FileWave Central Setup

Connect to your FileWave Server

FileWave Central is the native administration application for macOS and Windows. This guide covers installing Central, connecting it to your FileWave Server, and committing changes with Update Model. FileWave Anywhere provides browser access for supported workflows, but some administration tasks still require Central.

Before connecting, read How FileWave turns your changes into device work for the concepts used in this guide. You do not need to run Update Model merely because you logged in. First confirm that you reached the intended Server and can see its administration views.

If FileWave hosts your server, use the address and access details supplied by FileWave. If you manage your own server, complete Server Setup first. The FileWave application administrator account is separate from the appliance operating-system account, even when both are named fwadmin.

Download and install FileWave Central

1. Visit FileWave's Software Downloads page.

2. Click on the version of your FileWave Server.

3. Scroll down to either "macOS Downloads" or "Windows Downloads", under "Upgrading Your Environment".

4. Download either the "macOS Admin" or "Windows Admin", respectively.

5. Run the FileWave Admin PKG or FileWave Admin MSI and accept the licensing agreement to install.

Connect FileWave Central to the server

Open FileWave Central

• Windows: "Start Menu>FileWave>Admin"
• macOS: "/Applications/FileWave/FileWave Admin.app"
  • "Applications/FileWave/FileWave Admin (root).app" is only required for Fileset Magic.

Enter the server Address, Username, and Password, then click "Connect"

• Do not include "https://" in the Address field.
• Leave Port set to 20016.

Credentials

• Hosted FileWave: the Address, Username, and Password are provided by your FileWave contact or implementation team.
• Self-managed FileWave Server: initial username fwadmin and password filewave. Change the default password immediately after the first successful connection.

Save and commit changes with Update Model

In FileWave Central, Update Model commits pending configuration changes. For example, saving a Deployment that targets a software Fileset to a Client does not immediately install it; the model change remains pending until you choose Update Model. Review pending changes before committing so unintended Deployments or deletions can be corrected first.

After Update Model, the model number in the lower-right corner of FileWave Central increments. That change confirms that Central committed a new server model; it does not by itself prove that every Client has received or completed the work. Clients check in at the configured tickle interval to learn whether a newer model is available. A Client with applicable changes downloads its updated manifest and processes those changes; a Client with no applicable changes continues its normal check-in cycle. Use Client status and Fileset deployment results to verify completion on the intended devices.

In FileWave Central, click Update Model in the toolbar to open the Update Server Model dialog. It asks, “Do you really wish to update the FileWave server model?” Choose Update Model to confirm, or Cancel if you are not ready. The dialog is a confirmation, not a preview of pending changes. Before opening it, review your Deployment targets, content, and other pending work, and coordinate with other administrators.

Central asks you to confirm the Model Update. This dialog does not display a list of pending changes.

Practice this in the first deployment

A Model Update commits pending changes from all FileWave administrators, not only your own. Coordinate with other administrators before you update the model.

Follow Fileset Creation and Deployment to prepare one item, review one test target, save, update the model, and verify the device result. The server model number and the endpoint result are separate checkpoints.

Next: review the relevant Central Preferences, then choose your platform in the Evaluation Guide introduction. Configure only the integrations needed for your chosen platform.