    • The Fileset will display in red text while it is being uploaded to the FileWave Server. Upload progress can be viewed from the bottom bar of the FileWave Admin. 
    • The Fileset will be labeled as "Modified" indicating the it has not yet been saved.
  6. "Update Model" if you'd like to save the changes.

Windows MSI Fileset.png

Create an EXE Fileset

Creating an EXE Fileset is also very easy but does require a slightly different workflow to accommodate an EXE's support for Launch Arguments. If a software package offers both an MSI and EXE, the MSI installer is recommended. If you find that the EXE does not allow for provisioning/customization using Launch Arguments, please consider leveraging the Fileset Magic workflow outlined below. Please note that Self-Healing does not apply to EXE Filesets.

  1. Open FileWave Admin and navigate to "Filesets".
  2. Select "New Desktop Fileset" from the black menubar.
  3. Click "Empty" and name the Fileset accordingly.
  4. Double-click on the new Fileset to open the "Fileset Contents".
  5. Uncheck "Hide unused folders" if enabled.
  6. Navigate to "ProgramData" and click "New Folder" from the menubar.
  7. Name the new folder "fwEXE".
    • The location and name of the folder can be whatever you'd like, however it is recommended to deploy EXEs to a "discreet" location on the machine's hard drive.
  8. Drag-n-drop the desired EXE into the "fwEXE" folder.
  9. Select the EXE and click "Get Info" from the menubar.
  10. Navigate to the "Executable" tab.
  11. Check the "Execute once when activated" box and the "Non-interactive (background)" box. Then click the "Wait for executable to finish" and set it to 15 minutes.
  12. Optionally, click the "[+]" button to add any Launch Arguments to the EXE's installation.
  13. Click "Apply" to save your changes and Close the "Get Info" window.
  14. Close the "Fileset Contents" window.
  15. You should now see your EXE Fileset in the "Filesets" view.
    * The Fileset will be labeled as "Modified" indicating the it has not yet been saved.
  16. "Update Model" if you'd like to save the changes.

VirtualBox Fileset Contents.png

7zip Info.png

Deploy a file or folder with Self-Healing

One of the main things that separates FileWave from the other solutions on the market is FileWave's ability to deploy any file directly to the Client's local filesystem and enable true Self-Healing. When you deploy a file with Self-Healing enabled, FileWave will automatically re-download the original file whenever the file is modified or deleted on the Client machine, however we can tweak this behavior per file to account for all deployment situations using the three "Verification" options.

Verification options

Windows PDF Get Info.png

FileWave's "Verification" options allow you to granularly specify how each file in a Fileset deployment will behave. You can also set the "Verification" settings from a Fileset's Properties that will apply to all files within a given Fileset.

Windows PDF Fileset Properties.png

Deploy PDF to every user's Desktop

  1. Open FileWave Admin and navigate to "Filesets".
  2. Select "New Desktop Fileset" from the black menubar.
  3. Click "Empty" and name the Fileset accordingly.
  4. Double-click on the new Fileset to open the "Fileset Contents".
  5. Uncheck "Hide unused folders" if enabled.
  6. Navigate to "Users > All Users > Desktop".
  7. Drag-n-drop PDF file into the "Desktop" folder.
  8. Select the PDF and click "Get Info" from the menubar.
  9. Navigate to the "Verification" tab and select your desired Verification preference.
  10. Click "Apply" to save changes and Close the "Get Info" window and Fileset Contents window.
  11. You should now see your PDF Fileset in the "Filesets" view.
    * The Fileset will be labeled as "Modified" indicating the it has not yet been saved.
  12. "Update Model" if you'd like to save the changes.

Windows PDF Fileset Contents.png

Windows PDF Get Info2.png

 

Capture customized software installations using Fileset Magic

You might discover that a software's installer does not allow for the software to be provisioned or customized to meet your organization's needs. This is where Fileset Magic plays a huge role. Fileset Magic allows you to capture a customized software installation at the file-level and deploy it with Self-Healing enabled by leveraging a series of Snapshots taken from a "build" machine. The customizations may include software preferences, licensing, updates, and shortcuts.

While using Fileset Magic, please do your best to limit background activities to prevent unnecessary changes from being capture.

  1. Open FileWave Admin and navigate to "Assistants > Fileset Magic".

  2. Select "Create Snapshot".

  3. Select the "Scan Volume".

  4. Select the "Scan Type".

    • Use "Entire Disk" if you are unsure of where the application installs to.

    • Use "Program Files, Program Data and Users" for most common installations.

  5. Wait for the File and Registry scan to complete.

  6. Install your desired software without proceeding in Fileset Magic.

    • Open, update, license, and customize your software.

