Maintenance

Webmin GUI (On-Premise)

Webmin GUI

For an on-premise FileWave Server, the Webmin GUI can help you review or adjust Debian OS-level settings such as time, networking, DNS, routing, and passwords. FileWave-hosted servers do not expose this Webmin interface. Set the root password during appliance setup and store it in your organization's approved credential system.

For Webmin on Debian, go to Webmin > Webmin Configuration > Operating System and Environment and confirm that the operating system version matches the Debian version installed on the server. You can check the Debian version with cat /etc/debian_version.

  1. At the login screen, note the URL used to remotely manage the server, for example https://myorg.filewave.net:10000.

    • If there is no IP address because DHCP is not available on the subnet for your FileWave Linux appliance, log in with username "fwadmin" and password "filewave". Older appliances used the username "root", but FileWave 15.5.0 and later use fwadmin for first login.

    • Run nmtui at the command prompt to launch the NetworkManager text UI and configure networking for the FileWave VM appliance. Reload the IP stack with service network restart. If you configure networking this way, skip the network configuration steps later in Webmin.

  2. Browse to the Webmin URL and log in with username "fwadmin" and password "filewave". You will change this password later.

  3. Browse to Hardware > System Time on the left, select the Change timezone tab on the right, choose your time zone, and click Save. North American time zones start with "America".

  4. FileWave appliances are normally pre-configured for time synchronization. Use the Time server sync tab only if you need to verify or adjust the time source for your environment. If your organization requires a specific NTP server, replace the existing value with the approved hostname or address, set Synchronize on schedule? to "Yes, at times below", and click Sync and Apply.

  5. Go to System > Change Passwords on the left and select the "root" account on the right from the list of usernames. Enter a new root password, confirm it, and click Change. This changes the default root password from "filewave" to the value you choose, so use a secure password that your organization can recover when needed.

  6. Choose Networking > Network Configuration on the left, then Network Interfaces on the right. Click the blue link labeled "ens160" or "ens32" for the Ethernet adapter. Change the IPv4 address setting to "Static configuration", enter the static IP and subnet mask, then click Save and Apply at the bottom.

  7. You will no longer be able to access Webmin through the old DHCP IP address. Change your browser's address bar to the new static IP address for the FileWave server, then browse to Networking > Network Configuration on the left and Hostname and DNS Client on the right. Enter the IP address for your DNS server and click Save.

  8. Select Networking > Network Configuration on the left, then Routing and Gateways on the right. Pick "ens160" or "ens32" from the Default routes menu, enter the default gateway address for the subnet hosting the FileWave server, and click Save.

  9. Go to System > Bootup and Shutdown on the left, scroll to the bottom on the right, and click Reboot System. When Webmin asks you to confirm "shutdown -r now", click Reboot System again.

FWServerTZ.png

ntp_server.png

FWServerPwd.png

FWServerStaticIP.png

FWServerDNS.png

FWServerDefaultGateway.png

FWServerReboot.png

Related Content

Webmin GUI - Changing the root password (On-Premise)

What

Webmin is included with self-managed FileWave appliances for server-level configuration. This article applies only to self-managed or on-premises FileWave Server appliances. Hosted FileWave customers do not manage Webmin access on the hosted server.

When/Why

Restrict TCP 10000 to trusted admin networks only; do not expose Webmin directly to the Internet. Also change the appliance root password from the default before the server is used in production. FileWave Server Setup also calls out this step.

How

  1. At the login screen, note the URL used to remotely manage the server, for example: https://myorg.filewave.net:10000

    • If there is no IP address specified because DHCP is not available on the subnet for your FileWave Linux Appliance, log in with the username "root" with the password "filewave".

    • Run "nmtui" at the command prompt to launch the Network Manager Text UI so you can configure the networking for the FileWave VM appliance. You'll need to reload the IP stack with "service network restart". Skip the network configuration steps later in the Webmin.

  2. Browse to this URL and log in with username "root" and password "filewave".

  3. Go to System > Change Passwords, select the root account, enter a new root password, confirm it, and click Change. This replaces the default filewave password for root. Use a long, unique password and consider restricting SSH to certificate-based access where your security policy requires it. A FileWave Server appliance is still a Linux server and should be protected like one.

Related Content

Expanding the Disk on a FileWave Appliance - Debian

Overview

This guide explains how to use the FileWave Smart Disk Expansion script to automatically expand disk space on FileWave appliances. The script handles all the complexity of expanding LVM physical volumes, partitions, and filesystems with comprehensive logging and safety features.

