SMB Accelerator

Feature availability

Supported in: Resilio Active Everywhere Windows Agents v4.3
Supported storage backend:

Agent installation and Job configuration

End user accessCache access

Agent installation

Download the Agent installer. Open CMD, and run the command
msiexec /i "Resilo Connect Agent.msi" AS_SERVICE=FALSE

This installs the Agent in "SMB mode" meaning it runs without a registered service and operates under the current user’s privileges (the user that launched the CMD).

In addition to this, a separate Agent must be installed as a Windows service. This service-based Agent will function as the Shared Lock Server and Primary Storage for Hybrid Work jobs. The Management Console (MC) Agent can be used for this purpose.

Job configuration

1. The Agent must be assigned a tag that corresponds to a network share. For example:
TAG1="\\10.10.10.10\Users\Public\Shared\Documents"

This can be configured using either:
- The Management Console API or UI
- The Agent’s registry, which the administrator can modify via Group Policy Object (GPO) or by running the following PowerShell commands in an elevated session. Ensure that tag names are in uppercase:

New-Item 'HKCU:\SOFTWARE\Resilio, Inc.\Resilio Connect Agent\Tags' -Force  
New-ItemProperty -Path 'HKCU:\SOFTWARE\Resilio, Inc.\Resilio Connect Agent\Tags'-Name 'TAG1' -Value '\\10.10.10.10\Users\Public\Shared\Documents' -PropertyType String -Force

2. Create a Job profile and add two custom parameters to it:

{
  "smb_proxy_tag": "TAG1",
  "map_folder_to_drive": "N:"
}

The "map_folder_to_drive" parameter is optional. If set, it will map the job’s folder to the specified drive letter (e.g., N:). This mapping applies to all Agents in the job and can be modified during runtime.

3. Create a file policy with the necessary rules, or leave the default rules in place.

4. Create a Hybrid job and assign the above mentioned job profile.
- Select the MC Agent as Primary Storage. If the Shared Locks functionality is enabled, ensure the MC Agent is designated as the Lock Server.
- Add SMB-mode Agents with the assigned tag (TAG1) as End Users and configure the local cache path.

Optionally, assign Agents to the job via Autogroups for dynamic management.

Agent installation

The cache gateway Agent can be installed in two modes: as a service or smb- mode.
1. Install as a service.
Launch the msi installer and complete installation. After installation open Services and change Log On type to the current user in order to get access to the SMB share in the user's session.
2. Install in smb-mode.

Download the Agent installer. Open CMD, and run the command
msiexec /i "Resilo Connect Agent.msi" AS_SERVICE=FALSE

This installs the Agent in "SMB mode" meaning it runs without a registered service and operates under the current user’s privileges (the user that launched the CMD).

In addition to this, a separate Agent must be installed as a Windows service. This service-based Agent will function as the Shared Lock Server and Primary Storage for Hybrid Work jobs. The Management Console (MC) Agent can be used for this purpose.

Job configuration

1. The Agent must be assigned a tag that corresponds to a network share. For example:
TAG1=”\\10.10.10.10\Users\Public\Shared\Documents”

This can be configured using either:
- The Management Console API or UI
- The Agent’s registry, which the administrator can modify via Group Policy Object (GPO) or by running the following PowerShell commands in an elevated session. Ensure that tag names are in uppercase:

New-Item 'HKCU:\SOFTWARE\Resilio, Inc.\Resilio Connect Agent\Tags' -Force  
New-ItemProperty -Path 'HKCU:\SOFTWARE\Resilio, Inc.\Resilio Connect Agent\Tags'-Name 'TAG1' -Value '\\10.10.10.10\Users\Public\Shared\Documents' -PropertyType String -Force

2. Create a Job profile and add the custom parameter to it "smb_proxy_tag": "TAG1". Optionally, enable Synchronization of NTFS permissions, if necessary.

3. Create a file policy with the necessary rules, or leave the default rules in place.

4. Create a File Caching or Hybrid Work Job and assign the above mentioned job profile.

- Select the Agent as Primary Storage and Reference Agent for ACL synchronization. If the Shared Locks functionality is enabled, ensure the MC Agent is designated as the Lock Server. Save the job.
- Expose the job folder for remote users by SMB.

By following this guide, administrators can effectively deploy and configure Resilio Connect Agents for SMB-mode operations while ensuring efficient job management and cache access.

Uninstall the Agent

In order to uninstall the Agent, be sure to follow the steps, otherwise, the mapped drives will remain mapped.
On MC remove the tag from the Agent.
Remove the Agent from the job.
Go to system settings -> Apps -> Resilio Connect Agent and uninstall from there.

Change log and supported items

Configuration
Multiple agents in the same job are supported. They can connect to the same SMB share. A single Agent cannot be added to the same job multiple times.

Connectivity
Agents do not connect to each other and do not exchange files with each other (apart from the case when they all connect to the same SMB share, in this case they share files indirectly via this share).
Agent detects missing connection to the SMB server. All file changes will be synced once the connection is restored.

Mapped drive
Drive is mapped per user, not per machine.
The drive remains mapped even if the Agent process is not running. Cached files are available from this location.
Files deleted from the mounted drive are deleted skipping the system bin!

Shared locks
With enabled shared locks files are available for read-only if accessed directly from the file server.
Resilio Agent does not block renames of a parent folder if there’s a locked file inside it. It’s advisable not to rename subfolders containing locked files. Rename will not be processed properly.

Known issues and limitations

Management Console Agent cannot be used in smb-mode.
Management Console is not optimized to properly report statuses and statistics of the job and agents in the job.
SMB tags cannot be edited on MC, any changes are ignored and not applied.
Locked files are not reported to MC.
File lock update interval doesn’t work
High Availability Groups are not supported.
Not available via MC API.
Agent does not autostart after system reboot. Manual start is required.
On mounted drive files have a "broken" icon.
Multiple smb-mode Agents in one job result in “syncing” status even though all files are synced.
MC will give warning about Agent being of a newer version than Agent. It’s a pure cosmetic warning and can be ignored.
Resilio Agent does not block renames of a parent folder if there’s a locked file inside it. It’s advisable not to rename subfolders containing locked files. Rename will not be processed properly.