VFS Installation and operation - SysAdmin

When users drag-and-drop files from censhare into another application, the VFS delivers a path to the file. The path, in turn, allows access to the file via VFS. This article provides information about system requirements, installation, and operation. The VFS allows drag-and-drop operations from censhare to external applications. Assets that you drag from the censhare Client into an external application are available in the system in a read-only mode, just like an external hard disk. You do not have to export them first. Write access to the VFS, for example, to update a file, is not available.

Assets that you drag manually to the desktop can replace an export. However, if the file paths in layouts are to be converted to local paths, use the censhare Export dialog. Users of the censhare InDesign solution can thus mostly work with it as if they were working locally in Adobe InDesign without censhare. The complete Undo/Redo functionality or the placement tool from Adobe is also available. Mac users can drag assets directly into the system's Open dialog to open the assets in an external application.

Hardware and software requirements

macOS

(1) VFS 1.1.2 contains specific enhancements that are required for macOS 10.12. VFS 1.1.2 is included in the installation directories of the following versions of the censhare Client or censhare Render Client: 5.8.x, 5.7.1, 5.6.4, 5.5.7, 5.4.7, 5.3.10, 5.2.11, 5.1.15, 4.10.22, 4.9.19, 4.8.26, 4.7.37

(2) VFS 1.1.4 is included in the installation directories of the following versions of the censhare Client or censhare Render Client: 2019.3.1, 2019.2.x, 2019.1.x, 2018.3.0, 2018.2.3, 2018.1.6, 2017.5.12, 2017.4.11, 2017.3.18, 2017.1.12, 2017.1.10

(3) See the Changes as of macOS 10.13 (High Sierra) below.

(4) Since macOS 10.13 (High Sierra) the installation behavior changed for macOS.

(5) Required for censhare 2020.3.x, 2020.2.x 2020.1.x, 2019.3.2, 2019.2.6. Compatible with all clients using lower VFS 1.1.x versions.

(6) Required for censhare as of 2021.1 and censhare versions 2020.3.3, 2020.2.5, 2020.1.9, 2019.3.10 and 2019.2.11. Incompatible with VFS version 1.15 and below. See the VFS 2.0 compatibility guidelines for macOS.

(7) See the support of macOS 11 (Big Sur) with VFS and Apple ARM architecture.

Your Mac should not boot with the 32-bit Kernel. This might be the case with older hardware before 2009. For more information, see this Apple support guidance for switching the kernel to 64-bit.

Windows

Windows 10 is supported from version 5.1.164.

Hardware

4 GB or more are recommended for smooth operation.

Installation on macOS

Installation

All necessary system extensions for the VFS are automatically installed by the censhare Client installer. For Mac users, we recommend using the latest kernel extension on all devices. For the latest VFS versions, see the

For more information see the censhare System requirements. VFS stand-alone installers for the censhare Render Client and censhare Client are also available.

After running the installer, the client is automatically installed in "/Applications". The kernel extension (KEXT) is installed in "/System/Library/Extensions/" and the associated LaunchDaemon is located in "/Library/LaunchDaemons/" of the boot volume. The installer activates this extension, and thus the Mac is ready for operation without rebooting. For macOS, the kernel extension is a proprietary development of censhare.

If you are not sure whether the installation was successful, start the latest censhare client. Your hosts.xml either displays not entry at all (which corresponds to "enabled"). You only need to modify the hosts.xml for debugging or disabling VFS. If you have already executed an installer, you can just start the current censhare Client respective Render Client. Check the Release Notes for any new VFS versions. If there is a newer version, you have to execute the current censhare Client respective Render Client installer to install the latest VFS version. No edits are required in the hosts.xml file on a Mac.

After the client logs on to the server, the virtual file system is provided by the operating system (mounted as a volume). In the sidebar of the Finder, under "Devices", you can click the Mac icon. Or else, use the menu "Go to ...Computer" to see the mount. Your VFS is displayed as a network volume. It is read-only and works completely transparently.