What This Script Does

The script performs the following operations:

Prerequisites

The script automatically installs required tools if missing:

Step-by-Step Instructions

Step 1: Download the Script

Open a terminal on your FileWave appliance and download the script:

cd /tmp
wget https://kb.filewave.com/attachments/485 -O filewave-expand-disk.sh
chmod +x filewave-expand-disk.sh

Alternatively, if wget is not available, use curl:

cd /tmp
curl -o filewave-expand-disk.sh https://kb.filewave.com/attachments/485
chmod +x filewave-expand-disk.sh

Step 2: Review the Script (Optional but Recommended)

Before running any system-modifying script, it's good practice to review it:

head -50 filewave-expand-disk.sh

This displays the first 50 lines, including the description and safety information.

Step 3: Test with Dry-Run (Strongly Recommended)

Always test the script in dry-run mode first to see what actions it would take:

sudo ./filewave-expand-disk.sh --dry-run

Expected output:

Example output snippet:

== Detecting root LVM layout ==
Root LV: /dev/vg0/root
VG:      vg0
FS type: ext4

== Finding PV backing the root LV ==
PV(s):   /dev/vda1

== BEFORE state ==
VG free:      10.0G
LV size:      50.0G
FS size (/):  50.0G
FS avail (/): 45.0G

== Expanding PV(s) and partition(s) (if needed) ==
Processing: /dev/vda1
  - would run: growpart /dev/vda /dev/vda1
  - pvresize /dev/vda1

DRY_RUN: command not executed

Review the dry-run output carefully:

Step 4: Run the Script

Once you're confident with the dry-run, run the script for real:

sudo ./filewave-expand-disk.sh

The script will:

  1. Install any missing prerequisite packages
  2. Detect your LVM configuration
  3. Expand PV/partitions if needed
  4. Extend the LV
  5. Grow the filesystem online
  6. Create a support log in /var/log/filewave-expand-disk-YYYYMMDD-HHMMSS.log

Expected output:

Log file: /var/log/filewave-expand-disk-20260127-094500.log
If opening a support case, attach: /var/log/filewave-expand-disk-20260127-094500.log

== Checking and installing prerequisites ==
...

== Detecting root LVM layout ==
Root LV: /dev/vg0/root
VG:      vg0
FS type: ext4

...

== AFTER state ==
VG free:      0B
LV size:      60.0G
FS size (/):  60.0G
FS avail (/): 55.0G

SUMMARY: Expansion performed. LV grew by 10.0G and filesystem grew by 10.0G.

Support log file: /var/log/filewave-expand-disk-20260127-094500.log
Reboot not requested (default). No reboot will be performed.

Step 5: Verify the Expansion

Check that the filesystem was expanded:

df -h /

You should see the new size reflected in the "Size" column.

Example:

Filesystem      Size  Used Avail Use% Mounted on
/dev/mapper/vg0-root   60G  5.0G   55G   9% /

Compare this to the BEFORE state in the log.

Step 6: Reboot (If Recommended)

In most cases, no reboot is needed. However, the script may recommend a reboot if:

If the script recommends a reboot:

sudo reboot

The appliance will restart. FileWave services typically auto-start on boot.

Usage Options

The script supports several command-line options:

Verbose Mode

Show detailed command output in the terminal (in addition to logging):

sudo ./filewave-expand-disk.sh --verbose

Use this for troubleshooting or when you want to see detailed progress.

Reboot Option

Automatically reboot at the end:

sudo ./filewave-expand-disk.sh --reboot

This is useful for automation or when you want to ensure partition table changes are fully applied.

Combined Options

sudo ./filewave-expand-disk.sh --dry-run --verbose
sudo ./filewave-expand-disk.sh --reboot --verbose

Support Log

The script creates a detailed support log in /var/log/:

Log location: /var/log/filewave-expand-disk-YYYYMMDD-HHMMSS.log

Why it's important:

To view the log:

cat /var/log/filewave-expand-disk-*.log

When opening a support case:

Troubleshooting

"ERROR: This script must be run as root"

Solution: Use sudo:

sudo ./filewave-expand-disk.sh

"ERROR: Root filesystem is not an LVM logical volume"

Cause: Your appliance does not use LVM storage layout.

Solution: This script only works with LVM-based appliances. Contact FileWave Support for non-LVM systems.