  7. Click "Continue" to proceed in the Fileset Magic window.

  8. Wait for Fileset Magic to scan the select volume and compare File and Registry changes.

  9. View the File differences and select only what is necessary for the newly installed application.

    • There may be background Windows activity that is captured. Do your best to exclude this content.

  10. View the Registry differences and select only what is necessary for the newly installed application.

    • There may be background Windows activity that is captured. Do your best to exclude this content.

  11. Choose either to Save or Export the Fileset.

  12. Wait for the Fileset to be uploaded to the FileWave Server.

  13. Verify your Fileset Contents within the FileWave Admin.

1

Windows Fileset Magic Create Snapshot.png

2

Windows Fileset Magic Select Scan Volume.png

3

Windows Fileset Magic Select Scan Type.png

4

Windows Fileset Magic Scan.png

5

Windows Fileset Magic Install Software Now.png

6

Windows Fileset Magic Install Software.png

7

Windows Fileset Magic Scanning for Differences.png

8

Windows Fileset Magic File Comparison.png

9

Windows Fileset Magic Registry Comparison.png

10

Windows Fileset Magic Save or Export Fileset.png

11

Windows Fileset Magic Import.png

12

Windows Fileset Magic Fileset Contents.png

Windows Driver Filesets

A Windows Driver Fileset is used only during the Windows Imaging process. This type of Fileset accepts .CAB and .INF driver files. These files will be automatically injected into the "C:\Windows\system32\drivers\" folder during the imaging process and before Windows boots up to start the Out of Box Experience hardware scan.

  1. Open FileWave Admin and navigate to "Filesets".

  2. Select "New Imaging Fileset" from the black menubar.

  3. Click the "Windows Drivers" button_._

  4. Select a folder containing .CAB or .INF files.

  5. Your Windows Driver Fileset can now be Associated to a Windows Image deployment.

iOS Software and Profiles

iOS Filesets

FileWave can deploy just about everything supported on iOS device including Profiles, VPP applications, .IPA applications, iBooks, and PDFs using Filesets.

After creating a Fileset, please make sure to review the Fileset Creation and Deployment page to learn how to associate and deploy your new Filesets.

Manage iOS settings using Profiles

FileWave being a full-blown MDM for iOS allows you to modify majority of iOS Preferences using Profiles. It is recommended to configure each Profile Payload in its own Profile Fileset (most notably the "Network" payload), however once you are confident is a Profile's configuration, you can combine multiple Profile Payloads into one Profile Fileset. You can also create Parameterized Profiles to automatically inject inventory data into the Profile fields using the "%custom_field%" format.

  1. Open FileWave Admin and navigate to "Filesets".
  2. Click "New Mobile Fileset" from the black menubar and select "Profile".
  3. Name the Profile from within the "General" section and review other settings.
  4. Select your desired Profile Payload and verify it is compatible with your intended operating system.
    • Every Profile Payload is broken out into each supported platform indicated by the header of section.
  5. "Configure" the Profile Payload with any required fields.
  6. "Save" changes.
  7. You should now see your Profile Fileset in the "Filesets" view so it's ready for Association and deployment.
    • The Fileset will be labeled as "Modified" indicating the it has not yet been saved and committed.
  8. "Update Model" if you'd like to save the changes.

Profile General.png

Network Profile.png

Deploy VPP Filesets to iOS

FileWave can deploy applications from the Apple App Store by leveraging Apple's Volume Purchase Program. Since you simply associate VPP Filesets like any other Filesets, this section will cover some of the more granular settings associated with VPP Filesets.

If you have not already, please review this section on the guide to learn more about how to sync VPP into FileWave and create VPP application Filesets.

Reserve VPP Licenses for Fileset

FileWave allows you to duplicate a VPP Fileset, even if you just have one VPP Token where the licenses are coming from. This will allow you to split up the licenses for each VPP Fileset for one given VPP application so that you can group your software more dynamically. For example, you purchase 100 licenses of Duolingo from one VPP Token and need to deploy 50 licenses to 1st grade and 50 licenses to 2nd grade, each from their respective group.

  1. Open FileWave Admin and navigate to "Filesets".
  2. Duplicate your desired VPP Fileset.
  3. Double-click on one instance of the VPP Fileset.
  4. Check the box for "Reserve a maximum of" and fill out the maximum licenses available for that instance of the VPP Fileset.
  5. Repeat Step 3 & 4 for the other instance of the VPP Fileset, otherwise the other instance will automatically consume the remainder of the VPP licenses.
  6. You may now move the VPP Fileset into their appropriate groups and Associate to devices/device groups.