Control options for developers and admins

In Admin mode, the Client offers a full set of control options for developers and admins. If the client runs in Admin mode, the "Admin" menu displays on the top right. It contains the "Virtual File System" menu item. Here, you can clear the cache or unmount the VFS. Mac users can also check these options using the terminal. In order to restart the extension, you have to close the Client. But you do not need to restart the system:

sudo kextload /System/Library/Extensions/CenshareFS.kext/

"kextstat" lists the loaded kernel extensions. The list should display "com.censhare.vfs.CenshareFS". The command line "sudo launchctl list" lists all running LaunchDaemons: Here you should find "com.censhare.vfs.launchd". Without this daemon, the extension is not launched automatically. If you are in doubt after a reboot, the commands "kextstat" and "launctl" should still provide the same results as above.

When using the VFS with layout applications (InDesign, InCopy, and InDesign Server) at least censhare XML Command 2.8.3 (plugin) or higher is required. As of Client 4.7.7, a warning message is displayed when the VFS is not available anymore (due to unmount or an error with the extension). In order not to destroy your documents, working with Adobe InDesign and InCopy is no longer possible until you restart the client.

Changes as of macOS 10.13 (High Sierra)

As of macOS 10.13, the installation behavior of macOS has changed. Please see the following 

For more information see censhare Client installation on mac OS High Sierra.

Changes as of macOS 10.12 (Sierra)

As of macOS 10.12 Sierra, Apple only allows "Root" to provide drives under the path "/Volumes". Thus the VFS up to version 1.1.1 on macOS 10.12 Sierra, cannot create any virtual drives. Therefore, censhare provides macOS 10.12 Sierra for VFS-Version 1.1.2 or higher. This version contains a helper application with appropriate rights that now creates the mount point.

The VFS consists of an operation system-related part, the "censhare VFS - Kernel Extension" (KEXT), and an application-related part within the censhare Client/Render Client, the "User Space API". For use with macOS 10..12 Sierra, there are changes in the VFS KEXT and in the User-Space-API.

When updating to macOS 10..12 Sierra, it is therefore not sufficient to run the current VFS installer. It only updates the KEXT. Additionally, you have to operate the current censhare Client respective Render Client. See  Hardware and software requirements for a list of Client versions as of which censhare support macOS 10.12 Sierra. Without the respective client, you do not have the current libraries (censhare-vfs.jar and LibCenshareFS.dylib) that are needed for communication with the KEXT.

VFS with macOS 10.6.8 Snow Leopard

Basically, the VFS also works with macOS 10.6.8 Snow Leopard. However, it is not possible to directly drop elements into a Finder window, onto folders, Open dialogs nor onto the desktop. As a workaround, you can use a Finder alternative such as Path Finder, Fork Lift, etc. These allow you to directly export files into the local file system with drag-and-drop.

Installation on Windows

You need Windows 10 (as of version 5.1.164). For Windows, the Callback File System™ (CBFS) from Eldos has been adapted for use with censhare and it has been integrated into the Clients. To use it, the censhare (Render) Client or VFS Windows installer must be used, as it installs the kernel extension. After the installation, a restart is mandatory. A message will notify you accordingly when the installation is completed. The driver creates a virtual volume, with its own file system and simulates a physical drive. You can integrate the VFS as a path or a drive letter. For further information, see section  Configuration.

Technical background on VFS for administrators

Whenever you export an asset from the client with drag-and-drop, a REST URL is created and applied as a directory structure in the VFS. This directory structure allows access to a dummy file that contains the result of the REST query.

Example path:  /my_mount_point/service/assets/asset/id/12345/storage/master/file/CsVfs_dummyFile.jpg

Access to this dummy file remains until the Client is terminated. For example, when this URL is stored in an InDesign document, the application must also find the file "CsVfs_dummyFile.jpg" if it was not re-exported after a restart of the client using drag-and-drop. With macOS, this is not a problem, since every application normally makes a request to the full path. For example:

"/my_mount_point/service/assets/asset/id/12345/storage/master/file/CsVfs_dummyFile.jpg" .

