Deploy settings?

[joebrug]

Do you guys have tips/methods on how to pre-configure Everything (server?) so users don't have to add Network Indexes, etc when they launch?

[void]

Setting network indexes for all clients with Group Policy is currently in development.

I will have adm/admx support soon.



For now, you will need to set the network index manually for each client.

[joebrug]

Thanks @void. Happy to test when that comes around. Assume you could set a preferred config and then push out the .ini to others or is there more to it?

[void]

You can push out Everything.ini to clients.

The Everything.ini is stored in %APPDATA%\Everything

Setup a single client and then push that same Everything.ini to other clients.
-or-
Setup a single client and then push the network index settings appended to the existing client Everything.ini


network index settings

[raccoon]

Pro Tip:

You can merge settings from one Everything.ini into another Everything.ini without tediously weeding out the old settings to be replaced.
JUST paste the new settings to the BOTTOM of the file and they will take precedence. Everything will automatically prune and sort all of the settings, removing duplicates, and favoring the bottom-most setting when it encounters duplicates.

Edit the Everything.ini when Everything.exe is not running, or by typing about:config into the Everything search bar.

Request: Persistent Everything.ini monitoring to permit remote editing of the settings even while Everything.exe is running, so the changes are detected and Everything automatically restarts. Maybe by placing a magic line in the Everything.ini that reads "RESTART-NOW!!!" or "restart-now=1". (but only restart if Everything is capable and has permission to edit the INI to remove the magic line, to prevent restart looping.)

[joebrug]

Thanks for the tips! Do you have a preferred method of appending a users everything.ini file automatically during login or someway? Not all users will have same settings, so probably cant overwrite their ini every time with my master one. I think @void's GPO will eventually accomplish this easily.

Can users share an ini file? Wondering if I could keep the master .ini in a central location vs in each users %appdata%..

[void]

For now, you might like to try launching Everything on the client with:

Everything.exe -install-config "network-index-settings.ini"

where network-index-settings.ini might look like:

Code: Select all

[Everything]
network_index_hosts=server
network_index_username="My username"
network_index_password="My password"
network_index_include_only="C:"
network_index_mount="\\server\c$"
network_index_monitor_changes=1
network_index_multithreaded=0
auto_include_fixed_volumes=0
auto_include_removable_volumes=0
auto_remove_offline_ntfs_volumes=0
auto_move_ntfs_volumes=0
auto_include_fixed_refs_volumes=0
auto_include_removable_refs_volumes=0
auto_remove_offline_refs_volumes=0
auto_move_refs_volumes=0
auto_include_fixed_fat_volumes=0
auto_include_removable_fat_volumes=0
auto_remove_offline_fat_volumes=0
auto_move_fat_volumes=0
auto_include_remote_volumes=0
auto_remove_offline_remote_volumes=0
ntfs_volume_paths=
ntfs_volume_guids=
ntfs_volume_roots=
ntfs_volume_includes=
ntfs_volume_include_onlys=
ntfs_volume_label=
ntfs_volume_monitors=
ntfs_volume_multithreaded=
ntfs_volume_drive_type=
ntfs_volume_load_recent_changes=
ntfs_volume_user_added=
ntfs_volume_serial_number=
ntfs_volume_real=
refs_volume_paths=
refs_volume_guids=
refs_volume_roots=
refs_volume_includes=
refs_volume_include_onlys=
refs_volume_label=
refs_volume_monitors=
refs_volume_multithreaded=
refs_volume_drive_type=
refs_volume_load_recent_changes=
refs_volume_user_added=
refs_volume_serial_number=
refs_volume_real=
remote_volume_paths=
remote_volume_guids=
remote_volume_roots=
remote_volume_includes=
remote_volume_include_onlys=
remote_volume_monitors=
remote_volume_multithreaded=
remote_volume_buffer_size=
remote_volume_rescan_if_full=
remote_volume_update_type=
remote_volume_update_interval=
remote_volume_update_interval_type=
remote_volume_update_day=
remote_volume_update_at=
remote_volume_fast_update=
remote_volume_user_added=
folders=
folder_subfolders=
folder_monitor_changes=
folder_buffer_size_list=
folder_rescan_if_full_list=
folder_update_types=
folder_update_days=
folder_update_ats=
folder_update_intervals=
folder_update_interval_types=
folder_multithreaded=
folder_fast_update=
filelists=
filelist_monitor_changes=
filelist_multithreaded=

Then launch Everything normally:

Everything.exe


-or-


Everything.exe -volumes "" -network-indexes "server"



Notes:

Make sure Everything is not already running on the client.


I'm working on the syntax for these -volumes and -network-indexes command line options and they are likely to change.
They can also be set as a policy now, but you will need to manually set these settings in HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Policies\voidtools\Everything on each client.

For example, create a string value called volumes and leave the data blank.
Create a network_indexes string value and set the data to your server name.

Setting detailed network index information is currently too experimental and will change in the next alpha update.
So only the host name is currently supported. All other network index options will be set to the defaults.

