VFS Install and uninstall

With the Virtual File System (VFS), censhare supports accessing assets and their content as if they were stored on a local drive. If not hidden, the VFS displays as a separate drive in the Apple Finder or Windows Explorer. 

Introduction

When users drag and drop files from censhare into another application, the VFS delivers a path to the file. The path, in turn, allows access to the file via VFS. Assets that users drag from the censhare Client into an external application are available in the system in a read-only mode, just like on an external hard disk. Users do not have to export them first. Write access to the VFS, for example, to update a file, is not available.

Assets that you drag manually to the desktop can replace an export. However, if the file paths in layouts are to be converted to local paths, use the censhare Export dialog. Users of the censhare InDesign solution can thus mostly work with it as if they were working locally in Adobe InDesign without censhare. The complete Undo/Redo functionality or the placement tool from Adobe is also available. Mac users can drag assets directly into the system's Open dialog to open the assets in an external application.

Version updates

VFS 2.0.0 on macOS

New censhare clients will ship with VFS 2.0.0 and will no longer be compatible with macOS computers that have VFS 1.1.5 (KEXT) installed. The clients can be started, but an error message will appear on startup that the VFS could not be created.

Some functionality is not supported in such a case:

• You cannot use any VFS-related functionality, for example, drag and drop of files
• You cannot use any Adobe Indesign / InCopy functionality

Ensure that the VFS 2.0 KEXT is installed properly on your client's computers. For more information, see censhare Client installation with VFS on Apple ARM architecture.

Before you install VFS, check the hardware and software requirements in the censhare clients requirements.

VFS 1.1.5 on macOS

Older clients that ship with VFS 1.1.5 will no longer be compatible with macOS computers that have VFS 2.0.0 (KEXT) installed. The clients can be started, but an error message will appear on startup that the VFS could not be created.

Some functionality is not supported in such a case:

• You cannot use any VFS-related functionality, for example, drag and drop of files
• You cannot use any Adobe Indesign / InCopy functionality

Ensure to roll out new, compatible censhare Clients on all your client computers.

Mixed VFS versions in macOS environment

In general, it is still possible to work in a mixed environment. 

Ensure to install both new censhare Clients and VFS 2.0.0 on selected client computers where you want to use the new VFS.

You can keep some client computers on VFS 1.1.5 KEXT, but you must ensure that an older censhare client version is still used there, i.e. do not roll out the new installers on those computers.

Also note that it is no longer possible to install and run new and old clients on the same macOS computer, since there can only be one VFS kernel extension installed (either VFS 2.0.0 or VFS 1.1.5)! Once the new VFS 2.0.0 is installed, you can only use the new Client and Renderer versions on such computers.

For more information, see censhare Client installation with VFS on Apple ARM architecture.

New censhare Client and censhare Render Client installers

All of the above also applies to both censhare Client and censhare Render Client.
Note that new censhare Client and censhare Render Client installers install VFS 2.0.0 automatically!

VFS on Windows

See the section below.

VFS 2.0.0 support for censhare

Client versions starting from the versions listed below currently support VFS 2.0:

Changes as of macOS 16.3 (Big Sur)

As of macOS 16.3, the installation behavior of macOS has changed. 

For more information see censhare Client installation with VFS on Apple ARM architecture.

Changes as of macOS 10.13 (High Sierra)

As of macOS 10.13, the installation behavior of macOS has changed. 

For more information see censhare Client installation on mac OS High Sierra.

Installation on Windows

You need Windows 10 or 11. For Windows, the Callback File System™ (CBFS) from Eldos has been adapted for use with censhare and it has been integrated into the Clients. To use it, the censhare (Render) Client or VFS Windows installer must be used, as it installs the kernel extension. After the installation, a restart is mandatory. A message will notify you accordingly when the installation is completed. The driver creates a virtual volume, with its own file system and simulates a physical drive. You can integrate the VFS as a path or a drive letter. For further information, see VFS Configuration.

The minimum required CBFS version is 2017.0.13.38. The maximum working one is 2017.0.34.104. 

Installation on macOS

All necessary system extensions for the VFS are automatically installed by the censhare Client installer. For Mac users, we recommend using the latest kernel extension on all devices. 

For more information see the censhare System requirements. VFS stand-alone installers for the censhare Render Client and censhare Client are also available.

After running the installer, the client is automatically installed in "/Applications". The kernel extension (KEXT) is installed in "/System/Library/Extensions/" and the associated LaunchDaemon is located in "/Library/LaunchDaemons/" of the boot volume. The installer activates this extension, and thus the Mac is ready for operation without rebooting. For macOS, the kernel extension is a proprietary development of censhare.

If you are not sure whether the installation was successful, start the latest censhare client. Your hosts.xml either displays no entry at all (which corresponds to "enabled"). You only need to modify the hosts.xml for debugging or disabling VFS. If you have already executed an installer, you can just start the current censhare Client respective Render Client. Check the Release Notes for any new VFS versions. If there is a newer version, you have to execute the current censhare Client respective Render Client installer to install the latest VFS version. No edits are required in the hosts.xml file on a Mac.

After the client logs on to the server, the virtual file system is provided by the operating system (mounted as a volume). In the sidebar of the Finder, under "Devices", you can click the Mac icon. Or else, use the menu "Go to ...Computer" to see the mount. Your VFS is displayed as a network volume. It is read-only and works completely transparently.

Control options for developers and admins

In Admin mode, the Client offers a full set of control options for developers and admins. If the client runs in Admin mode, the "Admin" menu displays on the top right. It contains the "Virtual File System" menu item. Here, you can clear the cache or unmount the VFS. Mac users can also check these options using the terminal. In order to restart the extension, you have to close the Client. But you do not need to restart the system:

sudo kextload /System/Library/Extensions/CenshareFS.kext/

"kextstat" lists the loaded kernel extensions. The list should display "com.censhare.vfs.CenshareFS". The command line "sudo launchctl list" lists all running LaunchDaemons: Here you should find "com.censhare.vfs.launchd". Without this daemon, the extension is not launched automatically. If you are in doubt after a reboot, the commands "kextstat" and "launctl" should still provide the same results as above.

When using the VFS with layout applications (InDesign, InCopy, and InDesign Server) at least censhare XML Command 2.8.3 (plugin) or higher is required. As of Client 4.7.7, a warning message is displayed when the VFS is not available anymore (due to unmount or an error with the extension). In order not to destroy your documents, working with Adobe InDesign and InCopy is no longer possible until you restart the client.

If you update Adobe InDesign, InCopy or InDesign Server to a new version, this must be supported by the installed censhare Server and the censhare XMLCommand plugin.