Package Instructions: Download File from Axeda Platform

Available for: All Axeda Agents, with differences in the way downloads are supported.

After you select the instruction, Download File from Enterprise, the Package Instructions page displays the options for the instruction and the File Upload window, which you can use to upload a file from your browser's computer to the Axeda Platform.

Note: AWP Agents support two types of package instructions only: downloading files to the agent and uploading files from the agent. These Agents ignore any other instructions defined in a package. In addition, you can have ONLY ONE download instruction for IDM Agents.

Important! Axeda IDM Agents support file upload and file download instructions. If the package is an IDM SoftwareDirector package, this package must have a single download instruction and you must select the option, Do not compress. For details about creating an IDM SoftwareDirector package to update the software for your IDM Agents, refer to Guidelines for Creating IDM SoftwareDirector Packages.

If you create a compressed archive for downloading to an Axeda Agent, make sure that you use the GNU tar utility. Otherwise, the Agent cannot extract the files from the archive. The GNU tar utility ships with Linux and is also available in Cygwin for Windows (http://www.cygwin.com). For information about the GNU tar utility refer to http://www.gnu.org/software/tar/.

Procedures from this page

First, you can select a file that is on your computer and upload it to the Platform. Then you specify the parameters for downloading that file to selected assets.

To upload a file to the Platform (for downloading to the agent)

1.       Next to the File field (under File upload status), click the Browse button. The Open File dialog box for your computer appears.

2.       Locate and select the file that you want to download to assets.

3.       Once the file name appears in the File field, click Upload to copy the file from your computer to the computer running the Platform. A progress bar shows the status of the upload, and the message, File Uploaded Successfully, appears when the upload is completed. If an error occurs during the upload, the system displays one of the following error messages:

§         Network error occurred - This message appears when the network is disconnected during the file upload. If a percentage of the file is uploaded when the interruption occurs, the remaining portion of the file should be uploaded when the network is restored within a specified time period (configured by your Platform administrator). If the network is not restored with the specified time period, then this message appears. You must start the upload all over again.

§         Server is not available - This message appears if the Platform is stopped during the file upload.

§         Unknown error occurred - This message appears for all other types of errors.

Now you are ready to set the parameters for the download.

To set the parameters for the download

1.       Destination directory
Specify the location on the asset where you want to download the file. Refer to the notes for your Agent:
Axeda Gateway, Axeda Connector, and Axeda Agent Embedded Agents
Axeda IDM Agents
AWP Agents

2.       Path is relative to the asset's home directory.
Refer to the notes for your Agent:
Axeda Gateway, Axeda Connector, and Axeda Agent Embedded Agents
Axeda IDM Agents
AWP Agents

3.       This file is a .tar.gz archive; unpack it in the given directory after downloading:
Refer to the notes for your Agent:
Axeda Gateway, Axeda Connector, and Axeda Agent Embedded Agents
Axeda IDM Agents
AWP Agents

4.       Do not compress this file before downloading (this setting may be overridden based on file size):
Refer to the notes for your Agent:
Axeda Gateway, Axeda Connector, and Axeda Agent Embedded Agents
Axeda IDM Agents
AWP Agents

5.       This file is an executable or script; run it after downloading.

This option does not apply to Axeda IDM Agents, Axeda Agent Embedded, or AWP Agents.

For the Axeda Gateway or Connector Agents, you can download a script for the Agent to run. For example, you may want to run a script that backs up the existing Agent before sending an upgrade package. You create a separate package that downloads the script and select this option to run the script. Then you can add a package dependency to the upgrade package that checks whether the backup package has been deployed and run.

6.       Overwrite existing files when this file is downloaded to the given directory (or if the file is an archive, when the archive is unpacked).

This option is supported by all Axeda Agents (Axeda Gateway, Axeda Connector, Axeda Agent Embedded, Axeda IDM, and AWP).

If the download is for an asset running an IDM Agent, you MUST select this option if you want to overwrite an existing file. If you do not select this option and the file exists on the asset, then the download results in an error because the IDM Agent does not have the capability to back up files.

For Axeda Gateway and Connector Agents and Axeda Agent Embedded, if you leave the default setting (do not overwrite), then the agent creates a copy of the file in a directory on the asset called axedabackup, using the name of the file. If you subsequently download another version, the agent will overwrite the original backup copy.