Kenbushi
User Manual

Getting Started

Overview
The Kenbushi application must be running on all computers you wish to share files between. It only uses Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) for it's operations, so you don't need other protocols such as NETBEUI, AppleTalk, etc. to successfully share files.

In addition, you don't need file sharing enabled on your computer, nor do you use the Network Neighborhood, My Network Places, the Chooser, or any other networking functions built into your operating system to use Kenbushi.

Setting Up
Select the Preferences panel and enter a Sharing Password to ensure only authorized users (ie. those people who know your password) can access your shared files and folders. Then choose the Shared Folders panel and add all the files and folders on your computer you wish to share.

If you wish to share files with your friends over the Internet, select Internet (Internet Workgroup) from the Workgroup Setup Method popup menu on the Preferences panel. Then enter the Workgroup Name you and your friends have chosen to use, and press the Join button. Your friends' computers should appear in the Connect to popup menu on the Transfer Files panel within a few seconds.

The fastest way to set up a LAN workgroup (eg. a simple home network) is to select Auto-Discovery from the Workgroup Setup Method popup menu on the Preferences panel. All computers on the LAN should then be discovered quickly and automatically. No further setup is required.

Operation
When you launch Kenbushi, you should see other computers running Kenbushi listed in the Connect to popup menu on the Transfer Files panel after a few seconds. They will also be shown in the Remote User Connection List listbox on the Network panel, and you can see their IP address, their computer name and what they are doing.

Select a computer from the Connect to popup menu to view it's shared files and folders. You may need to enter a Sharing Password to gain access to files on this computer (once entered, the password will be stored and automatically used for subsequent operations).

When you have the remote file list displayed, simply double-click a file in this list (or highlight it and press the Download button - the left-pointing arrow) to begin transferring it to your computer. The file will be stored in the folder displayed in the Local File List listbox. You can also highlight a range of files and/or folders in the remote file list and press the Download button to get them all.

To upload files to a remote computer, the remote computer must be set up with a shared folder which has been set to 'Writeable'. You can then navigate into this folder via the Remote File List listbox, select files in the Local File List listbox and press the Upload button to upload the files to it.

The Sync button works similarly to the Upload button, except that it transfers (uploads and downloads) files so that the contents of the selected folder is synchronized with the equivalent remote folder on the Remote File List. If the remote folder doesn't exist, it is automatically created. Synchronization means: any files not at both locations will be transferred, so that they exist at both locations; any updated files will be transferred, overwriting the old ones (if they exist).

Dynamic help text (based on which button, textbox, etc. you have the cursor over) is displayed at the bottom left side of most panels.

Notes
If you get a message saying that a computer is unreachable, try again. Sometimes network packets get lost (especially in congested networks) and simply trying again can result in success.

A file shown in the Local File List or Remote File List with an '*' in front of it's size value is a Macintosh file with a resource fork. When transferring these types of files to another Macintosh, all file information will be transferred correctly. However, when transferring these types of files to a PC, only the data fork will be transferred (thus, the file may be corrupted) unless you check the Transfer MacOS Resource Forks checkbox in the Preferences panel.

If a control is disabled, the dynamic help text associated with it will be displayed in red. Normally, it is displayed in black.

Further Information
Please read the section on Detailed Operation for further information.

Linux version issues
You will probably need to install a library which Kenbushi depends on, called libstdc++5. If you are running Ubuntu, you should find that the following command line will install the correct library by downloading it from the Internet:

         sudo apt-get install libstdc++5

For other Linux distributions, you should visit the libstdc++5 resource page for the correct version for your system.

If Kenbushi doesn't launch after about 20 seconds on your Linux computer (the startup time depends on your setup), you should try running Kenbushi from the command line. In that way, you can see if there are any error messages returned by the operating system.

The Ubuntu Starter Guide is an excellent resource for quickly setting up Linux eg. auto-mounting NTFS volumes so they can be read, changing file/folder permissions, etc.

The Linux (i86) version of Kenbushi is a first release, and may have some stability issues on particular system configurations. There are a number of considerations you should keep in mind when using this version:

  1. Screensaver activation during transfers may cause Kenbushi to lock up. Deactivate your screensaver when using Kenbushi.
  2. Files with path names containing unusual or exotic characters will probably not transfer correctly. Try changing source file path names so they don't contain unusual characters.
  3. Localization into other languages is very limited on the Linux version, and may not work correctly on your particular system configuration.
  4. Up to 3 remote users can download files at the same time on the Linux version (the MacOS and Windows versions support 5 concurrent users).
  5. File sizes up to 2GB are supported.
Please report any problems to service@lavasoftware.com and include as much detail as possible about the sequence of operations you performed which led to the problem manifesting itself, your Linux installation details, and anything else which you believe may be affecting it.


MacOS Classic version issues
New features such as media playback control and data backup are not supported in this version.

If you have problems connecting to Kenbushi running on MacOS Classic, after previously connecting successfully, try quitting and relaunching the application on MacOS Classic.

The MacOS Classic version is designed for transferring small groups of files to MacOS X, Windows and Linux. There are a number of legacy issues with MacOS Classic which limit it, including memory allocation issues, threading issues and file naming issues. If you need to transfer large groups of files to another platform, it is recommend you burn them onto CD or save them onto a USB flashdrive and then transfer them across, rather than using Kenbushi.

The Lite Edition of the MacOS Classic version is also limited to 2mb upload and 2mb download file sizes.


Important information for Lite Edition users
The Lite Edition has a number of differences and/or limitations compared to the Standard and Professional Editions.

Transferring Files
During the first 30 days after installation, file transfers are unrestricted on the Lite Edition - this allows you to transfer movies, music, etc. between computers without limitation. After 30 days, the file download size is limited to 10MB, and the file upload size is limited to 2MB.

The Standard and Professional Editions have no limits on file transfers.


Data Backup
When using the backup function on the Lite Edition, backup data is stored in a folder whose name is based on the Computer Name entered on the Preferences panel on the remote computer. If you change the Computer Name on the remote computer after doing some backups, the stored backed up data will not be accessible and will caused errors during the backup/restore process.

Backup data stored by the Standard and Professional Editions is stored in a folder whose name is based on the runtime key's serial number, so changing the Computer Name on the remote computer has no effect.

During the first 30 days after installation, data backup is unrestricted on the Lite Edition. After 30 days, a maximum of 20 backups can be performed.


Since the data backup function in the Lite Edition of Kenbushi is only intended for demonstration purposes, you should not backup important data with it. Please purchase the Professional Edition if you wish to routinely use the data backup function with real data.


Media Playback
All editions of Kenbushi can play music and full-length full-screen movies (with wireless PDA remote control) without restriction. After 30 days, the Lite and Standard Editions have their bookmark and Skipmark buttons disabled. Skipmarks already set on movies will work as usual (if the Enable Skipmarks checkbox is checked), but no new Skipmarks can be added and Skipmarks cannot be edited or removed. Please purchase the Professional Edition if you wish to use media bookmarks and Skipmarks.


Wireless Slideshows
During the first 30 days after installation, wireless slideshows are unrestricted on all editions. After 30 days,
this feature is disabled on the Lite and Standard Editions. Please purchase the Professional Edition if you wish to use wireless slideshows.

Web Server

All editions of Kenbushi have an unrestricted Web server.

Verify files after transfer
The Standard and Professional Editions support automatic verification of files after transfer, to ensure file transfer integrity. On the Lite Edition, this feature is disabled.

Encrypt Data
Only the
Professional Edition supports file data encryption, to keep it secure during LAN and Internet transfers.