Files on the server

The Files view enables you to browse the file system of a managed server. The File System has two main sections (similar to the Windows file system explorer): the server’s directories and the contents of the selected directory.

The left side navigation panel of the Device Explorer shows all the directories of the selected server, and the right side of the Device Explorer lists the contents of the selected directory.

For each file, the SA Client lists the file’s name, size, type, and date modified. To sort the files by any of these categories, click on the top of the column.

• Viewing file contents
• Copying files
• Copying files between managed servers
• Copying files from your computer to a managed server
• Deleting files
• Renaming files
• Creating a configuration template from a file
• Creating a package from a file

Viewing file contents

To view file contents:

1. Launch the SA Client. From the Navigation pane, select Devices > All Managed Servers.
2. A list of servers will display in the Content pane. Select a server and open it. This opens the Device Explorer.
3. From the left side of the Device Explorer, select a File System object.
4. Select a user name to log into the computer, such as Administrator, LocalSystem, or root. Select a user.
5. To view the contents of disk drives or folders, expand the icon. Select a directory.
6. From the Actions menu, select View Contents. The file content view pane appears at the bottom of the window.
7. To change the character encoding, select an item from the Encoding drop-down list.

Copying files

You can copy files from a server to another directory on the same server, to a directory on another SA-managed server, or to your local computer (where the SA Client is running). You can also copy a file from your local computer to a directory on the managed server. A few restrictions apply when copying files on a managed server’s file system using the Device Explorer:

• You cannot copy folders/directories.
• You can only copy to servers that you have permissions to write to and to view.
• You can only copy one file at a time.
• You cannot undo a deletion — once you delete a file, it's gone.

Copying files between managed servers

To copy files between managed servers:

1. Launch the SA Client. From the Navigation pane, select the Devices > All Managed Servers.
2. To launch the Device Explorer, open a server from the server list.
3. From the left side of the Device Explorer, select a File System object. To view the contents of disk drives or folders, expand the icon.
4. Navigate to the directory that contains the file that you want to copy and select it.
5. From the Actions menu, select Copy To.
6. In the Copy To dialog box, select from the following locations in the drop-down list:
   • Managed Servers (other managed servers in the core)
   • This Server
   • Local File System
7. Navigate to the desired directory.
8. Click Select.

Copying files from your computer to a managed server

To copy files from your computer to a managed server:

1. Launch the SA Client. From the Navigation pane, select Devices > All Managed Servers.
2. To launch the Device Explorer, open a server from the server list.
3. From the left side of the Device Explorer, select a File System object.
4. Navigate to the target directory where you want to copy the file.
5. Use your system’s file system explorer to select the file that you want to copy, then drag the file to the desired location in the Device Explorer.

Deleting files

Once you delete a file, it cannot be recovered. (However, before you delete, you are prompted with a confirmation dialog box.)

To delete a file:

1. Launch the SA Client. From the Navigation pane, select the Devices > All Managed Servers.
2. To launch the Device Explorer, open a server from the server list.
3. From the left side of the Device Explorer, select a File System object.
4. Select a file to delete from the Content pane.
5. From the Actions menu, select Delete.
6. Click Yes in the confirmation dialog box.

Renaming files

To rename a file:

1. Launch the SA Client. From the Navigation pane, select the Devices > All Managed Servers.
2. To launch the Device Explorer, open a server from the server list.
3. From the left side of the Device Explorer, select the File System object. To view the contents of a folder, expand the folder.
4. Select the file that you want to rename, and from the Actions menu, select Rename.
5. Enter a new name for the file, then press ENTER. Pressing the ESC key on your keyboard will cancel the rename operation.

Creating a configuration template from a file

For any file on a managed server, you can create a configuration template.

To create a configuration template from a file, select the file. From the Actions Menu, select Create Configuration Template. See "Application configuration" in the SA Developer section for more information.

Creating a package from a file

For any file on a managed server, you can create an installable software package. For each package, you can specify the customer assignment, the reboot requirements, and the pre/post install and pre/post uninstall scripts.

To create a package from a file on the managed server file system, select the file. From the Actions menu, select Create Package. See Software management for information on how to create a package.