Micro Focus Vibe Desktop for Windows Quick Start

March 2021

1.0 Introduction

You can synchronize your Micro Focus Vibe files with your computer, and then modify the files without accessing the Vibe site directly. Additions and modifications are synchronized between Vibe and your computer. If you delete a Vibe file from your desktop, it is not deleted in Vibe, and is synchronized back to your desktop at the next synchronization.

Your Vibe administrator must enable this functionality in order for it to be available. For information on how administrators can enable this functionality, see Providing File Access and Editing for Vibe Users in the Micro Focus Vibe 4.0.8 Administration Guide.

2.0 Supported Environments

To use Vibe Desktop 4.0.8 for Windows, ensure that your software meets the following prerequisites:

  • Windows 10 (32-bit or 64-bit)

  • Micro Focus Vibe 4 or later configured with HTTPS

3.0 Getting Started

3.1 Understanding Synchronization

When Synchronization Occurs

Synchronization occurs at an interval designated by your Vibe administrator. The default is every 15 minutes.

You can manually synchronize files if you do not want to wait for the scheduled synchronization. For more information, see Manually Synchronizing Files.

Which Folders Are Synchronized

Only files in Files folders and Photo Album folders within your personal workspace are synchronized by default.

You can easily configure files in Files folders and Photo Album folders within your teams or followed places to be synchronized, as described in Synchronizing Your Teams and Favorite Places.

It is possible to configure other types of Vibe folders (such as Blog folders or Wiki folders) within your personal workspace, team workspaces, or followed places to be synchronized. For information on how to accomplish this, see Configuring Folders to Be Synchronized.

What Actions Are Supported

When you perform any of the following actions on documents, the action is synchronized between your computer’s file system and the Vibe server:

  • Create documents and folders

  • Modify documents and folders

  • Move documents and folders

  • Rename documents and folders

  • Delete documents and folders

    Documents and folders that you delete from Vibe Desktop are also deleted on the server, as long as you have rights to delete them.

3.2 Downloading and Installing Vibe Desktop

  1. On your personal workstation, download Vibe Desktop from the Novell Downloads website.

  2. Run the downloaded MicroFocusVibeDesktop-x86-4.0.7.msi file or MicroFocusVibeDesktop-x64-4.0.7.msi file, depending on whether you have a 32-bit or 64-bit operating system.

  3. Click Next.

  4. Accept the license agreement, then click Next.

  5. Change the installation location for Vibe Desktop, or simply click Next to accept the default location.

  6. Click Install.

  7. Click Finish when the installation is complete, then continue with Configuring Vibe Desktop for the First Time.

3.3 Configuring Vibe Desktop for the First Time

After you have downloaded and installed Vibe Desktop for the first time as described in Downloading and Installing Vibe Desktop, you are prompted to configure it. This process includes entering account information, choosing which workspaces and folders to synchronize, and choosing where to store information on your computer’s file system.

  1. Click Start to begin setting up Vibe Desktop.

  2. In the Account section, specify the following information:

    Username: Specify the Vibe user name that you use to log in to the Vibe site.

    Password: Specify the Vibe password that you use to log in to the Vibe site.

    Remember password: Select this option to have Vibe Desktop remember your password. (This option can be disabled by your Vibe administrator.)

    Server URL: Specify the URL for the Vibe site where you want to synchronize files to your computer. For example, https://vibe.mycompany.com.

  3. Click Next.

  4. In the Synchronized Workspaces section, click Add, select which folders and workspaces you want to synchronize, then click OK.

    Files folders and Photo Album folders within your personal workspace are synchronized by default. You can select Files folders and Photo Album folders in your teams or favorite places to be synchronized. For more information about how to enable other kinds of folders to be synchronized, see Configuring Folders to Be Synchronized.

  5. Click Next.

  6. In the General section, specify the following information:

    Vibe Desktop Folder: Click Browse if you want to change the installation location for the Vibe desktop folder; or simply keep the default location.

    Start Micro Focus Vibe at login: Keep this option selected to have the Vibe desktop application start when you turn on your workstation.

  7. Click Next to review your selections, then click Finish.

    Vibe Desktop is now running, and the Vibe Desktop icon is visible in the notification area.

4.0 Viewing Vibe Files from Your Computer

  1. Double-click the Vibe Desktop icon in the notification area.

    or

    Right-click the Vibe Desktop icon in the notification area, then click Open Desktop folder.

You can access the Vibe folder directly from your file system. By default, Vibe Desktop synchronizes Vibe files to the Vibe Desktop folder on your file system, which is typically in the following locations on Windows:

  • c:\Users\username\Vibe

  • In your Favorites

For information on how to change the default location, see Changing the Vibe Desktop Location on Your File System.

