I am a member of a makerspace with a Ham shack.  The computer connected to the radio has a login for each ham who has been trained on the procedures of the shack.  Very few of these users have administrator privileges.

I have been tasked with finding out the recommended way of installing DXLab so that users may, if they wish, use the DXLab suite.

Since each user would be connected to the same equipment, it would be helpful if each user did not have to configure the radio or other settings that would be the same (e.g., all the settings for rig control)..

Would it be best for each user to have his/her own installation?  In that way, one user updating an application of database would not be changing things unbeknownst to other users.  Does updating an application or datablase require administrator privileges?

Thanks for your thoughts and consideration.

Cheers & 73,
Wayne (KC1ONM)

+ AA6YQ comments below

I am a member of a makerspace with a Ham shack.  The computer connected to the radio has a login for each ham who has been trained on the procedures of the shack.  Very few of these users have administrator privileges.

I have been tasked with finding out the recommended way of installing DXLab so that users may, if they wish, use the DXLab suite.

Since each user would be connected to the same equipment, it would be helpful if each user did not have to configure the radio or other settings that would be the same (e.g., all the settings for rig control)..

Would it be best for each user to have his/her own installation?  In that way, one user updating an application of database would not be changing things unbeknownst to other users. 

+ That would be best.

+ DXLab provides a Workspace mechanism that maintains all of the settings of each DXLab applications with the exception of a few settings that are maintained in each log file. This allows multiple users to share the use of DXLab on a single system without logging out and in to Windows each time a new users wishes to operate. Instead, a new user would

1. direct the Launcher to terminate all running DXLab applications (1 mouse click)

2. direct the Launcher to load his or her Workspace (3 mouse clicks)

3. direct the Launcher to start all DXLab applications (1 mouse click)

+ A Workspace is simply a folder with one file of settings for each DXLab applications. Thus after getting Commander configured to interact with your radio, you can copy the settings file for Commander into every user's Workspace, eliminated the need for each user to independently configure Commander. Each user can make configuration changes to a DXLab application, terminate that application, and direct the Launcher to update their Workspace with those settings - preserving their changes for the next time they operate, but impacting no other users.

+ Take a look at

https://www.dxlabsuite.com/dxlabwiki/MultipleUsers 

 

Does updating an application or database require administrator privileges?

+ As stated in

https://www.dxlabsuite.com/dxlabwiki/InstallLauncher

+ administrator privileges are only required if you install your DXLab applications in a folder that Windows considers "protected", like

C:\Program Files or C:\Program Files (x86) 

+ By default, your DXLab applications will each be installed in a subfolder of 

C:\DXLab

+ Avoiding installation in "protected folders" is recommended.

  73,

       Dave, AA6YQ

I began the implementation of this strategy yesterday and immediately ran into a stumbling block.  Trying to install Launcher requires admin privileges.  I can get the admin to install Launcher and, presumably that would allow Launcher to install any of the other applications without needing admin privileges.

Does each user need to have his/her own copy of Launcher installed or can there be one copy shared by all users?

When a new version of Launcher is released, will that require admin privileges to update (either the one, shared copy or the copy for each user)?

Cheers & 73,
Wayne (KC1ONM)

+ AA6YQ comments below

I began the implementation of this strategy yesterday and immediately ran into a stumbling block.  Trying to install Launcher requires admin privileges

+ Into which folder did you install the Launcher? Admin privileges are only required if you attempt to install the Launcher into a folder that Windows considers "protected". See the second paragraph in

https://www.dxlabsuite.com/dxlabwiki/InstallLauncher

.  I can get the admin to install Launcher and, presumably that would allow Launcher to install any of the other applications without needing admin privileges.

+ Windows will not allow two applications to interoperate if they do not have the same admin privileges.

Does each user need to have his/her own copy of Launcher installed or can there be one copy shared by all users?

+ Only one instance of each DXLab application should be installed.

 

When a new version of Launcher is released, will that require admin privileges to update (either the one, shared copy or the copy for each user)?

+ I recommend that you do not install the Launcher in a "protected" folder. Then neither the Launcher nor any other DXLab application will required admin privilegets>

73.

        Dave, AA6YQ

On Wed, Apr 5, 2023 at 04:22 PM, Dave AA6YQ wrote:
+ Into which folder did you install the Launcher? Admin privileges are only required if you attempt to install the Launcher into a folder that Windows considers "protected". See the second paragraph in

I never got to a point where it asked where I wanted to install it.  Every link I clicked on on the page you referenced immediately brought up the dialog to provide the admin password in order to run the installer.  How do I install the launcher without that happening?

+ Only one instance of each DXLab application should be installed.

# more AA6YQ comments below

+ Into which folder did you install the Launcher? Admin privileges are only required if you attempt to install the Launcher into a folder that Windows considers "protected". See the second paragraph in

I never got to a point where it asked where I wanted to install it.  Every link I clicked on on the page you referenced immediately brought up the dialog to provide the admin password in order to run the installer.  How do I install the launcher without that happening?

# Evidently, your system is configured to require Admin privileges to install an application. That's not an impediment; just be sure to not install the applications in folders that Windows consider "protected, and you will be able to start the applications without admin privileges. The default installation location is

C:\DXLab

# which Windows does not consider protected.

+ Only one instance of each DXLab application should be installed.

I'm confused.  My intention was to install the applications in each user's /user/... directory structure so that we did not have to worry about workspaces (disk space is cheap). 

# If you want that, then each user should log in to their Windows account and install the Launcher and the DXLab applications they intend to use. Switching users is accomplished by logging out of the current user's Windows account and then logging in to the new user's Windows account.

    73,

             Dave, AA6YQ