Secure Download Delivery Method
Overview
There are many different ways in which an application can be delivered to an end user and which one you choose to use could depend on a number of factors such as the type of device they are using, who owns the device or where they are physically located, as a few examples. The Secure Download delivery method offers a great way to provide users with access to content that can only be made available to authenticated users and cannot be published publicly.
The Secure Download delivery method provides access to a file that exists local to the AppsAnywhere server. The file is delivered through AppsAnywhere to authenticated users only.
The file you are delivering must therefore be accessible to all AppsAnywhere servers via a permanent network mount/mapped drive (e.g. \\share.uni.edu\appsanywhere\securedownloads) that will need to allow access for the AppsAnywhere LDAP service account.
We don’t recommend this delivery method for files larger than 10GB. With very large files downloads may fail; depending on the download speed of users and the number of users downloading the file. This is due to the additional strain on the AppsAnywhere server.
Before you start
All delivery methods share some basic, common settings that you will need to understand before continuing. Make sure you have read the Common Delivery Method Settings article before continuing.
Once you understand the common settings and how they work, you can go to the application you want to manage:
From the AppsAnywhere admin portal, search for Applications, or go to Applications > Applications in the navigation menu
Click Edit next to the application you wish to manage
Creating the delivery method
Adding a new delivery method:
On the application management page, select the Delivery Methods tab
Under the list of current delivery methods, you will see the Add New Delivery Method section
Select Secure Download from the Delivery Method dropdown
Click Add Delivery Method
The form for adding a new Secure Download delivery method will then load up on the right-hand side
Complete the required details (described below)
Set the Operating System Compatibilities and the Restrictions for your delivery method
Click Save
If the save was successful, you will see the form replaced with the following message and your new delivery method will be added to the bottom of the list on the left-hand side
If there were any errors with the data you entered, you will be prompted to correct these before you can continue.
Delivery Method Fields
The following table describes each field and setting available for this delivery method, it's intended value and an example for each
Field Name | Description | Intended Value | Example* |
|---|---|---|---|
Local File Path | The path to the file you want to give the user access to through the browser when they click Launch | A valid, fully formed file path that is accessible in the same location on all AppsAnywhere servers. | /var/www/appsanywhere/secure/application.msi |
*The location defined in the delivery method is always relative to the server so a file in the network share as \\share.uni.edu\appsanywhere\securedownloads\application.msi would be added to the AppsAnywhere delivery method as /var/www/appsanywhere/secure/application.msi
Prioritizing
Now that your delivery method is in the list of those available, it is important that you prioritize it accordingly to determine exactly when it will be used.
To understand this process completely, take a look at the Prioritizing delivery methods article.
Common Uses
The Secure Download delivery method is mainly for providing access to resources that cannot be hosted as a public download URL. Here are two examples of how you might use this delivery method:
Licensed downloads
If you have an application installer or executable that you are happy to provide as a digital download but for licensing reasons you are unable to make this public, maybe there is licensing information embedded in the program or installer or it's a version of an application that is specifically got the use of students and not otherwise available to the general public, then you can secure it and ensure that only authenticated users (those you permit access to) will be able to initiate the download.
Protected Resources
As the Secure Download delivery method can be used for any type of file, you may want to use it to delivery content to users as well as applications. Maybe you have a content pack for a particular application, or some PDF files for a course that you can't publish online but only want to deliver to students registered on a certain course.