You should not synchronize files to a location on a network that can be accessed by multiple computers. If the Vibe Desktop folder is on a network location that is accessed by multiple computers, synchronization issues can occur when Vibe files accessed from either computer are out of sync with each other and with the Vibe server.

5.0 Manually Synchronizing Files

You can manually synchronize files between Vibe and your computer if you do not want to wait for the scheduled synchronization. Files must be closed before they can be synchronized.

  1. Right-click the Vibe Desktop icon in the notification area, then click Synchronize now.

6.0 Launching Vibe in a Browser from Vibe Desktop

You can launch Micro Focus Vibe in a browser by using Vibe Desktop.

  1. Right-click the Vibe Desktop icon in the notification area, then click Visit Vibe on the web.

7.0 Viewing Recent Activity

You can use Vibe Desktop to view activity that has recently taken place. For example, you can see the date and time that Vibe folders were synchronized, which files were modified, and so forth.

To view recent Vibe Desktop activity:

  1. Right-click the Vibe Desktop icon in the notification area, then click Open Desktop console.

  2. Click Recent Activity.

8.0 Viewing System Alerts

Vibe Desktop might need to make you aware of various alerts, such as new software updates, expired passwords, server downtime, and so forth.

To view system alerts:

  1. Right-click the Vibe Desktop icon in the notification area, then click Open Desktop console.

  2. Click System Alerts.

9.0 Synchronizing Your Teams and Favorite Places

When you first configure Vibe Desktop, you can choose workspaces and folders in your teams or favorite places to synchronize. You can also configure Vibe Desktop to synchronize files in your teams and favorite places any time after the initial configuration.

Before you can synchronize favorite workspaces and folders, you must ensure that the workspaces and folders that you want to synchronize have been added as favorites in Vibe. For information on how to add a workspace or folder as a favorite, see Adding a Favorite Place in the Micro Focus Vibe 4.0 User Guide.

To configure your teams and favorite places in Vibe to be synchronized to your computer:

  1. Right-click the Vibe Desktop icon in the notification area, then click Open Desktop console.

  2. Click Synchronized Workspaces to display the workspaces that are currently being synchronized.

  3. Click Add.

  4. Select either My Teams or My Favorites, then select the workspace or folder that you want to be synchronized to your computer.

    By default, only Files folders and Photo Album folders can be synchronized. Other folder types cannot be selected by default. For information on how to configure these folders to be synchronized, see Configuring Folders to Be Synchronized.

  5. Click OK.

10.0 Configuring Folders to Be Synchronized

10.1 Synchronizing Files Folders and Photo Album Folders

Files folders and Photo Album folders can be easily synchronized to your computer with Vibe Desktop because they require each file to have a unique name. For more information on how to synchronize Files folders and Photo Album folders that are not already synchronized, see Synchronizing Your Teams and Favorite Places.

10.2 Synchronizing Mirrored Files Folders and Micro-Blog Folders

Synchronizing Mirrored Files folders and Micro-Blog folders is not supported in this release of Vibe Desktop.

10.3 Synchronizing All Other Folder Types

Some types of Vibe folders (such as Blog folders and Wiki folders) must first be configured in Vibe to require unique file names in order to be synchronized with Vibe Desktop. This is because, by default, these types of folders allow you to add multiple files with the same name to a single folder. Synchronizing folders that have multiple files with the same name would be confusing in Vibe Desktop (because when you view a folder through Vibe Desktop, you see only the files that are within the folder and not the entries that contain each file).

You can configure folders such as Blog folders to require unique file names if you have rights to edit the folder in Vibe. After you configure a folder in this way, you can then synchronize the folder to your computer with Vibe Desktop.

  1. When you access Vibe from your browser, navigate to the folder that you want to configure to support Vibe Desktop.

  2. Click the Configure icon next to the folder name, then click Edit Folder.

  3. Near the bottom of the page, select Require that all files uploaded into this folder have a unique name.

  4. Click OK.

11.0 Changing the Vibe Desktop Location on Your File System

By default, Vibe Desktop is installed in the c:\Users\username\Vibe folder on your file system.

The Vibe folder contains a folder that is named after the Vibe account name that you created when you first configured Vibe Desktop, as described in Configuring Vibe Desktop for the First Time. This folder contains all of your synchronized files. To quickly access this folder, follow the steps in Viewing Vibe Files from Your Computer.

When you first configure Vibe Desktop, you can specify the installation location on your file system. You can change the location of the Vibe folder at any time after initial configuration:

  1. Right-click the Vibe Desktop icon in the notification area, then click Open Desktop console.

  2. Click General, then click Browse next to the Vibe Desktop Folder field to browse to the new location on the file system where you want the Vibe folder to reside.

