Configuring Automatic Updates with Registry Settings
In addition to using the Automatic Updates dialog, you can configure automatic updates on the server computer and client computers with Microsoft Windows registry settings. For the changes to take effect, you must restart the M-Files Server service. For more information on automatic updates, see Updating M-Files.
Disabling or enabling automatic updates
Add or edit the following Windows registry setting to disable or enable the automatic updates. To make sure that your M-Files software is always up to date, do not disable automatic updates.
| Key | HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Motive\M-Files\Common\Updates | |
|---|---|---|
| Value name | Enabled | |
| Value type | REG_DWORD | |
| Description | If the value is set to 0, automatic updates are disabled on the target computer, including manual update checks with the Automatic Updates dialog. You can update the software by downloading and running the installation package by hand. | |
| Default value | The default value is 1. | |
| Valid values | 1 | Updates are enabled on the computer. |
| 0 | Updates are disabled on the computer. | |
Disabling or enabling automatic update features
Add or edit the Windows registry settings in this section to disable or enable specific features of automatic updates.
Disabling or enabling the setting for automatic update installation
| Key | HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Motive\M-Files\<version>\Common\MFAUClient | |
|---|---|---|
| Value name | AllowToUseAutoInstallationFeature | |
| Value type | REG_DWORD | |
| Description | If the value is set to 0, installing automatic updates is disabled and only the Download updates automatically option is visible on the Settings tab in the Automatic Updates dialog. You can still install updates in the Installation tab of the Automatic Updates dialog. | |
| Default value | The default value is 1. | |
| Valid values | 1 | The setting Install updates automatically is shown on the Settings tab. |
| 0 | The setting Install updates automatically is not shown and updates are not automatically installed. | |
Disabling or enabling automatic update installation
| Key | HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Motive\M-Files\<version>\Common\MFAUClient | |
|---|---|---|
| Value name | EnableAutoInstallation | |
| Value type | REG_DWORD | |
| Description | With this setting, you can specify whether automatic updates are automatically installed. If the setting AllowToUseAutoInstallationFeature is set to 0, this setting has no effect. | |
| Default value | The default value is 0. | |
| Valid values | 0 | Automatic updates are not automatically installed. The Install updates automatically option is disabled on the Settings tab of the Automatic Updates dialog. |
| 1 | Automatic updates are automatically installed. The Install updates automatically option is enabled on the Settings tab of the Automatic Updates dialog. | |
Disabling or enabling automatic update downloads
| Key | HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Motive\M-Files\<version>\Common\MFAUClient | |
|---|---|---|
| Value name | EnableUpdates | |
| Value type | REG_DWORD | |
| Description | If the value is set to 0, M-Files no longer downloads updates automatically, but you can run the update check manually in the Installation tab of the Automatic Updates dialog. | |
| Default value | The default value is 1. | |
| Valid values | 1 | M-Files automatically checks for updates and downloads a new version if one is available. |
| 0 | M-Files does not check for new versions automatically. | |
Disabling or enabling automatic update options in the user interface
| Key | HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Motive\M-Files\<version>\Common\MFAUClient | |
|---|---|---|
| Value name | CanConfigureAutoInstallingViaUi | |
| Value type | REG_DWORD | |
| Description | If the value is set to 0, the settings shown on the Settings tab in the Automatic Updates dialog cannot be changed. | |
| Default value | The default value is 1 for Microsoft Windows Server operating systems and 0 for other operating systems. | |
| Valid values | 1 | Settings shown on the Settings tab in the Automatic Updates dialog can be changed. |
| 0 | Settings shown on the Settings tab in the Automatic Updates dialog cannot be changed. | |
Controlling the installation deadline
If necessary, you can adjust the installation deadline and the amount of time by which users can delay the installation. Add the following registry settings on the target computer to adjust the installation deadline:
| Key | HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Motive\M-Files\<version>\Common\MFAUClient | |
|---|---|---|
| Value name | PostponeDurationInHours | |
| Value type | REG_DWORD | |
| Description | Users can delay the installation process once before it is started. Edit this value to change the number of hours by which users can delay the installation process by selecting Update Later in the options dialog. | |
| Default value | 10 | The default value for the additional delay is 10 hours. |
| Valid values | Any number of hours. | |
Defining the installation schedule
You can select the preferred days and time of installing M-Files updates. It is recommended that you select a date and time that is outside working hours so that installing updates does not interrupt daily M-Files tasks in the organization.
Note that the computer must be running and not in sleep or hibernate mode when the update is scheduled to be installed. If the computer is not running when the scheduled installation time occurs, the update is attempted to be installed or scheduled the next time the computer is started.
Add the following registry settings on the target computer to define an installation schedule:
| Key | HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Motive\M-Files\<version>\Common\MFAUClient | |
|---|---|---|
| Value name | AutoInstallDays | |
| Value type | REG_SZ | |
| Description | One or more days when automatic updates are attempted to be installed. Separate multiple values with a semicolon. | |
| Default value | mon;tue;wed;thu;fri;sat;sun | By default, automatic updates are attempted to be installed every day of the week. |
| Valid values | mon | Monday |
| tue | Tuesday | |
| wed | Wednesday | |
| thu | Thursday | |
| fri | Friday | |
| sat | Saturday | |
| sun | Sunday | |
| Key | HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Motive\M-Files\<version>\Common\MFAUClient | |
|---|---|---|
| Value name | AutoInstallTimeOfDay | |
| Value type | REG_SZ | |
| Description | The time of day in 24-hour format when automatic updates are attempted to be installed. | |
| Default value | 02:00 | By default, automatic updates are attempted to be installed at 02:00. |
| Valid values | Any valid time of day. | |
Defining the maximum random added delay before the update
You can add random delay to the beginning of the automatic updates by adding the following registry setting on the target computer:
| Key | HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Motive\M-Files\<version>\Common\MFAUClient | |
|---|---|---|
| Value name | AdditionalMaxRandomSleepingPeriod | |
| Value type | REG_DWORD | |
| Description | The maximum value for the random delay (in other words sleeping) added to the main sleeping period (default: one hour) at the beginning of the automatic updates poll-download-install cycle. The randomness establishes a crude form of load balancing in a network. When defining the value, take into consideration that too large values may impact polling frequency and that also several other registry settings affect the sleeping period and installation. Their combined effect can result in unwanted consequences, such as preventing a user from postponing the installation during office hours or delaying the download to occur only after a weekly installation day. With the default settings, the poll-download-install cycle restarts every 1-2 hours with a mean value of 1.5 hours. | |
| Default value | 3600 | The default maximum added delay value is one hour (3600 seconds). |
| Valid values | 0 | No random added delay. |
| <1-86400> | Maximum random added delay in seconds. | |