Objective
Manage and implement updates to 8x8 Work for Desktop as
an IT admin.
Applies To
Procedure
8x8 Work for Desktop version 6.0+ supports automatic
upgrades to save users the manual effort involved in rolling out updates. With
automatic upgrades, users get up-to-date enhancements and fixes without
requiring additional effort on their part.
Initial Installation
For auto upgrade to work, 8x8 Work for Desktop must already
be installed. For first-time installation, admins can continue to follow any of
the following approaches:
Use
a software distribution service like Microsoft SCCM, Dell KACE, PDQ
Deploy, or ManageEngine.
Ask
users to directly download the application from 8x8 website. Users do not
require local admin privileges to install the 8x8 Work for Desktop
executable package.
Make
8x8 Work for Desktop binaries part of the standard image for IT
issued computers.
Supported MSI Parameters
The 8x8 Work for Desktop MSI installer supports
both
standard parameters and custom-defined parameters for
more a controlled deployment. The current 8x8-supported parameters are:
\msiexec.exe /i {ABSOLUTE_PATH_TO_MSI} DESKTOP_SHORTCUT=0
ALLOW_LOGS=0 will
disable debug logs collection on the disk and 'Save Debug Data' option
will be hidden in the UI
ALLOW_FEEDBACK=0 will
hide the 'Send Feedback' option from the app (shortcut doesn't work also)
ALLOW_TELEMETRY=0
will disable default anonymized app usage telemetry
Note: Parameters have default values where = 1
means there are allowed, while = 0 means they are not allowed.
Using Automatic Upgrades
To make use of automatic upgrades, use the 8x8 Work for
Desktop executable package for Windows (not the MSI) for first time
installation. Using the EXE package for installation will install the
application in the user’s folder without requiring users to have administrative
privileges to the computer.
Installing the 8x8 Work for Desktop executable package
requires installation to be done using the user’s account. Admins using remote
installation should run installation scripts from the user’s account.
Running installation of exe using service account will cause
the installation to fail as it will try to install the executable within the
current user local AppData folder, not present in case of a service account.
8x8 Work for Desktop installed via an executable
periodically checks for new updates available from 8x8. Updates are downloaded
in the background and automatically installed when the user restarts the
application.
8x8 Work for Desktop downloads the updates into its app
folder located under the user’s %LocalAppData% folder, and runs the upgrade
from this folder. Anti-virus software with strict policy may stop the upgrades
running from the user’s folder. Consult your anti-virus service to whitelist
8x8 Work Desktop or create necessary exceptions to allow applications to run
from the user’s folder.
8x8 Work for Desktop checks for updates at the login time of
the user, and 24 hours there of, thus spreading out background downloads over a
period of time across all users. Each download is approximately 100 MB.
Installation for Shared Computers
Admins who have computers shared among multiple users, and
want a single 8x8 Work for Desktop application installed need to use the MSI
package for installation. Alternatively, admins may install using the EXE
package for every account on the computer, if the number of users sharing a
computer is small and fixed. With this approach, VOD will be installed for
every account on the computer, with each of these installations upgraded
independently based on the application startup activity for the account. Administrators
may need to run installation script at user level for the first time
installation.
Additional Information
What is the file format?
The app currently uses this format to denote the version
number: Major.Minor.Patch-[buildNumber].
The EXE installer on Windows will also have a ‘b’ next to
the build number: Major.Minor.Patch-b[buildNumber]. (Example: 6.0.0-b491)