Getting Started with FileWave: Introduction
Start with one device and one result
Use this guide to evaluate FileWave, set up a new environment, or add a device platform to an existing environment. Follow the steps for the platform or capability you need, start with one approved test device, and verify the result before extending the work to more devices. You do not need to configure every platform or feature before you begin.
Your first goal is to connect to your FileWave Server, set up one approved device using the appropriate management route, and verify a useful result. For Windows, macOS, iOS/iPadOS, or Android, that includes delivering one appropriate test item and checking it on the device. For ChromeOS, matching the Google and FileWave records and reading their available inventory can be the complete first result; no desktop deployment is required.
Three names to know
- FileWave Server stores your management configuration and coordinates work for devices. FileWave can host it, or your organization can run it on a dedicated Mac or a Debian virtual appliance.
- FileWave Central is the administration application you install on a Mac or Windows computer to connect to that Server.
- Your managed test device is the approved computer, phone, or tablet you will enroll and use to validate the workflow. It is separate from the Server and is not necessarily the device running Central.
Choose your starting point
If you are new to the product, read How does FileWave work? for an overview of the components. Then choose your route based on what is already configured, whether you are evaluating FileWave or are an existing customer.
- Setting up a new environment: start with FileWave Server Setup, install and connect through FileWave Central Setup, and complete the initial readiness checks in Central Preferences. Use the hosted or self-managed Server route below.
- Adding a device platform to an existing environment: confirm the intended Server, your administrator access, and the relevant platform prerequisites with the environment owner. Go directly to Choose one device platform below. You do not need to reinstall the Server or repeat integrations that are already configured; review existing settings and assignments before enrolling your test device.
- Trying another capability with devices already enrolled: go to the relevant deployment, inventory, or optional-capability article in this book. Check that article’s prerequisites and use a small, reviewed test scope.
Choose your Server path
| Your environment | Start here |
|---|---|
| FileWave-hosted Server | Obtain your assigned Server details using the hosted Server route, then continue to Central Setup. FileWave manages the Server, so skip the shell commands and server-file instructions for self-managed Servers. |
| Self-managed Server on macOS | Follow the macOS Server route, then Central Setup and initial Preferences. Use the selected release’s Server requirements and downloads; skip the Debian appliance instructions. |
| Self-managed Debian appliance | Follow the Debian Server appliance route, then Central Setup and initial Preferences. This route includes appliance access and stable network configuration. |
Use a Central version that matches your Server. For a new environment, initial Preferences checks establish the Server’s identity, secure access, and network readiness before platform-specific integrations. In an existing environment, confirm the relevant settings with its owner rather than changing working configuration to follow the guide. You do not need to configure every Preferences tab.
Choose one device platform
Follow the preparation and enrollment pages for the device you want to test. The other platform paths can wait.
| Test device | Preparation | Enrollment |
|---|---|---|
| Windows | Windows prerequisites | Windows Client enrollment |
| macOS | Apple prerequisites; distinguish Client software from MDM | Automated Device Enrollment (ADE) or manual enrollment, according to your setup |
| iPhone or iPad | Apple prerequisites | ADE or manual enrollment |
| Android | Android Enterprise preparation | Android enrollment; choose the ownership/management mode before following any reset procedure |
| Chromebook | Chromebook prerequisites | Chromebook enrollment |
For Apple TV or Apple Vision Pro, use the applicable Apple enrollment path and confirm the supported content and management capabilities for that platform; do not assume every iPhone/iPad exercise applies unchanged.
Know when you have succeeded
- Identify the intended test device in FileWave and confirm that it has the expected management connection and that its information is recent. A device record alone is not proof that every management method is ready.
- Inspect a few basic fields before changing the device. Inventory Reports explains how to select and read device data.
- For a Windows, macOS, iOS/iPadOS, or Android delivery test, complete one small, platform-appropriate exercise. Use Fileset Creation and Deployment as a shared reference if needed; you do not need a second deployment after your platform exercise. Review the targets, commit pending model changes when required, and verify the device outcome. For ChromeOS, matching the Google and FileWave records and reviewing read-only inventory is sufficient; skip the delivery exercise.
- Record what worked, what remains untested, and any help you needed. Use a cleanup procedure that has been validated for the content you tested; do not assume that deleting an assignment reverses every change.
Keep the first test contained. Use a spare or explicitly approved device with no irreplaceable data. Do not start with a wipe, image restore, restrictive network profile, global tracking change, or broad production group. In a shared environment, coordinate Model Updates with other administrators because their pending changes can be committed too.
Add optional capabilities when you need them
Boosters can help deliver content locally for applicable Client workflows. Using a hosted Server does not require them. Windows imaging with IVS is a separate, optional workflow. It is not required for Windows Client enrollment. After your first successful test, you can evaluate directory-backed enrollment, advanced group design, OS-update pilots, and location tracking.
Plan your next steps and get help
Use this guide to validate the workflows your organization needs, whether you are evaluating FileWave or adding capabilities to an existing environment. During an evaluation, work with your assigned FileWave Systems Engineer (SE) to plan the tests. Our FileWave Foundry 100-level courses offer self-paced video training that corresponds to this guide.
Use the FileWave IT Checklist and your organization’s requirements to plan your next steps. Agree on realistic tests, prerequisites, and timing with the administrators responsible for the environment; if you are evaluating FileWave, include your assigned SE. The examples below are goals to discuss, not a promise that every feature applies to every device, license, or management method.
| Goal | Possible test | Scope to agree first |
|---|---|---|
| Support computers on and off site | Deploy an approved app or file; inspect inventory; try authorized remote assistance. | Platform, network access, Client connection, and any remote-assistance licensing. |
| Offer optional software | Make one appropriate item available through self-service. | Supported Kiosk route and a separate check that the user installed the item. |
| Maintain operating systems | Run a small OS-update pilot after the first deployment. | Compatibility, restart window, backups, and recovery. |
| Manage mobile apps and settings | Deliver an approved app or benign policy; assess media or classroom needs separately. | Ownership/enrollment mode, available licenses, supported platforms, and any education integration. |
| Evaluate security, location, or remote wipe | Plan a separate authorized lab test only if it serves a real requirement. | Platform capability, privacy and consent, data-loss risk, permissions, and recovery. Do not use these as the first test. |
Set aside regular time to test FileWave, even if it's only an hour or two every other day. Choose a time that fits around your usual work and is less likely to be interrupted. Regular practice will help you become familiar with the interface and remember how to complete tasks.
Evaluating FileWave: contact your assigned FileWave SE with questions or problems, including help with this guide or advanced features it does not cover. Your SE will coordinate with FileWave Support if needed; evaluation support requests should go through the SE rather than directly to Technical Support.
Existing customers: use FileWave Technical Support for technical help and Customer Success for licensing, training, or service needs.
FileWave Community Edition: ask for advice on the FileWave Discord Server.
Helpful Links
| Tool | Link or location |
|---|---|
| FileWave 16.4.0 and later: Build macOS and Windows enrollment packages | FileWave Central > Preferences > Enrollment (Mobile in 16.4.0) |
| FileWave Server earlier than 16.4.0: Custom Client Generator | https://custom.filewave.com |
| FileWave Port Tester | https://supportresources.filewave.com/ |
| FileWave TCP/IP Ports | Default TCP and UDP Port Usage |
| Apple Push Notification Certificate | https://identity.apple.com/pushcert |
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