VPP Max Licenses.png

iOS App Configuration

FileWave support iOS App Configuration or "App Config" to allow you to customize and provision a VPP application either before or after its initial deployment. These configuration settings are entirely determined by the Application Developer. More information and examples of App Configs can be found here. 

  1. Open FileWave Admin and navigate to "Filesets".
  2. Duplicate your desired VPP Fileset.
  3. Double-click on one instance of the VPP Fileset.
  4. Navigate to the "Configuration" tab.
  5. Add keys manually or import XML file provided by Application Developer.
  6. Click "OK" to save the changes.
  7. The changes will either be available during initial deployment or configure the application after initial deployment.

Zoom App Config.png

Deploy IPA to iOS devices

FileWave can deploy "in-house" applications or IPA files to your iOS devices. These are typically applications that are not available in the App Store or customized versions of an application. The best example of this is the FileWave App Portal as we need to deploy this IPA in order to collect Location Information from the iOS devices and report it back to the FileWave Server.

  1. Open FileWave Admin and navigate to "Filesets".
  2. Click "New Mobile Fileset" from the black menubar.
  3. Click "Enterprise" from the "iOS" section.
  4. Make sure "Import a local file" is selected, click "Browse", and choose your IPA.
  5. Name the Fileset, click "Import", and wait for upload to complete.
  6. Click "Done".
  7. Your IPA Fileset is now ready Association and deployment.

IPA Import.png

Deploy documents to iOS (PDF, ePub, iBook)

FileWave allows you to deploy PDF, ePub, or iBook content to iOS 8+ devices. These documents will be accessible via the iOS "Books" application.

  1. Open FileWave Admin and navigate to "Filesets".
  2. Click "New Mobile Fileset" from the black menubar.
  3. Click "Document (iOS 8+)" from the "iOS" section.
  4. Make sure "Import a local file" is selected, click "Browse", and choose your .pdf, .epub, or .ibooks file.
  5. Name the Fileset, click "Import", and wait for upload to complete.
  6. Click "Done".
  7. Your iOS Document Fileset is now ready Association and deployment.

iOS Document.png

macOS Software and Profiles

macOS Filesets

FileWave allows you to deploy any file, native installer, scripts, or Profiles to a macOS machine. FileWave has no file-type or file-size restrictions and all scripts and installers will be launched with elevated privileges by default.

After creating a Fileset, please make sure to review the Fileset Creation and Deployment page to learn how to associate and deploy your new Filesets.

Manage macOS settings using Profiles

FileWave being a full-blown MDM for macOS allows you to modify majority of macOS Preferences using Profiles. It is recommended to configure each Profile Payload in its own Profile Fileset (most notably the "Network" payload), however once you are confident is a Profile's configuration, you can combine multiple Profile Payloads into one Profile Fileset. You can also create Parameterized Profiles to automatically inject inventory data into the Profile fields using the "%custom_field%" format.

  1. Open FileWave Admin and navigate to "Filesets".
  2. Click "New Desktop Fileset" from the black menubar and select "Profile".
  3. Name the Profile from within the "General" section and review other settings.
  4. Select your desired Profile Payload and verify it is compatible with your intended operating system.
    • Every Profile Payload is broken out into each supported platform indicated by the header of section.
  5. "Configure" the Profile Payload with any required fields.
  6. "Save" changes.
  7. You should now see your Profile Fileset in the "Filesets" view.
    • The Fileset will be labeled as "Modified" indicating the it has not yet been saved and committed.
  8. "Update Model" if you'd like to save the changes.

Profile General 2.png

Network Profile 2.png

Create a PKG Fileset

Deploying a PKG is very easy in FileWave. If you're looking to deploy a piece of macOS software that's not available in the App Store, a PKG Fileset is the recommended way to go. However, since a PKG is a native installer, FileWave's Self-Healing is not supported.

  1. Open FileWave Admin and navigate to "Filesets".
  2. Drag-n-drop your desired PKG directly into the "Filesets" view.
    • Or...
  3. Select "New Desktop Fileset" from the black menubar.
  4. Click "MSI / PKG" and select your desired PKG.
  5. You should now see your PKG Fileset in the "Filesets" view.
    • The Fileset will display in red text while it is being uploaded to the FileWave Server. Upload progress can be viewed from the bottom bar of the FileWave Admin. 
    • The Fileset will be labeled as "Modified" indicating the it has not yet been saved.
  6. "Update Model" if you'd like to save the changes.

PKG Fileset.png

Deploy VPP Filesets to macOS

FileWave can deploy applications from the Apple App Store by leveraging Apple's Volume Purchase Program. Since you simply associate VPP Filesets like any other Filesets, this section will cover some of the more granular settings associated with VPP Filesets.