"WARN: Unsupported/unknown filesystem type"

Cause: The root filesystem is an uncommon type (not ext4, ext3, ext2, or XFS).

Solution: Contact FileWave Support with the support log.

Filesystem didn't grow (AFTER state shows same size as BEFORE)

Possible causes:

  1. VG has no free space: If VG free is 0 bytes in BEFORE state, there's nothing to expand. Verify the disk was actually expanded at the hypervisor level.
  2. Partition didn't grow: Check the support log for growpart output. This typically means the underlying disk wasn't resized at the storage layer.
  3. No-op short-circuit triggered: The script detected the disk was already fully expanded.

Solution: Check the support log for details. If still unsure, contact FileWave Support.

"Device or resource busy" warnings

Cause: The system is actively using the disk (expected on live systems).

Solution: These warnings are normal and safe to ignore. The script continues and typically succeeds anyway.

Common Scenarios

Scenario 1: Expand 50GB Appliance to 100GB

  1. At hypervisor level: Resize the virtual disk from 50GB to 100GB
  2. On appliance: Run dry-run to verify
  3. On appliance: Run the script
  4. Verify: Check with df -h /
# Dry-run
sudo ./filewave-expand-disk.sh --dry-run

# Real run
sudo ./filewave-expand-disk.sh

# Verify
df -h /

Scenario 2: Expand with Verbose Output for Troubleshooting

sudo ./filewave-expand-disk.sh --verbose 2>&1 | tee ~/expansion.log

This captures all output to both terminal and a file for review.

Scenario 3: Expand and Reboot Automatically

sudo ./filewave-expand-disk.sh --reboot

Useful for scheduled maintenance windows.

FAQ

Q: Will this downtime affect FileWave services?
A: No. The filesystem is expanded online with no downtime. Services continue running but you may be advised to reboot.

Q: Do I need to stop FileWave services?
A: No. The script works while services are running.

Q: What filesystems are supported?
A: ext4, ext3, ext2, and XFS. Others may work but are not officially tested.

Q: Can I run this script multiple times?
A: Yes. It's safe to run multiple times. It will detect if space was already expanded and skip unnecessary operations.

Q: Do I need to reboot after running this?
A: Usually not. Reboot is only recommended if partition table repairs were necessary (the script will tell you).

Q: How long does the expansion take?
A: Typically 1-5 minutes depending on appliance size and system load.

Q: Is the script reversible?
A: No. Once expanded, you cannot shrink the filesystem or LV. Plan accordingly.

Support

If you encounter issues or have questions:

  1. Review the support log: /var/log/filewave-expand-disk-YYYYMMDD-HHMMSS.log
  2. Run with --verbose to see detailed output
  3. Contact FileWave Support with:
    • The support log attached
    • Description of the issue
    • Output from df -h /, lvs, vgs, pvs

 

Upgrading to FileWave 13+ from older Versions on Systems where Port 443 is used

Description

FileWave 13 introduced the Web Admin interface, which uses port 443 by default. If another service is already listening on port 443, the FileWave Server installer cannot complete until the conflict is resolved.

To resolve the issue, either move the other service off port 443 or configure FileWave Web Admin to use a different port before upgrading.

Directions

Configure FileWave to use a different Web Admin port before the upgrade as follows:

Mac / Linux

Edit /usr/local/filewave/apache/conf/httpd.conf and add the following line:

# Putting the last character in brackets is a trick to prevent Apache from issuing a warning if the file does not exist.
IncludeOptional conf/httpd_webadmi[n].conf

Create /usr/local/filewave/apache/conf/httpd_webadmin.conf with the following content:

Define WEB_ADMIN_PORT 20440

Restart Apache:

sudo fwcontrol apache restart

Then run the FileWave Server 13+ installer as normal.

Windows (Legacy)

Windows 

Edit C:\Program Files (x86)\FileWave\apache\conf\httpd.conf and add the following line:

# Putting the last character in brackets is a trick to prevent Apache from issuing a warning if the file does not exist.
IncludeOptional "C:\Program Files (x86)\FileWave\apache\conf\httpd_webadmi[n].conf"

Create C:\Program Files (x86)\FileWave\apache\conf\httpd_webadmin.conf with the following content:

Define WEB_ADMIN_PORT 20440

Restart Apache from Command Prompt or PowerShell running as Administrator:

fwcontrol apache restart

Then run the FileWave Server 13+ installer as normal.