Although installing 4Matrix locally onto clients is the recommended setup, it is possible to run 4Matrix from a shared folder. 


You will need a LauncherSettings.xml file to help control the update process and set it so that the 4Matrix files are cached locally to the client when it's launched. 


Download a LauncherSettings.xml file from here: www.4matrix.com/files/downloads/LauncherSettings.xml 


Note: LauncherSettings.xml file must be used with a client msi/installation that is later than 3.9.5.0. The latest msi is available from www.4matrix.com/downloads


The LauncherSettings file contains the following parameters, each of which are explained in more detail:


<DebugMode>false</DebugMode>  <!-- Set this to true to show all event messages -->  


<UpdateMode>1</UpdateMode>  <!-- Set this to 1 to run updates as Admin, or 2, 3 or 4 to run as a Windows Service. More info at https://www.4matrix.com/help/update_help_new.pdf -->  


  <CheckForUpdates>true</CheckForUpdates>  <!-- If true, will attempt to check for updates. If false, this step will be skipped -->


  <DownloadUpdates>true</DownloadUpdates>  <!-- If true, updates will be downloaded and installed. If false, only a message showing available updates will be displayed before continuing -->


  <UnzipUpdatesToSubFolder>false</UnzipUpdatesToSubFolder>  <!-- If true, updates will be unzipped to a subfolder called Updates. If false, updates will be installed as normal. This should only be used in conjuntion with CopyLocal-->


  <OverrideTempFolder>false</OverrideTempFolder>  <!-- If true, updates will be downloaded to the custom temp folder specified below (required). If false, updates will be downloaded to usual location--> 


  <CustomTempFolder />  <!-- Required if OverrideTempFolder is true e.g. <CustomTempFolder>C:\Program Files\4matrix\Temp</CustomTempFolder>-->


  <CopyLocal>false</CopyLocal>  <!-- If true, files will be copied and run from the location specified below. If false, files will run as normal. This is useful for running from a shared folder and caching files on local PCs-->


  <CopyLocalPath />  <!-- Required if CopyLocal is true e.g. <CopyLocalPath>N:\4Matrix</CopyLocalPath>-->


  <UseShellExecute>false</UseShellExecute> <!-- This parameter can be used to help resolve update problems. Possible values are true, false, Default-->


  <UseVerbRunAs>true</UseVerbRunAs> <!-- This parameter can be used to help resolve update problems. Possible values are true, false, Default-->


  <ApplyUseShellExecute>false</ApplyUseShellExecute> <!-- This parameter can be used to help resolve update problems. Possible values are true, false, Default-->


  <ApplyUseVerbRunAs>false</ApplyUseVerbRunAs> <!-- This parameter can be used to help resolve update problems. Possible values are true, false, Default-->


  <EventLogLocation /><!--This parameter can be used to help resolve problems with stability issues. The 4Matrix log is automatically written to My Documents but if users cannot write here, this can be a cause of the errors. Specifying a custom location my resolve the issues anyway, but if not, the log will contain more detail-->



Option 1: The Cache Model with Auto-Updates (RECOMMENDED)


  • Install the 4Matrix application to a shared folder on your server e.g. P:\Apps\4Matrix
  • Create the LauncherSettings.xml file (as above) in this folder
  • Open the LauncherSettings.xml file with Notepad
  • Set the CopyLocal to <CopyLocal>true</CopyLocal> and CopyLocalPath to a path users have full permission to e.g. <CopyLocalPath>%USERPROFILE%\4MatrixTemp </CopyLocalPath> and save the file
  • Create a shortcut to P:\Apps\4Matrix\Launcher.exe and share with staff e.g. place on their desktop
  • When this shortcut is run on the client, the Launcher will create a cached copy of 4Matrix locally in the path specified. This eliminates issues with performance and files 'being in use' by other users.

NB: With  <DownloadUpdates>true</DownloadUpdates> left as true, the central version will be updated by the first person to launch 4Matrix if an update is pending. The update process will complete, and then the files will be copied/cached to the client. There is a very minor risk that multiple users could launch 4Matrix at the same time, in which case the update will try to apply more than once and the files will become corrupt. If this happens, re-installing the 4Matrix client into the shared location will resolve the issue. 


An alternative option is to switch updates off and control these manually:



Option 2: The Cache Model with Manual Updates


  • Install the 4Matrix application to a shared folder on your server e.g. P:\Apps\4matrix
  • Create the LauncherSettings.xml file (as above) in this folder
  • Set the CopyLocal to <CopyLocal>true</CopyLocal> and CopyLocalPath to a path users have full permission to e.g. <CopyLocalPath>%USERPROFILE%\4MatrixTemp </CopyLocalPath>
  • Leave CheckForUpdates to true, e.g. <CheckForUpdates>true</CheckForUpdates> 
  • Set DownloadUpdates to false e.g. <DownloadUpdates>false</DownloadUpdates> 
  • Create a shortcut to P:\Apps\4matrix\Launcher.exe and share with staff e.g. place on their desktop


When this shortcut is run, the software will check for updates but not download them. It will only warn the user that an update is available, and they will see an option to open 4Matrix anyway.

To manually update the software the Network Administrator should:

  • Ensure that no-one is running 4Matrix from this location (we suggest unsharing the folder temporarily)
  • Set DownloadUpdates to true e.g. <DownloadUpdates>true</DownloadUpdates>  and save the file
  • Run Launcher.exe to apply the updates
  • Set DownloadUpdates back to false e.g.  <DownloadUpdates>false</DownloadUpdates> and save the file
  • re-share the folder (if required)



Notes


It is also possible to set a Custom Update Server if required, which means that 4Matrix checks a path on your network for updates instead of the 4Matrix website. 


If users do not utilise the <CopyLocal> option, it is likely to negatively impact on performance and 4Matrix may even display errors due to 'time out' issues. This is because the files are being used across the network, potentially by hundreds of users at the same time, instead of running locally.