If you have not already, please review this section on the guide to learn more about how to sync VPP into FileWave and create VPP application Filesets.

Reserve VPP Licenses for Fileset

FileWave allows you to duplicate a VPP Fileset, even if you just have one VPP Token where the licenses are coming from. This will allow you to split up the licenses for each VPP Fileset for one given VPP application so that you can group your software more dynamically. For example, you purchase 10 licenses of Slack from one VPP Token and need to deploy 5 licenses to Development and 5 licenses to QA, each from their respective group.

  1. Open FileWave Admin and navigate to "Filesets".
  2. Duplicate your desired VPP Fileset.
  3. Double-click on one instance of the VPP Fileset.
  4. Check the box for "Reserve a maximum of" and fill out the maximum licenses available for that instance of the VPP Fileset.
  5. Repeat Step 3 & 4 for the other instance of the VPP Fileset, otherwise the other instance will automatically consume the remainder of the VPP licenses.
  6. You may now move the VPP Fileset into their appropriate groups and Associate to devices/device groups.

Slack Reserve Licenses.png

Deploy a file or folder with Self-Healing

One of the main things that separates FileWave from the other solutions on the market is FileWave's ability to deploy any file directly to the Client's local filesystem and enable true Self-Healing. When you deploy a file with Self-Healing enabled, FileWave will automatically re-download the original file whenever the file is modified or deleted on the Client machine, however we can tweak this behavior per file to account for all deployment situations using the three "Verification" options.

Verification options

FileWave's "Verification" options allow you to granularly specify how each file in a Fileset deployment will behave. You can also set the "Verification" settings from a Fileset's Properties that will apply to all files within a given Fileset.

Fileset Properties.png

PDF Get Info.png

Deploy PDF to every user's Desktop

  1. Open FileWave Admin and navigate to "Filesets".
  2. Select "New Desktop Fileset" from the black menubar.
  3. Click "Empty" and name the Fileset accordingly.
  4. Double-click on the new Fileset to open the "Fileset Contents".
  5. Uncheck "Hide unused folders" if enabled.
  6. Navigate to "Users > All Users > Desktop".
  7. Drag-n-drop PDF file into the "Desktop" folder.
  8. Select the PDF and click "Get Info" from the menubar.
  9. Navigate to the "Verification" tab and select your desired Verification preference.
  10. Click "Apply" to save changes and Close the "Get Info" window and Fileset Contents window.
  11. You should now see your PDF Fileset in the "Filesets" view.
    * The Fileset will be labeled as "Modified" indicating the it has not yet been saved.
  12. "Update Model" if you'd like to save the changes.

PDF Fileset.png

PDF Get Info 2.png

Deploy .app to macOS Applications folder

Since FileWave can deploy content at the file-level, we can also deploy an entire macOS ".app" directly to the macOS Applications folder and enable Self-Healing. This method is useful if you don't have the original PKG or the software is distributed within a DMG containing just the ".app".

  1. Open FileWave Admin and navigate to "Filesets".
  2. Select "New Desktop Fileset" from the black menubar.
  3. Click "App / Folder" and select your desired ".app".
  4. Double-click the Fileset and verify the ".app" is in the "Applications" folder.
    • FileWave is context aware and will automatically add ".app" to "Applications" folder if it was originally in the "Applications" folder on the Admin machine.
    • ".app" coming from any other location that "Applications" will have to be dragged into the "Applications" folder within the Fileset (ex: from DMG).
  5. Optionally, right-click the Fileset and click "Properties", choose your desired Verification preference, and "OK" to save changes.
    • You may consider using "Download If Missing" if the software is set to automatically update (ex: Chrome) to prevent software and FileWave from conflicting.
  6. You should now see your ".app" Fileset in the "Filesets" view.
    • The Fileset will be labeled as "Modified" indicating the it has not yet been saved.
  7. "Update Model" if you'd like to save the changes.

App Fileset.png

App Fileset Properties.png

Capture customized software installations using Fileset Magic

You might discover that a software's installer does not allow for the software to be provisioned or customized to meet your organization's needs. This is where Fileset Magic plays a huge role. Fileset Magic allows you to capture a customized software installation at the file-level and deploy it with Self-Healing enabled by leveraging a series of Snapshots taken from a "build" machine. The customizations may include software preferences, licensing, updates, and shortcuts.

While using Fileset Magic, please do your best to limit background activities to prevent unnecessary changes from being capture.

  1. Open "Applications>FileWave>FileWave Admin (root).app" and navigate to "Assistants > Fileset Magic".

  2. Select "Create Snapshot".

  3. Select the "Scan Volume".

  4. Select the "Scan Type".

  5. Wait for the File scan to complete.

  6. Install your desired software without proceeding in Fileset Magic.

    • Open, update, license, and customize your software.

