GEODI Desktop Explorer (GDE) is the solution for indexing data from Client Computers in a central GEODI.
GDE is installed on each PC manually or automatically with tools like SCCM or PDQ.
Directories to be indexed are specified in the settings.
GDE processes the new and changed files every 3 hours.
GDE may run as a Windows Service.
GDE does not copy the contents to the server. The contents found as a result of a search are found and opened from the respective computer. If the computer or GDE is not turned on, you can search but not access the document. If you want to make a backup of the documents, you should turn on the "Backup Contents" setting for the corresponding Resource in the GEODI project.
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Setup Checklist
You can follow the information required for installation and the steps from the list.
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Subject | Description | Status |
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GDE Token Should Be Created | GDEs require a GEODI user with appropriate authorization. This user does not have to be real. The Access Key (Token) created with the user will be used for GDE settings. The password for this user must not be changed. https://decesw.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/geodien/pages/3972202552/GEODI+Desktop+Explorer+GDE+Setup#Token-Creation-%5BinlineExtension%5D | |
Client Machines must have port 1982 open | For GDE-GEODI 2-way communication, port 1982 must be open on clients by default. This value can be changed. If the ExplorerPort value is not specified in the settings, GDE will do a one-way feed, you can search for files but not view them. | |
GEODI server must have a public address | The GEODI Server must be accessed from client machines. This access can be via internal network or internet. Therefore, the GEODI server must have a public address with SSL defined. You can test it on the client through a browser. | |
Clients must be Windows, Linux and MacOS | GDE currently supports Windows, Linux and MacOS operating systems. For Linux and MacOS machines, dotnet core 7.0 must be installed. | |
Server Disk capacity must be sufficient | With GDE, data from client machines is processed on the central server and additional space is needed for the generated index (not the files themselves). Assuming an average of 10Gb index for each machine: 100 machines need 1Tb, 1000 machines need 10Tb of additional storage. If you are using the option to backup client files, the disk requirement will increase. GEODI server can create indexes on different disks. Please refer to the related document. | |
Do you want to back up client data as a file? | Optionally, it may be desirable to back up the files transmitted by GDE in a centralized environment. The disk space required for this purpose should be taken into account. | |
Directories to be processed on Client Machines | You can specify the directories to be processed on the client machine according to your needs. The default directory is %UserProfile% (documents, downloads, desktop...). You can see which directories have been entered with Windows Explorer. GDE ignores some file types. Many of these are file types that are not useful for system-related search and discovery. Video and Mp3 files are ignored due to their size and content. You can change the settings according to your needs. | |
Additional Information of Files from Client Machines | In the meta content of files coming to GEODI from clients, the system ip, Windows username, computer name and LDAP information, if any, are written. The scope can be changed with Metadata definitions in the setting file. | |
Client data GEODI resource name | The "Source Name" of the data from the clients will appear in the GEODI Search Interface and in the data discovery reports. A ready-made panel called "Discovery" will come with your project. In order for the data counts from clients to work correctly in this panel, you must also add the diagnostic named GDE to your project. | |
MSI Package and Parameters Delivered to the Customer | Update your settings file according to the information above. You will then be ready for deployment.
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GDE Client MSI Parameters
Parameter | Description |
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GEODI_URL= | The address that agents will use to access GEODI. It is recommended that DNS/port/SSL operations are completed and finalized before installations are made. |
GEODI_TOKEN= | It is explained in the TOKEN Creation step on this page. It is necessary to use a different user and keep the password of this user. If the password changes, it may need to be recreated and reinstalled. |
UPDATE_URL | Optonal parameter for closed networks or if you prefer a different adres for updates. |
Windows Setup
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Action | Command |
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Setup | "<path>GEODI.DesktopExplorer.msi" /quiet GEODI_URL="https://icdemo.dece.com.tr/" GEODI_TOKEN="EAAAAL2FcQ9RvjWM…" UPDATE_URL="http://192.168.1.26:3323/GUI/autoupdate.txt" |
Remove | msiexec.exe /x /qn /norestart "GEODI.DesktopExplorer.msi" |
Update | start "GDE" "%ProgramFiles(x86)%\DECE Software\GEODI Desktop Explorer\Updater.exe" |
Windows Servis Setup
GDE installation may be converted to a Windows Service using the WindowsServiceInstall.bat script in the GDE folder.
