NoTouch uses several different file types for operations. This article gives an overview of the file types and where they are used
This page provides an overview on common file types used in NoTouch. If you use NoTouch, you'll notice several different file extensions, some are obvious, some are new to you. such as LFI, JAR, LSF etc.
Contents
Download warning
Whatever kind of file you download, but especially with larger files, truncated downloads and corrupt files do happen and cause "weird" errors. Please always check file checksums.
ZIP files
Several types of ZIP files exist within NoTouch:
All-In-One Package
The NoTouch OS All-In-One (AIO) package is a ZIP file that contains a client firmware image (inside an ISO file) and
Migration export files
When using the migration export function from NoTouch Center, the result will be a zip file, named center-migration-XYZ.zip with XYZ being a timestamp. These files can be used via "Restore" in the VA administration console.
Backup files
When choosing to make a backup, using either the backup feature of the Stratodesk Virtual Appliance, or the backup feature of NoTouch Center, the result is a zip file. The file is named accordingly.
OVA files
Our OVA files contain the Stratodesk Virtual Machine. Generally, an OVA contains a virtual machine in Open Virtualization Format (OVF); thus OVA is just a single-file version of OVF. OVA/OVFs can be imported in VMware ESX/ESXi, Citrix XenServer and many other virtualization environments.
JAR files
Several types of JAR files exist within NoTouch:
License files
License files have the form of LICENSECODE.JAR, with LICENSECODE being a short alphanumeric character string. License files are typically small (around 1-2 KB). Read more about licensing here: Licensing
NoTouch Center update files
NoTouch Center updates are distributed also as JAR files (Java Archive). They typically have ca. 35 MB and contain a specific version of NoTouch Center. They can update both standalone NoTouch Center installations and Stratodesk Virtual Appliance based instances.
Read more about updating your NoTouch Center installation here: Updating NTC
LFI files
LFI files contain client firmware images, suitable for updating via NoTouch Center or updating locally.
ISO files
ISO files are CD-ROM images. NoTouch does not explicitely use ISOs, however the All-In-One Installer ZIP file has an ISO as main component.
LSF files
LSF files are client support files. Technically these are of tar.gz format, but we rename them to avoid conflicts with spam filters and email virus scanners (yes, it's that easy to circumvent them!)
TAR.GZ and TAR.BZ2 files
Both .tar.gz and .tar.bz2 are compressed archives similar to ZIP. The .gz extension simply means it was compressed with GZIP, the bz2 extension indicates it was compressed with the better-compressing (but slightly slower) BZIP2. (The .tar. portion indicates that the well-established tar archiving tool was used, which is common under Linux/UNIX; in this world archiving and compressing is considered to be two steps, whereas zip in the Windows world has traditionally done both tasks in one program).