  7. Click "Continue" to proceed in the Fileset Magic window.

  8. Select the disk volume where the snapshot was taken.

  9. Wait for Fileset Magic to scan the select volume and compare File changes.

  10. View the File differences and select only what is necessary for the newly installed application.

    • There may be background Windows activity that is captured. Do your best to exclude this content.
  11. Choose either to Save or Export the Fileset.
  12. Wait for the Fileset to be uploaded to the FileWave Server.
  13. Verify your Fileset Contents within the FileWave Admin.

1

macOS Fileset Magic Create Snapshot.png

 2macOS Fileset Magic Select Scan Volumes.png

3

macOS Fileset Magic Select Scan Type.png

4

macOS Fileset Magic Scan.png

5

macOS Fileset Magic Install Software Now.png

6

macOS Fileset Magic Skype for Business.png

7

macOS Fileset Magic Create Fileset from Snapshot.png

8

macOS Fileset Magic Scanning for Differences.png

9

macOS Fileset Magic File Comparison.png

10

macOS Fileset Magic Save or Export Fileset.png

11

macOS Fileset Magic Fileset Import.png

12

macOS Fileset Magic Fileset Contents.png

Android Software and Policies

Android Filesets


Android Policies


Windows Imaging - Setup

FileWave Imaging Virtual Server (IVS)

FileWave's ability to image is done by leveraging an on-premise server that we refer to as the "IVS". This server must be virtualized in either Hyper-V or VMWare environments. The IVS uses PXE Boot to network boot your Windows machines using either Legacy BIOS or UEFI, captures the entire disk contents, and uploads the image to the FileWave Server for permanent storage. We recommend capturing a "thin" image to reduce the time spent deploying the image and also because FileWave can be used to deploy any software and/or driver to the machine after the imaging process has completed.

Import IVS into virtual environment

  1. Download the latest version of the FileWave IVS that matches your FileWave Server version and virtual environment.
  2. Import the virtual appliance into either Hyper-V or VMWare following the same steps listed in 1. FileWave Server Setup.

Configure IVS network settings

  1. Access the FileWave IVS console via virtual environment.

  2. Log into the FileWave console with the username "root" and the password "filewave".

  3. Verify and take note of the current network settings obtained via DHCP using the commands below.

    IP address and netmask

    ifconfig

    Gateway / Router

    ip r

    DNS Servers

    less /etc/resolv.conf

  4. Set a Static IP address for the FileWave IVS using the command below. 

    Set static IP address

    imaging-control networksetup static

IVS Network Settings.png

Add IVS to FileWave Admin

If your FileWave Server is Hosted by FileWave rather than being On-Premise you will need to follow this: FileWave Hosted Servers and IVS Setup

  1. Open FileWave Admin and navigate to "Preferences > Imaging".
  2. Click the "[+]" button to add a new FileWave IVS.
  3. Enter the IP Address of the FileWave IVs and confirm the light turns green.
    • Leave the port as "20444".
  4. Verify that the "Generate new key on Save" box is checked.
  5. Click "OK" on the "Add Imaging Server" window.
  6. Verify that the "FileWave certificate was successfully uploaded to the IVS" pop-up appears.
  7. Verify that the "FileWave Server Address" is correct within the "FileWave Imaging Appliance Preferences" window.
    • Leave the port as "20015". Note: The default port setting is 20015. However, SSL is now required, and the system will automatically use port 20017 instead when 20015 is entered. Do not manually set the port to 20017. Always enter 20015, and the system will handle the SSL port change for you.
  8. Click "OK" within the "FileWave Imaging Appliance Preferences" window.
  9. Click "OK" within the FileWave Admin Preferences to save changes and generate shared key.
  10. Open the FileWave Admin Preferences again and navigate to "Imaging".
  11. Click the right-most button for either "Enroll Imaging Server" or "Create client-side Certificate".
  12. Wait for the "Imaging Server enrolled successfully" pop-up message.
  13. Click "OK" within the FileWave Admin Preferences to save changes.
  14. The IVS will not fully check-in until at least one Imaging Association has been made.

Add Imaging Server.png

FileWave IVS Preferences.png

Enroll IVS.png

Windows Imaging - Capture Image

One image to rule them all

Well, at least that's the plan. Since FileWave recommends using a thin image that has been Sysprep'd with "/generalize" and "/oobe", your Master Image will not be specific to any make/model of computer and will go through the default Windows Out of Box Experience to scan for any hardware. This will allow you to deploy one image to all of your Windows machines and deploy device specific drivers and software after the imaging process has completed. The only reason you'd possibly have multiple images is to account for differences in your machine's BIOS (Legacy vs. UEFI) or architecture (32bit vs. 64bit).

