Using the software-supported download feature for software updates

Trimble 4D Control Server offers two methods to download updates to the software:

1. Software-supported check for, and download of, update files.
2. Check for, and download of, update files on demand.

This topic deals with the software-supported download.

How to set up the software-supported download of updates

For Trimble 4D Control Server to automatically check for newer software versions, the system properties must be set to Check and notify. To do so, do the following:

1. Make sure you are logged in with administrator-level user rights.
2. Do one of the following:
   • At the System Properties dialog, set the Update mode for software setting to Check and notify.
   • At the status bar, click the software-update related icon and make sure the Automatically check for updates & notify command is selected.
3. Make sure the product-related folder of the Trimble web server is specified. To do so, open the System Properties dialog (to access it, select the main menu command File > System Properties). The URL: Updates of software property specifies the download folder for software updates.

The main steps of the software-supported download of software updates

1. The Trimble Service Administrator software checks whether newer updates are available, and issues a notification.
2. If updates are available, open the dialog containing update information for this version, then start the download.
3. The Trimble 4D Control Server (master) Controller downloads newer updates and puts them into the default folders. It distributes the updates to all connected Controllers (computers).

Step 1: What does the software-supported download feature do at checking times?

At the checking time the following happens, if the Check and notify option has been selected: When Trimble 4D Control Server is connected to the Trimble web server, it checks whether software update files with a newer version are located at the specified web server folder. 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. One of the following happens:

1. A newer version is available:
   • The software-update status bar icons of all connected Trimble 4D Control Server UIs change their appearance to .
   • The shortcut menu related to the software-update icon offers a new command: Show software update information. Use this command to get information on the new version and to start the update download.
2. There is no newer version available:
   • The software-update status bar icon keeps its appearance.

When does the software-supported download 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.

Step 2: How does one start the update download?

If a newer version of the software is available, the status bar shows the software-update icon. Do the following:

1. Important: Make sure all computers participating in the system are up and running. Otherwise, it might happen that incompatible versions are running simultaneously with unpredictable results.
2. Right-click on the icon to open its shortcut menu.
3. Select Show software update information.

   The Software Update Version <version number> dialog appears.

4. Read the version information.
5. Optionally: For storing the version information into a text file, click the Save as button.
6. To start the software update download and its distribution, click the Download Update button.
   • A warning message appears, if a Controller or DBServer is not connected to the system at the time of the download. In this case it would not receive the update files. You may cancel the download here.
   • A progress bar indicates the progress of file download.

Step 3: What happens when the software-supported download is started?

When one has started the download of software update files, the master Controller of Trimble 4D Control Server does the following:

1. It starts the file download from the specified folder at the Trimble web server. A progress bar and status messages indicate the progress of the download. You may cancel the download at any time.
2. It stores the downloaded files in its <installation folder>\Updates folder.
3. In a Trimble Distributed Environment (TDE), the downloading Controller distributes the downloaded files to all other computers, which are currently connected. On each computer, the downloaded files are also stored in the <installation folder>\Updates folder.
4. After a Controller has found newer updates in its \Updates sub-folder, the status bar of the UI connected with this Controller will changes the appearance of the software-download icon to the icon.

Installing the software updates

If new software update files are available on a computer, the installation process is started the next time when you (re-)start a service or application using the Trimble Service Administrator software.

Note - For avoiding the interruption of a running system as well as incompatibilities, the installation of the software updates does not start automatically as soon as the updates are available. You can wait for a convenient time for shutting down the system and starting the installation process.