WindowsServiceUninstall.bat uninstalls the service setup.
Service mode does not require a login user.
For GDE Exe and GDE Service Mods not to run simultaneously, GDE Exe must be uninstalled from under startup. ---> QQQ nasıl?
Token Creation
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Log in with a user accessing the Source that GDEs will feed.
Open the page: Generating a GEODI Token .
Check Feed Checkbox and enter the name of the Source in the AllowList.
Now you are ready to create the Token.
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Deployment of the GDE Client Package
Script structures vary in tools such as PDQ, ManageEngine, and SCCM, but the operations are the same.
Ready scripts exported for the PDQ Deploy tool are in the XML file. PDQ can be imported and used.
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GDE Software Update
In the default installation, packages use the DECE server to check and download current versions. If there is access to these servers after the above operations, the update is done without any problems.
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Add the UPDATE_URL parameter to the first installation step. The link to the autoupdate.txt file where updates will be checked should be given as http/https.
You can request the updated GDE package and autoupdate.txt file from the DECE Support team. After receiving this file, the URL= in it should be changed.
You can put the updated MSI file in a user-accessible directory and give the path to it as http/https or file://<filepath>.
On the machine installed for Linux/MacOS update, the new version is automatically installed when the new package is to be installed.
GDE central rule setting
Settings should be GEODI server <GEODI_APP>/Settings/Geodi.DesktopExplorer folder named default.json. Installed GDEs will automatically retrieve this setting.
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Setting Name | Type | Description |
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FolderList | string[]* | Used to specify the folders to be scanned. Folders can be identified by separating them with "," The default directory is %UserProfile% (includes documents, downloads, desktop...). A complete list can be found at https://docs.microsoft.com/tr-tr/dotnet/api/system.environment.specialfolder?view=netframework-4.0. Values are case sensitive. Subdirectories can also be defined as %UserProfile%\\Desktop. You can use ["*"] if you want to scan all disks. |
ExplorerPort | int | If a value above 0 is entered, Explorer will run in APP→GEODI→APP mode. Firewall settings must be made in this mode. When a port to be used is defined, as long as the client is open, the content can be viewed on Geodi. |
EnableLDAP | bool | If true value is given, LDAP authorizations of the files are also indexed. Default value: false |
IgnoreFolders | string[] | List of folders to ignore. * is accepted. Used in combination with the settings under Geodi Settings/IgnoreFolders. Example: Default value: null |
IgnoreFiles | string[] | List of folders to ignore. * is accepted. Used in combination with the settings under Geodi Settings/IgnoreFileTypes. Default value: |
Metadata | You can define metadata for parsing files from clients. These metadata are specified in the settings file. The values used in the default settings can be seen in the example file. Searching with metadata is done with <metaname>:<value> Example The defined metadata and their values will be visible in the GEODI search interface. |
Troubleshooting
If no data is received after setup,
please check your Firewall/Antivirus settings and contact your IT consultant.
The client may be Closed
Check if GDE is installed
Check if GDE is running (Geod.Desktopexplorer.exe should be running)
Check if the port (default 1982) is available or not blocked.
Check if the GEODI server is accessible from the client(use ping or a browser).
GDE continuously feeds the GEODI server. A Firewall/Virus scanner may be blocking the communication.
Be patient; The GEODI Server queues and processes data from many clients simultaneously. So the client data eventually be indexed if no other problem exists.
If the IP or Name of the client changes, previous files will be visible again in about 3 hours.
If the client is formatted, it is assumed a new client. The Old index is preserved.
Central setting changes take effect within 1 hour.
Only the name and date are indexed for files larger than 100 MB to preserve network resources by default. This limit is 500MB for compressed file contents. The values may be changed.
When "Client is null \q \n" warning is received on GetLastEror, URL information should be checked through the Registry.