Preparing your build machine

The first step is to prepare the machine you plan to capture the Master Image from. This can be a physical machine or a virtual machine, however most prefer to use a virtual machine as they can install Windows much quicker via ISO and more easily put the VM on the same VLAN as the IVS. Putting the machine on the same VLAN/subnet is crucial as by default, the IVS only listens to DHCP traffic on the subnet it resides on. After ensuring the essential imaging traffic is OK on the same subnet, we can later configure the IVS to listen to multiple subnets by leveraging IP Helpers. This section will cover creating a virtual machine but the same steps will apply to a physical machine.

  1. Create a blank virtual machine within your virtual environment.

  2. Configure your VM's BIOS to match your environment's most used BIOS, Legacy or UEFI (with Secure Boot disabled).

  3. Configure the VM's network interface to be on the same VLAN/subnet as the FileWave IVS.

  4. Configure the VM's hard disk to be as small as your smallest drive in your environment. 40GB is a good baseline.

  5. Download and attach the Windows 10 ISO or Windows 11 ISO to your VM's optical drive.

    • If you are attempting to download from a Windows machine you will be redirected to another page and not have access to the ISO.
    • Use this guide to change how your browser identifies to access the ISO.

  6. Boot your VM to the DVD/optical drive and install Windows 10/11 with default disk partition settings.

  7. Create an Offline (non-Microsoft) Administrator user account.

    • This account will persist after Sysprep so name and set password accordingly.

  8. Once at the Desktop, open Powershell as Administrator.

  9. Copy and paste the following Powershell commands into the Powershell window and press Enter.

    • These commands will remove the built-in Windows Apps that have been known to prevent Sysprep from completing successfully.

    • These commands are sourced from Experts Exchange - Windows 10 Sysprep Guide.

    • If copy/paste into VM is not working, please consider opening this page directly within VM. 

      Remove built-in Windows Apps

      Get-AppxPackage *3dbuilder* | Remove-AppxPackage
Get-AppxPackage *windowsalarms* | Remove-AppxPackage
Get-AppxPackage *Appconnector* | Remove-AppxPackage
Get-AppxPackage *windowscalculator* | Remove-AppxPackage
Get-AppxPackage *windowscommunicationsapps* | Remove-AppxPackage
Get-AppxPackage *windowscamera* | Remove-AppxPackage
Get-AppxPackage *CandyCrushSaga* | Remove-AppxPackage
Get-AppxPackage *officehub* | Remove-AppxPackage
Get-AppxPackage *skypeapp* | Remove-AppxPackage
Get-AppxPackage *getstarted* | Remove-AppxPackage
Get-AppxPackage *zunemusic* | Remove-AppxPackage
Get-AppxPackage *windowsmaps* | Remove-AppxPackage
Get-AppxPackage *Messaging* | Remove-AppxPackage
Get-AppxPackage *solitairecollection* | Remove-AppxPackage
Get-AppxPackage *ConnectivityStore* | Remove-AppxPackage
Get-AppxPackage *bingfinance* | Remove-AppxPackage
Get-AppxPackage *zunevideo* | Remove-AppxPackage
Get-AppxPackage *bingnews* | Remove-AppxPackage
Get-AppxPackage *onenote* | Remove-AppxPackage
Get-AppxPackage *people* | Remove-AppxPackage
Get-AppxPackage *CommsPhone* | Remove-AppxPackage
Get-AppxPackage *windowsphone* | Remove-AppxPackage
Get-AppxPackage *photos* | Remove-AppxPackage
Get-AppxPackage *WindowsScan* | Remove-AppxPackage
Get-AppxPackage *bingsports* | Remove-AppxPackage
Get-AppxPackage *windowsstore* | Remove-AppxPackage
Get-AppxPackage *Office.Sway* | Remove-AppxPackage
Get-AppxPackage *Twitter* | Remove-AppxPackage
Get-AppxPackage *soundrecorder* | Remove-AppxPackage
Get-AppxPackage *bingweather* | Remove-AppxPackage
Get-AppxPackage *xboxapp* | Remove-AppxPackage
Get-AppxPackage *XboxOneSmartGlass* | Remove-AppxPackage

  10. Press Enter once more to ensure the last command is executed.

  11. Close the Powershell window.

  12. Generate and install your Custom FileWave Client MSI. * More instructions on how to do so can be found in the Windows setup section. * This can be done directly from the VM if file transfer is difficult.

