Cloud Sync FAQ’s

AXIS Cloud Sync Frequently Asked Questions

 

FAQs

Desktop Clients on Computers and Laptops

Where is my AXIS CloudSync Folder located on my local machine?

After you download the Windows or Mac installation file, you can install and register the desktop client on your local machine. You can then access all of your synced items from one central folder.

By default, Synced Folder can be found at C:\Users\[User Name]\AXIS CloudSync Folder, but users can select a different location for this folder during the installation process.

Best Practice: We recommend that you do not select an external drive as the location of your AXIS CloudSync Folder. Desktop Clients installed on an external drive can unregister unexpectedly, and might lead to data loss.

For more information, please reference the Installing and Configuring the Desktop Client Knowledgebase article.

 

Why isn’t the branded system tray icon displaying?

When a desktop client’s branding settings do not display as expected, ensure that you are using an .ico file for your selected icon. Use a trusted site to generate an .ico file.

Or, you might have deployed desktop clients prior to configuring your branding settings. We recommend configuring branding settings before creating user accounts and deploying desktop clients.

For more information, please reference the Updating Desktop Clients with New Branding Settings Knowledgebase article.

 

Why am I seeing a red X overlay on my system tray icon?

Your Synced Tool service might not be running. Open the Services tool on your local machine, right-click the Synced Tool service, and select Start.

 

Where can I find log files?

Local log files can be found in the desktop client’s installation directory (for example, C:\Program Files (x86)\AXIS CloudSync Tool). Additionally, administrators can remotely access a desktop client’s log files from the Machines tab in the administrative web portal. For more information, please reference the Accessing Logs Using the Machines Tab Knowledgebase article.

I just installed the desktop client; why is it still syncing?

After installation, the sync process needs to fully download the necessary files and folders. On average, this might take a few hours, or even a few days, depending on the amount of data being synchronized.

After a file is fully downloaded, only incremental changes (revisions) will need to sync, resulting in a much faster and more efficient sync process.

Does my synced content take up local storage resources?

Yes; files that sync down to a local machine take up local storage resources. To conserve local resources, you can utilize the Selective Sync feature, which lets you select and deselect the files you would like to sync locally. For more information, please reference the Using the Selective Sync Feature Knowledgebase article.

AXIS also provides top-level Team Share machine subscription options through the use of subscription rules. For more information, please reference the Creating and Managing Team Shares Knowledgebase article.

Finally, you might decide to utilize WebDAV for some—or all—of the content that syncs down locally. For best practices on using WebDAV, please reference the WebDAV Limitations and Known Issues Knowledgebase article.

Mobile Devices

Where can I download mobile apps?

Navigate to the Download page in the web portal to view a list of desktop clients and mobile apps that can be installed and registered to your user account.

When you are ready to download a mobile app, you can:

  • Find and download the Android app in Google Play
  • Find and download the iOS app (for your iPhone or iPad) in iTunes
  • Find and download the Windows Phone app in the Windows Phone site

 

Can I edit files on mobile apps?

If you use an Android or iOS mobile device, you can edit files seamlessly using a third-party application.

For more information on the Android mobile app, please reference the Using the Android App Knowledgebase article.

For more information on the iOS mobile app, please reference the Using the iOS App Knowledgebase article.

 

Does my synced content take up mobile storage resources?

No; by default, content that you can see on your mobile app is not fully downloaded to your device. If you would like to fully download a file and make it available offline, you can pin a file on your Android device, or favorite a file on your iOS device.

For more information on the Android mobile app, please reference the Using the Android App Knowledgebase article.

For more information on the iOS mobile app, please reference the Using the iOS App Knowledgebase article.

 

WebDAV

What is WebDAV?

AXIS CloudSync supports Web Distributed Authoring and Versioning (WebDAV), which is an extension of the HTTP protocol. WebDAV is another way for end users to view and edit files—both personal and through team shares—located in the cloud.

Benefits of using WebDAV include:

  • End users do not need to install desktop clients
  • Shared files are not stored locally
  • Folders and files are accessible through the end user’s native explorer (for example, a mapped drive in Windows explorer)
  • Authentication through Active Directory login credentials is supported
  • WebDAV can be enabled for all users of a given organization, or on a user-by-user basis

For more information, please reference the Mapping a Drive Using WebDAV Knowledgebase article.

 

Does file locking work in WebDAV?

Files cannot be locked or unlocked from WebDAV. WebDAV locks function in a way that would result in excessive bandwidth and CPU usage for AXIS CloudSync desktop clients that are syncing the same locked file. Due to this technical hurdle, the WebDAV client can only honor locks that AXIS CloudSync places on a file, which results in an error upon saving a locked file. For this reason, locking files through WebDAV is not supported at this time.

