Overview
This document will help enterprise customers get started with a Fences 4 deployment. This content is not intended to be used with Fences 4 Consumer or Fences 4 Business builds.
For enterprise deployments, there are two types of machines that we refer to in this document.
Build machine - where you create a Fences layout that will be deployed to a target machine.
Target machine - an endpoint where a Fences layout will be loaded from a local or remote file that was created by the Build machine.
Building & Exporting Your Layout
On your Build Machine
Step 1. Install Fences 4.x Enterprise Edition by downloading and running the installation .exe.
Our enterprise installs expose no pre-onboarding UI or activation prompts for easier deployments.
Once the installer has completed, Fences will be ready to be activated with step 2.
Step 2. Place the Build Machine license file given to you - Fences4BuildMachine.lic - into the directory C:\ProgramData\Stardock\Fences4 (%ProgramData%\Stardock\Fences4, specifically), creating the folders if they do not yet exist.
C:\ProgramData is the location of %ProgramData% on most systems, and should already exist on your system. If it does not, or if you’re finding Fences does not start up, enter the path %ProgramData% directly. Please note, "ProgramData" not "Program Files".
Step 3. Your copy is now activated and you will see the welcome screen. Use Fences like usual to create a layout that you would like to export to the target machine.
Step 4. Export your configuration. You have two options to export your configuration:
UI Method
Open the Fences Config UI from the Start Menu, click 'About', then click "Export Config to File".
You can also use this screen to test importing and enabling/disabling Kiosk Mode.
Command Line method (for use with automation)
Export this configuration using the following command:
"%ProgramFiles(x86)%\Stardock\Fences\Fences.exe" /exportenterpriseconfig "YOUR_EXPORT_PATH_HERE" /defaultsV4 /lockgroups /lockgroupicons /unlocklooseicons
Example:"%ProgramFiles(x86)%\Stardock\Fences\Fences.exe" /exportenterpriseconfig "C:\Users\RonLumbergh\Documents\testexport.cfg" /defaultsV4 /lockgroups /lockgroupicons /unlocklooseicons
Deploying Fences & Configuration:
On the Target Machine
Step 1. Install Fences on the Target Machine
To silently/automatically install without any user interaction required, run the installer from the command line with the following command line switch:
Fences4Ent_4.3.4.1Setup.exe /sExample:
"%ProgramData%\Citrix\DeploymentFiles\Fences4Ent_4.3.4.1-j128-Setup.exe" /s
Step 2. Place the Target Machine license file given to you - Fences4TargetMachine.lic - into the directory %ProgramData%\Stardock\Fences4, creating the directories if they do not yet exist.
Please note, for security purposes, serial number information will be removed from this file once Fences imports it. So - it’s important to distribute the original file supplied and not copy the license/signature files from one device to another.
Step 3. Tell Fences the location of your configuration file using the Windows Registry.
Fences will look in the key HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Stardock\Fences\Deployment for a value named Config which will contain the full path of your configuration file. Once Fences knows where to find the configuration file, it will automatically load it, in the moment it is first found and upon each startup.
Key |
|
|---|---|
Value |
|
Value Type | String ( |
Example | \\CorpNetDrive\SharedFolder\Configs\Stardock\Fences\4\StandardLayout.cfg |
Example command line automation:
reg add "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Stardock\Fences\Deployment" /t REG_SZ /v "Config" /d "\\networkdrive\myshare\MyLayout.cfg"
Additional options are available for fallback/caching in the event of network drive outages, as well as per-user config. Please contact us to discuss your deployment scenario.
If you prefer, you can specify your configuration path at runtime instead of specifying it in the registry. You can do this by executing the command Fences.exe /applyenterpriseconfig "YOUR_CONFIG_FILE_PATH_HERE" starting at the time the user logs in or any time after.
Step 4. Fences should now be loaded with your standardized configuration.
Reaching support
For customers with an active support contract, you can file an expedited support request here. For all other support inquiries, please contact support@stardock.com.