Windows Agent allows you to access local disks and network shares from your Shuttle jobs. You can install as many Windows Agents in as many locations as you want. For optimal performance the computer the Windows Agent is installed on should be close to or on the server which serves the network share.
Network share access
We aim to make it as easy as possible to access network shares, but there are some complexities to be aware of:
- Windows Agent normally runs as a local administrator. This is typically a separate Windows session from the user session. Windows maintains separate drive mappings and file share authentications for each user session. The consequence of this is that you will most likely not be able to access a drive mapped ad-hoc from a user session (via Windows Explorer or
net use...) from Shuttle. Ad-hoc drive mappings should be done from an elevated Administrator command prompt. - Windows Agent can run in service or application mode. The service mode allows you to:
- continue the agent to run after the user session ends
- explicitly specify which user the agent runs as.
- Windows Agent supports CIFS drives and some NFS drives.
- The user who maps the drives must be the same user who installs and runs the Windows Agent.
- Mapped letter drives will not be visible if the Windows Agent is run as a service. However, any letter drives created with the Windows Agent as an app will be converted over to their UNC paths automatically when the Windows Agent switches to service mode.For best performance, drives should be geographically close to the host machine on which the Windows app is installed and hardwired via network. Connections via wireless and USB connections or connections that extend over several miles can create migration bottlenecks that degrade transfer speed.
Adding drives in Windows Agent
The easiest way to connect all of your drives, regardless of whether you are running in desktop or service mode, is to map them as letter drives before the Windows Agent is installed.
Adding a drive to Windows Agent in app mode
- Map the drive as a letter or as a network share.
- Create a job using Shuttle and select the Windows Agent in the UI that is connected to that drive.
Adding a drive to Windows Agent in service mode
- Mount a drive with net use:
net use * \\path\todrive /persistent:yes
- Check if the drive is available for mapping when you configure the job in Shuttle.
Troubleshooting
If you have drive accessibility issues, the first thing to do is try accessing the content on the machine where the Windows Agent is installed, with the local user account associated with the Agent. Make sure you can browse the folder you are trying to access, and note any errors.
For further reference, see Troubleshooting Windows Agent connections.