For more information, please reference the What are WebDAV’s Known Issues and Limitations Knowledgebase article.

 

Why can’t I see the right-click context menu when working in WebDAV?

When working through WebDAV, end users will not have access to AXIS CloudSync’s right-click context menu. Without the right-click context menu, end users will not be able to create a share link, launch the web portal, or view file revisions from their local machines. This is expected behavior, and is not related to the AXIS CloudSync service.

For more information, please reference the What are WebDAV’s Known Issues and Limitations Knowledgebase article.

 

Why am I constantly being prompted to enter a username and a password when working in WebDAV?

In some instances, end users might be prompted to log in each time they open or save a Microsoft Office file while working in WebDAV. While the AXIS CloudSync support team cannot prevent Microsoft Office from prompting for credentials, it might be possible to configure Microsoft Office so that end users do not have to enter credentials each time they open or save files in a mapped drive.

For more information on this issue and a potential workaround, please reference the Avoiding WebDAV Login Prompts Knowledgebase article.

Share Links

Can I set permissions when creating a share link to a folder?

When creating a share link to a folder, you will be able to set Upload and Delete permissions for coworkers with standard user accounts.  If you would like to set Upload and Delete permissions for a user without login credentials (guest users) you will need to create a secure share link.

For more information, please reference the Retrieving and Sharing Content with Guest Accounts Knowledgebase article.

 

Team Shares

Can guest accounts be added to Team Shares?

No, guest accounts cannot be added to Team Shares. You can, however, send a share link to a file or folder within a Team Share.

 

How can I collaborate with a guest user?

If you would like to collaborate with a guest, or with someone who does not have login credentials, you can create a secure share link to a folder and assign the user Upload and Delete permissions.

For instructions, please reference the Retrieving and Sharing Content with Guest Accounts Knowledgebase article.

 

Can I set permissions in a Team Share?

When working in a Team Share, you can lock a file, a folder, or the entire Team Share, thereby setting read-only permissions on that content.

For more information, please reference the Locking Files and Folders Knowledgebase article.

 

File and Folder Locking

What is file and folder locking?

AXIS CloudSync allows users to place locks on files and folders in Team Shares, giving subscribers the ability to set read-only permissions on shared content. This feature prevents other Team Share subscribers from editing and overwriting content while changes are being made. If the Auto Lock Word/Excel feature is turned on for a Team Share, the system will prompt users to lock files each time an item is opened. Administrators must turn on this feature for each individual Team Share.

For more information, please reference the Locking Files and Folders Knowledgebase article.

 

What is a collision?

A collision occurs when one file is modified in two different places at the same time. AXIS CloudSync will not attempt to merge these changes, and instead syncs the first file to finish uploading as the latest revision. The other version will be saved on the local machine, but marked as a collision.

The file and folder locking feature prevents collisions from occurring.

For more information, please reference the Manually Resolving a File Sync Conflict Knowledgebase article.

 

What file types are supported by the auto-locking feature?

  • This feature applies to .doc, .docx, and .xlsx files. This feature also applies to .xls, .odt and .ods documents if the documents are opened with LibreOffice or OpenOffice.
  • This feature is not supported for Word for Mac and .xls files opened with Excel.
  • This feature is only accessible from the desktop client installed on local machines.

 

File Server Enablement

How do I set up File Server Enablement?

File Server Enablement allows you to cloud-enable any folder on a machine and map it to a Team Share or a user account.

To set up File Server Enablement, you simply need to install a desktop client on the target file server. After the desktop client is installed, find the registered file server in the Machines tab of the administrative web portal. From there, you can click the Enable Mapping link and configure mapping to a Team Share or a user account.

For more information, please reference the Cloud-Enabling a Server Using File Server Enablement Knowledgebase article.

 

Why am I seeing an Access Denied error when I try to set up File Server Enablement?

On the file server, ensure that the SYSTEM user—or the user who is running agent_service.exe*32—has full permissions to the target folder and all of its subfolders and files.

 

Can I configure File Server Enablement for a NAS or San volume?

Yes; in addition to local paths, you can specify a network share, a UNC path, or a NAS device as a source for File Server Enablement. For instructions, please reference the Specifying a UNC Path for File Server Enablement Knowledgebase article.

 

If a file is locked on a file server (using NTFS permission settings) will these locks be honored in mapped Team Shares?

If a Team Share has been mapped to a file server through File Server Enablement, locks will be honored both in the Team Share and on the file server. If NTFS permissions are modified on the file server, however, these modifications will not be honored in the Team Share.

Additionally, when you specify a network path as a source for File Server Enablement, the content on the network path will not support the Auto Lock Word/Excel feature.

 

Backups

What is the difference between syncing and backing up files?

When you create a backup of a folder on a local machine, all new changes are continuously backed up. The backup can be accessed from the web portal, but it does not reside in the local Synced Folder.