The entire REST URL is available. Unfortunately, this does not work with Windows because the address is only partially requested. This means the first request is:

"\localhost\my_mount_point\service"

The next request is:

"\localhost\my_mount_point\service\assets"

The client uses the partial REST validation to determine whether a request is a partially valid REST URL (for example, "\localhost\my_mount_point\service\assets") or not and responds accordingly with "is file", "is directory", or "does not exist".

Configuration

The virtual file system is activated by default as of censhare 4.7.x-Clients. You may also disable it.

If you are still working with InDesign in parallel during the migration phase, it is also possible to create a further host entry with VFS disabled. This allows you to log on to a censhare system without activating the virtual file system. Copy the existing Hosts entry and in there, deactivate VFS. The plugin 2.8.x, which is mandatory for use with VFS, works without VFS as before.

You can also find out which version of VFS is currently installed in the splash screen or after the client start under "About censhare Client". The VFS system extension is regularly adapted to new operating system versions. You can obtain the current version via the installer.

Windows - Setting up the host entry

Under Windows, there are several ways to mount the virtual filesystem. For this purpose, you have to edit the "hosts.xml" file. For further information, see 

Specifics using the VFS

FAQs

VFS is not available right after the start of the Client

Run the Client/Render Client Installer again if the VFS was not detected immediately after the Client was started. Alternatively, Mac users should repair the user permissions of the boot volume. The Windows installers also offer a Repair and Uninstall function that you should use before re-installing.

Special case Windows: In mixed operation with test and production systems, different VFS versions are often used in parallel. Since the Windows installer of the censhare (Render-)Client removes older VFS versions, the VFS must be reinstalled on older clients using the VFS stand-alone installer. VFS stand-alone installers install only the version included in the installer. They do not remove any other VFS versions.

Differing VFS versions on Windows and macOS

The VFS version displayed in the "About censhare Client" window differs for macOS and Windows since a third-party technology (Eldos CBFS) is used for Windows.

No versioning for placements without plugin

Summary

When placing an asset in an image or a layout within an application program using the VFS, there is no version-dependent relation. The path for the placed asset always points to the current version of the asset. At the latest, when you open the asset again, the application displays the changed new version. The issue relates to applications without censhare plugin support for macOS and Windows.

Description

On macOS with censhare, you can place assets into graphics or layout applications using drag-and-drop. With the VFS, censhare provides a path to the current version of the master file of the asset in censhare. The master file is placed using this VFS path as a link.

If the master file changes, the link points to the current, changed version of the master file. The versioning of the file that censhare provides does not apply here. censhare internally stores the changed master file as a new version but the linked VFS path always points to the latest version of the master file. Therefore, this link does not contain any information about a specific version number.

Therefore, it is fully up to the user to determine whether the linked file has changed since the placement.

This problem is visible when using Adobe Illustrator CC 2015, for example. A user places an Illustrator file stored in censhare into another Illustrator file in censhare using drag-and-drop. A second user changes the placed Illustrator file in censhare. If the first user opens the Illustrator file he has created, the changed version of the placed Illustrator file displays without further warnings.

As a workaround, you can at best duplicate the asset which you want to place. You can use the other asset to edit or adapt it for other purposes.

However, this approach has a drawback in that two independent versions of the same content are created. A user may later have to replace the placed version with the edited version.

VFS name in specific situations

Generally, you do not need to pay attention to the choice of VFS name. However, in some situations, you must ensure that problems with third-party software do not affect the operation of censhare.

In the following situations, always pay attention to the choice of the VFS name or the constellation of the system:

• You use Adobe InDesign Server up to version 5.5.

• Two or more Render Clients are running on the same Windows system.

• Both cases meet your system configuration.

For further information, see  Choice of VFS name in specific situations.