  13. Generate and download a Sysprep unattended answer file via Answer File Generator. * "Computer Name" can be any generic placeholder. * "Product Key" is not required for remote Windows activations. * "Domain Join" is optional, FileWave can join machines to Active Directory after the imaging process. * This can be done directly from the VM if file transfer is difficult. An alternative tool that has some nice options is https://schneegans.de/windows/unattend-generator/ 

  14. After the "unattend.xml" file is downloaded, move the file to "C:\Windows\".

  15. Run the Check Disk command before your Sysprep the image. This will ensure the disk is cleared of any errors. The below commands are run in Command Prompt run as administrator. 

    chkdsk /R 
shutdown -r -t 0

  16. Open Command Prompt as Administrator and run the following commands to Sysprep and shutdown your machine.

    cd Sysprep
sysprep.exe /generalize /oobe /shutdown /unattend:C:\Windows\unattend.xml

  17. Your machine will shutdown automatically, do not boot until instructed in future section.

Create a placeholder for Master Image association

To capture an image from our build machine we must add the Client machine as a Placeholder within FileWave using its desired Windows Hostname and its Ethernet MAC address.

  1. Open FileWave Admin and navigate to "Clients".
  2. If your build machine checked into FileWave during the preparation stage, please delete the Client from FileWave and "Update Model".
  3. Click "New Client" button from black menubar and select "Enter Name" from the "Desktop device placeholders" section.
  4. Enter in a generic name for the placeholder and optionally add a "Comment".
  5. Reference your VM's settings and obtain the Ethernet MAC address used by the VM.
  6. Click "OK" to finish adding the Placeholder.
  7. Navigate to "Imaging".
  8. Drag-n-drop the "Master Image" item from the right-hand pane to the newly added Placeholder.
  9. "Update Model" to save changes.
  10. Navigate to "Preferences > Imaging", select your FileWave IVS, and click "Monitor".
  11. Wait for at least 5 minutes and verify that the FileWave IVS is getting the latest Model. * The current Server Model Number can be found in the lower-right hand corner of the FileWave Admin.
  12. Once the FileWave IVS is fully checking in and getting the latest Model, proceed to capturing the Master Image.

Add Placeholder.png

Assoicate Master Image.png

IVS Verify Model.png

Capture Master Image

Now that the FileWave is aware of the Master Image association, it is time to PXE Boot your build machine and capture your image.

  1. Verify that your build machine is set to Network Boot and is on the same subnet as the FileWave IVS.
  2. PXE boot you build machine.
    • If using Legacy BIOS, you will see progress text as the PXELinux environment is loading.
    • If using UEFI, please be patient as no boot progress will be shown, only a black screen.
  3. After successful PXE, name your Windows image.
    • It is recommended to include the Windows build version, architecture, and BIOS type in the image name.
    • Ex: Windows10_20H2_x64_UEFI
  4. You should now see a blue screen showing progress as it captures each partition and uploads it to the FileWave IVS.
  5. After the capture, you will see a black screen with white text.
  6. Please be patient as the Master Image is being uploaded to the FileWave Server for permanent storage.
  7. "Press any key to continue" and shutdown the build machine.
  8. You should see your newly captured image in the FileWave Admin.
    • If you do not see the image, please contact your FileWave SE and do not attempt to recapture image or boot the build machine.

1

EFI Boot.png

2

EFI Black screen.png

3

Image Mode is Master.png

4

Master Imaging Naming.png

5

IVS Partition Capture.png

6

Uploading image to FileWave Server.png

7

Master Image.png

 

 

Post Imaging Content

If you run into an issue regarding BitLocker activiation, please refer to:

Windows Imaging - Deploy Image

Start your imagin' !

Now that we have captured our Master Image, let's deploy it out to some Windows machines.

Associate an image to machines

You can associate a Windows image to a previously enrolled FileWave Client or to a "bare-metal" machine using a Placeholder. If you are going to use a Placeholder, please follow steps 1-6 of this section to learn more.

  1. Open FileWave Central and navigate to "Imaging".
  2. Drag-n-drop your new Image to either an individual device or a group of devices.
  3. Confirm the imaging associations.
  4. You should now see your new image association in the bottom pane of the "Imaging" tab.
  5. "Update Model" to save your changes.
  6. Your image will now be downloaded to the FileWave IVS.
  7. Verify that the FileWave IVS has gotten the latest Model via "Preferences > Imaging", select your FileWave IVS, and click "Monitor".
    • You should see the image download progress from the FileWave Server to the FileWave IVS.
    • The image will persist on the FileWave IVS as long as there's at least one Association made to that image.
  8. Once the image has completed downloading, proceed to PXE Booting your Windows machines.