You can manage all backups—whether they were created by an administrator or an end user—by clicking the Backups tab. In the Backups page, you can manage the content of backups, browse the content of backups, and delete backups.

 

Can I back up a database?

The Backups feature is designed to back up and restore important personal files, including Microsoft Office content, pictures, PDFs, and so forth. These files are typically stored in a user directory or a home folder.

The Backups feature is not designed to back up or restore a database, entire operating systems, or applications; backing up directories that contain application folders, system files, or temporary files will unnecessarily cause high CPU usage, and could affect the syncing process.

For more information, please reference the Best Practices for Creating Backups in AXIS CloudSync Knowledgebase article.

 

What is the schedule for Backups?

You cannot schedule backups; all new changes to a backed up folder are continuously backed up through the desktop client installed on the local machine.

 

Protecting and Restoring Data

What is a remote wipe?

If an end user loses a computer or mobile device, administrators can unlink the compromised device from the user account, thereby protecting synced data from unauthorized access. This technique is called a remote wipe, and is especially useful in organizations that need to comply with certain rules and regulations, such as HIPAA.

For instructions on performing a remote wipe, please reference the Remotely Wipe Machines Knowledgebase article.

 

How can I recover from ransomware?

Ransomware is a type of malware that restricts access to infected content and demands that the user pay a ransom to remove the restriction. The Revision Rollback feature is particularly useful in these situations, utilizing a file’s revision history, and restoring all currently-existing content in the root to a healthy revision at a specified point in time. In these cases, you can use the Activity Log to determine when the infected revisions were uploaded, and then roll back files prior to the point of infection.

For instructions, please reference the What is the Revisions Rollback Feature Knowledgebase article.

 

What happens to an offline computer or mobile device when a remote wipe is initiated?

The remote wipe process will not initiate while the desktop client is offline. When the desktop client comes back online, it will then complete the remote wipe process.

 

What is the retention policy for revisions and deleted items?

By default, AXIS CloudSync retains all revisions and deleted items. The ability to view and restore deleted content is one of many data protection features available to end users. Please note that these revisions and deleted items count towards an organization’s storage quota.

To learn about editing these policies, please reference the Creating and Configuring Organizations and Policies Knowledgebase article.

To learn about viewing and restoring older versions of files, please reference the Viewing and Restoring Revisions Knowledge Base article.

To learn how administrators can restore deleted content for end users, please reference the Restoring Deleted Files in the Web Portal Knowledge Base article.

 

Active Directory

Can I import groups from Active Directory?

Yes; Active Directory, or any LDAP authentication source, can act as a source for user accounts within the system. When an authentication source is configured, an imported user can log in to the web portal using the credentials attached to his or her authentication source account.

For instructions, please reference the Integrating Active Directory with AXIS CloudSync Knowledgebase article.

 

What happens to existing user accounts when Active Directory integration is configured?

If you have already manually created user accounts, and want to convert these existing user accounts to AD user accounts, you must ensure that the email addresses match. If an email address matches, then the system will successfully convert the existing user account to an AD user account, and there will be no need to uninstall and reinstall desktop clients.

 

How do Active Directory users log in?

AD users will register and sign in based on a number of different factors, including whether or not their account is attached to an email address, and the device they are logging into.

For more information, please reference the Registering and Logging In with Active Directory Credentials Knowledgebase article.

 

Data Management

Does AXIS CloudSync offer seeding?

No; AXIS CloudSync does not currently offer seeding capabilities. Instead, you might decide to use the File Server Enablement feature to map a local file server to a Team Share in the AXIS CloudSync cloud.

For more information, please reference the Cloud-Enabling a Server Using File Server Enablement Knowledgebase article.

 

How do end users consume data?

By default, users’ data consumption counts equally towards the Space Quota limit set for an organization. Alternatively, administrators can configure an Individual Space Quota policy for specific user accounts.  It is important to note that Team Share data only count one time towards an organization’s Space Quota policy, and does not count towards any one user’s Individual Space Quota policy.

To learn about setting an Individual Space Quota policy, please reference the Manually Creating User Accounts Knowledgebase article.

To learn about configuring the Space Quota policy for an organization, please reference the Creating and Configuring Organizations and Policies Knowledgebase article.

 

Do backups, revisions, and deleted items count towards my storage quota?

Yes; backups, revisions, and deleted items do count towards your storage quota.

To learn about customizing data retention policies, please reference the Creating and Configuring Organizations and Policies Knowledgebase article.

 

How do I know how much space an organization is consuming?

As a best practice, we recommend that you always create an alert to be notified when an organization has reached a certain percentage of its quota limit.

For instructions, please reference the Managing the AXIS CloudSync Activity Log and Creating Alerts Knowledgebase article.

 

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