Request: Persistent Everything.ini monitoring

I will consider persistent Everything.ini monitoring.
Thanks for the suggestion.

For now, Everything will only monitor for remote changes to the Everything.ini after opening your Everything.ini with about:config

[joebrug]

Thanks for the detailed post.

You mentioned the registry keys.. are you planning on Utilizing HKCU instead of/in addition to HKLM so users can have different settings?

[void]

Both HKCU and HKLM will be supported.

HKLM policies will take precedence over HKCU policies.

[joebrug]

I'm just testing the HKLM registry settings.. I deleted the everything.ini files that I could find in %localappdata% and roaming.

I created HKLM\Policies\voidtools\Everything keys
created a String for "volumes" and left it blank
created a String for "network-indexes" and added my servername (Fileserver2)

Upon launching Everything, I'm prompted with the "Everything requires administrative privileges to index system NTFS volumes...."
"Install service?
Run index process as administrator
Run as administrator
manual configuration"

How is that avoided?

Looking at Options, nothing was added to Network Index tab from the registry. See screenshot of Procmon.. the items are being read, but dont seem to be acknowledged in Everything?

[joebrug]

For now, you might like to try launching Everything on the client with:

Everything.exe -install-config "network-index-settings.ini"

Not sure if I'm doing something wrong or if I'm hitting bugs..

If I create an .ini file with the below.. using "everything64.exe -install-config x:\everything.ini", the Everything window wont open up until I remove the "-install-config" but it does have my settings.

Code: Select all

[Everything]
alternate_row_color=1
preview_visible=1
network_index_hosts=fileserver2
network_index_username=
network_index_password=
network_index_include_only=
network_index_mount=
network_index_monitor_changes=1
network_index_multithreaded=0
auto_include_fixed_volumes=0
auto_include_removable_volumes=0
auto_remove_offline_ntfs_volumes=0
auto_move_ntfs_volumes=0
auto_include_fixed_refs_volumes=0
auto_include_removable_refs_volumes=0
auto_remove_offline_refs_volumes=0
auto_move_refs_volumes=0
auto_include_fixed_fat_volumes=0
auto_include_removable_fat_volumes=0
auto_remove_offline_fat_volumes=0
auto_move_fat_volumes=0
auto_include_remote_volumes=0
auto_remove_offline_remote_volumes=0
ntfs_volume_paths=
ntfs_volume_guids=
ntfs_volume_roots=
ntfs_volume_includes=
ntfs_volume_include_onlys=
ntfs_volume_label=
ntfs_volume_monitors=
ntfs_volume_multithreaded=
ntfs_volume_drive_type=
ntfs_volume_load_recent_changes=
ntfs_volume_user_added=
ntfs_volume_serial_number=
ntfs_volume_real=
refs_volume_paths=
refs_volume_guids=
refs_volume_roots=
refs_volume_includes=
refs_volume_include_onlys=
refs_volume_label=
refs_volume_monitors=
refs_volume_multithreaded=
refs_volume_drive_type=
refs_volume_load_recent_changes=
refs_volume_user_added=
refs_volume_serial_number=
refs_volume_real=
remote_volume_paths=
remote_volume_guids=
remote_volume_roots=
remote_volume_includes=
remote_volume_include_onlys=
remote_volume_monitors=
remote_volume_multithreaded=
remote_volume_buffer_size=
remote_volume_rescan_if_full=
remote_volume_update_type=
remote_volume_update_interval=
remote_volume_update_interval_type=
remote_volume_update_day=
remote_volume_update_at=
remote_volume_fast_update=
remote_volume_user_added=
folders=
folder_subfolders=
folder_monitor_changes=
folder_buffer_size_list=
folder_rescan_if_full_list=
folder_update_types=
folder_update_days=
folder_update_ats=
folder_update_intervals=
folder_update_interval_types=
folder_multithreaded=
folder_fast_update=
filelists=
filelist_monitor_changes=
filelist_multithreaded=

[horst.epp]

The -install-config should be used only once
and not on the later use of Everything.

[joebrug]

That makes the deployment a bit complicated. Almost makes it so you have to push out two icons.. one to configure and one to launch (without switches) ... unless I'm misunderstanding.

[raccoon]

Not "icons", but remote command prompt. Or batch file.

[joebrug]

Yeah, maybe run a logon script with -install-config and just have a regular desktop icon. That might work. Any ideas as to why the registry settings dont appear to be working?

[joebrug]

To circle back on this after talking with Void, the registry string is "network_indexes" not "network-indexes".

[void]

There's still a little more to do on group policy support, I'll make another post here once it's completed.

Currently, you can lock most of Everything -> Tools -> Options by setting policies manually under: Software\Policies\voidtools\Everything

Use the ini setting name for the registry value names.

All changed ini settings and policies are shown at the top of the debug console (Tools -> Debug -> Console)


There will be a few changes for the next update so I was holding off on the group policy documentation until then.

[void]

ADM/ADMX administrative templates are now available.

Group Policy can be used to enforce all Everything options.