Confirm Imaging Association.png

Imaging Association.png

Downloading Image Fileset.png

PXE Boot target machines

  1. Verify that your target machine is set to Network Boot and is on the same subnet as the FileWave IVS.
  2. PXE boot your target machine.
    • If using Legacy BIOS, you will see progress text as the PXELinux environment is loading.
    • If using UEFI, please be patient as no boot progress while be shown, only a black screen.
  3. You should now see a blue screen showing progress as it restores each partition from the FileWave IVS.
  4. After the restore, you will see a black screen with white text.
  5. The machine should automatically reboot into Windows and start the Out of Box Experience determined by your Unattended Answer File.
    • If you get a message similar to "no boot media found" after reboot, please reboot again and ensure the machine is not set to Network/PXE boot.
  6. Since the Master Image contained the FileWave Client, it should start communicating with FileWave immediately.

Solve Client Conflicts

After a Windows machine finishes imaging and checks into FileWave, it may conflict with its previous Client enrollment. Please follow the steps to resolve conflicts with any newly imaged machine.

  1. Open FileWave Central and navigate to "Clients".
  2. Select "New Client" from the black menubar.
  3. Select "Desktop Clients" from the "Devices waiting for enrollment section".
  4. Locate and select the Client that is reporting a conflict and click the "Solve Conflict" button.
  5. Select one of the following options that best suites your situation.

    • Remove the new client

      • Select this option if you want to refuse the client for now. You can fix the device identifier and re-enroll it later

    • Remove the old client and enroll the new client

      • Select this option if the old entry is obsolete and can be safely removed; all clones will be removed

    • Replace the old client with the new client (recommended)

      • Select this option if you want the new client to replace the existing entry (this will take over the old record with all clones, associations, etc.)
  6. Your newly imaged Windows Client should began checking into FileWave and download any Filesets previously associated to the Client entry.

OS Software Updates

Stay Patched with FileWave

Keeping your Windows, macOS, iOS, and tvOS device's operating systems updated is one of the most important steps to ensuring device security. FileWave sync with the default Microsoft and Apple Software Update catalogs allowing you to bring in all updates, test them, and then automatically deploy the requested Software Updates to machines.

Automatic Software Update deployment

Using FileWave to automatically deploy Software Updates to requesting machines is the easiest and recommended method of deploying updates to your various devices. After "Approving" a Software Update, FileWave will determine if the update is eligible for your devices and automatically deploy it on your behalf.

Note that you want to avoid assigning Windows OS updates to pre-16.0.0 clients because they will not function correctly. You can simply add a criteria to your All Windows SmartGroup to check if the "FileWave Client Version" begins with "16." and that would protect you until you can work to upgrade all of your devices.

Also note that Windows OS updates from before FileWave 16 should be purged from your server to free up disk space, and because they will not function correctly. This transition from the old format to this new format should be a one-time exercise to remove the old style of Windows OS updates and ensure your clients are upgraded to FileWave 16.0 or higher.

image.png

It should be noted that you don't have to make everything so clean as to seperate out the patches by platform. There was another enhancement in FileWave 16.0 where even if a patch was assigned to a device it would be skipped if it didn't apply. You can see this below as the "Ignore non applicable Software Update Filesets" checkbox. When checked you will only see the updates that were applicable. Deselecting it will show the patches that didn't apply but have a Deployment that assigned them. 

image.png

Manually deploy Software Updates with Scheduling

FileWave can also deploy Software Updates just like any other Fileset and allow you to schedule the deployment of the Software Update Fileset.

  1. Open FileWave Central and navigate to Deployments on the left hand side of the window.
  2. Create a new Deployment that contains your Windows or Apple patches and for the target use a Smart Group that is your Windows or Apple devices. You may have already done this earlier, and if you have this already then you can just edit that Deployment.
  3. In the Properties for the Deployment you will see on the Options tab that you can decide when to Activate (Install) the patches. You can also set a Reboot deadline. If you re-use this Deployment for monthly patches then know that you'll need to keep changing these dates or else new patches will immediately be past their deadline after enough time passes. 
  4. "Update Model" to save the changes.

image.png

Windows BIOS/UEFI Firmware and Driver Updates

The latest Windows Software Update filesets now include BIOS/UEFI firmware updates from certain OEM vendors (e.g., Dell, HP, Lenovo). While these updates may appear alongside OS patches, please be careful when deploying. 

The latest Windows Software Update filesets now also includes third-party driver updates, such as those for monitors, audio devices, and peripheral hardware. While these updates can improve compatibility and stability, they often have the following impact:

To maintain a smooth user experience and prevent unplanned reboots, you may want to deploy driver updates via Self-Service Kiosk instead of automatic enforcement.

Next Steps

Now that you have the basics you may want to dig deeper and read the Best Practice Guide: Software Update Deployment (16.0+) to implement more processes to make your patching effective and efficient.

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