Using the automatic update feature for data files

To make sure that the software always uses the newest receiver, antenna, or datum parameters (such as ocean tides) available, Trimble 4D Control Server includes a feature for the automatic update of some of the Trimble common files. All Trimble common files needed to successfully run the software are delivered with the first installation of the product and may be updated with each software update or upgrade. However, Trimble even provides updates to these files in interim periods at the Trimble web server. Use the automatic update feature to check for updates and for eventually downloading and distributing updated files.

Where are the Trimble common files located in you system?

The Trimble common files must reside at a default folder at each computer participating at the distributed system. With the first installation of a Trimble software product, you specify for the local computer the destination location of the Trimble common files, such as the Trimble Service Administrator and configuration files. All Trimble software products installed on this computer use this folder for their common files. If the automatic update feature is enabled, Trimble 4D Control Server makes sure that all computers participating in the system always have the latest version of the common files.

The default path is C:\Program Files\Common Files\Trimble\.

Below this folder, several sub-folders exist, such as the IGSConfig and the Infrastructure folders. For more details see the following paragraphs.

Which files are subject to the automatic update?

By default, the following files and file types can be automatically updated:

Files	Located in (subfolder)	Data subject to automatic update
FilesToDownload.xml	Trimble common files root	A text file specifying the files to be downloaded. The automatic update feature monitors the files listed and enabled here.
antennas.xml igs_antennas.atx trimble_antennas.atx sat_antennas.svm sat_clock_models.txt	IGSConfig\	Antenna brands and types supported by the software, phase corrections, calibrations.
receivers.xml	IGSConfig\	Receiver brands and types, which are supported by the software.
LeapSeconds.xml	Infrastructure\	Leap second information.
Arbitrary number of Trimble .rnm files	Infrastructure\ Receiver Noise Models\	Receiver noise models.
earth_orientation_params.txt ocean_tide_loading_grid.txt	Infrastructure\ Corrections\	Geodetic datum corrections.
Arbitrary number of text files, such as: <receiver manufacturer>_<receiver name and firmware version>.txt files <receiver manufacturer>_<receiver name>.txt files	Infrastructure\CodeBiasCalibrationV2\ and Infrastructure\CodeBiasCalibrationV3\	Code bias calibration files, depending on receiver types or on receiver type and firmware version. If both, a firmware-version calibrated and a receiver-type calibrated text file are available in this folder, all RTX-processing modules select the firmware-version calibrated file. Code bias calibration files are available in v2 and v3. They are automatically stored into the matching folder. If additionally, station-calibrated files are available in the V3 folder (downloaded by the Code Bias Calibration module), the RTX processor selects the matching station-calibrated file for a station.

Where do the updates come from?

Trimble provides a web server, which will always contain the newest available information on calibrated antennas, leap seconds, receiver noise models or geodetic datum corrections. The automatic update feature can monitor a specified folder at the web server and download newer data, if set up to do so.

How to set up the automatic update feature?

Trimble 4D Control Server offers two methods to set up the automatic update feature:

a) The System Properties dialog contains the Updates category.

Use its Update mode for data files setting to specify,

whether to automatically check for newer update data and to issue a notification,
whether to automatically download newer update data and to distribute it to other computers in the distributed system (recommended),
or whether to disable the feature.

Use the URL: Updates of data files setting to view the URL of the Trimble web server computer providing files for update. Normally, you will not edit this setting.

b) Besides visualizing the current update status, the status bar offers shortcut menu commands for changing the automatic update mode as described above. Additionally, it offers commands for checking the web server for new data and for starting the download manually.

When does the automatic update feature work?

The reference time for checks is the start time of Trimble 4D Control Server or, in a Trimble Distributed Environment, of its master Controller.
Every 24 hours (this is the recurrence period) after the start time the software connects to the Trimble web server and checks for the specified file types.
If the automatic update feature has not been enabled previously and is enabled at any other time, the next check takes place at the next day.

What does the automatic update feature do at checking times?

When Trimble 4D Control Server is connected to the Trimble web server, it checks for the specified file types whether files with a newer date are located at the web server. If the master Controller is not connected at the scheduled time of the download, the task is delegated to the following Controllers in the list. What happens then if newer files are available at the server, depends on the selected mode.

If the Check and notify option has been selected, a message appears in the Status Message view. You can also look for this message in the Logging table of the central database.
With the Download and install option selected, the following happens:
1. The newer files are downloaded to the matching Trimble Common Files folder.
2. In a Trimble Distributed Environment, the downloading Controller distributes the downloaded files to all other computers, which are currently connected. If a Controller is not connected to the system at the time of the update, it will get these files from the other Controllers on the next startup.

Note - Trimble fully respects privacy rules. When the computer running Trimble 4D Control Server connects to the Trimble web server, no private or other data is sent to Trimble.