  3. Click OK > Apply.

12.0 Changing Your Vibe Account Information for Vibe Desktop

When you first configure Vibe Desktop, you specify your account information and Vibe server information. You can change your Vibe Desktop account information and Vibe server information at any time after the initial configuration:

  1. Right-click the Vibe Desktop icon in your notification area.

  2. Click Open Desktop console.

  3. Click Account in the Micro Focus Vibe Desktop Console dialog box.

  4. Specify the following information:

    Username: Specify the Vibe user name that you use to log in to the Vibe site.

    Password: Specify the Vibe password that you use to log in to the Vibe site.

    Remember password: Select this option to have Vibe Desktop remember your password. (This option can be disabled by your Vibe administrator.)

    Server URL: Specify the URL for the Vibe site where you want to synchronize files to your computer. For example, https://vibe.mycompany.com.

  5. Click Apply.

13.0 Understanding and Resolving Synchronization Issues

Most synchronization issues can be resolved through the Pending Actions section of the Vibe Console. If issues require further investigation, you can check the desktop logs.

13.1 Understanding Pending Actions

You might encounter any of the following synchronization issues, indicated by one of the following icons:

: There is an upload error.

: There is an upload warning.

: There is a download error.

: There is a download warning.

: There are upload and download errors.

: There are upload and download warnings.

: The client has not yet attempted to upload or download the file.

If you are unsure why a document is not downloading or uploading, view the recent activity, as described in Viewing Recent Activity.

13.2 Understanding Document Conflicts

If a document is edited at the same time from various locations, only the first file to be saved and closed is saved with the original file name and uploaded to Vibe. Other versions of the file are saved under different file names and uploaded to Vibe. Only the original file maintains any file comments and share information.

For example, suppose that User A and User B begin editing file1.doc at the same time on different workstations. User A saves his changes and closes the file. The file is saved to Vibe with User A’s changes and with the original file name (file1.doc). User B then saves her changes and closes the file. User B’s file is renamed to file1 (User 'Bs conflicting copy - date).doc and uploaded to Vibe. User B’s desktop then downloads User A’s version of file1.doc, and User B is notified that her file has been renamed.

IMPORTANT:A renamed file can be uploaded only if the user who created it has Contributor rights to the folder where the file originated. For example, if a file was shared with User B, and User B has only Editor rights to the file (not Contributor rights), the file cannot be uploaded to Vibe after it is renamed.

13.3 Viewing Vibe Log Files for the Vibe Desktop Application

If Vibe files are not being downloaded to your workstation as you expect, or you are experiencing other unexpected behaviors, you can see the vibedesktop.log file for more information.

  1. Open Windows Explorer.

  2. In the Windows Explorer address bar (this is the field at the top of the explorer window that shows you a breadcrumb view to your current location), type or paste the following address:

    %USERPROFILE%\Local Settings\Application Data\Novell\Vibe Desktop

  3. In the Vibe Desktop folder, open the vibedesktop.log file.

14.0 Uninstalling Micro Focus Vibe Desktop

If you have upgraded Vibe Desktop since the Beta for this release, you might want to uninstall Vibe Desktop before you install the shipping version. Complete the following sections to completely uninstall Vibe Desktop:

14.1 Uninstalling Vibe Desktop from the Windows Control Panel

  1. Click the Start icon, then click Control Panel.

  2. Click Programs > Uninstall a program.

  3. Select Micro Focus Vibe Desktop > Uninstall.

14.2 Deleting the Vibe Directory

The Vibe directory is found at the following location:

UserProfile\AppData\Local\Novell\Vibe

14.3 Deleting Registry Keys

  1. Click the Start icon, then click Run.

    If Run does not appear, type Run in the Search field, then press Enter.

  2. Type regedit, then click OK.

  3. Delete the following registry keys if they exist:

    • \\HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Novell\Vibe Desktop

    • \\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Novell\Vibe Desktop

14.4 Deleting Credentials

NOTE:These credentials are shared with the Micro Focus Vibe Add-in for Microsoft Office. If you are running the Vibe Add-in, you should not delete these credentials.

  1. In the Search field, type credential manager, then press Enter.

  2. Remove credentials beginning with Novell.Collaboration.Vibe.

15.0 Vibe Desktop FAQ

See the Micro Focus Vibe Desktop FAQ for a list of frequently asked questions and answers.

16.0 Known Issues

For a list of known issues, see the Micro Focus Vibe Desktop 4.0.8 Release Notes.

17.0 Legal Notice

Copyright © 2018 - 2021 Micro Focus or one of its affiliates.

The only warranties for products and services of Micro Focus and its affiliates and licensors (“Micro Focus”) are as may be set forth in the express warranty statements accompanying such products and services. Nothing herein should be construed as constituting an additional warranty. Micro Focus shall not be liable for technical or editorial errors or omissions contained herein. The information contained herein is subject to change without notice.