Installation

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Install Aspera for desktop by completing the following procedure.

Attention: Chrome users - Enable local network access in Chrome to allow Aspera on Cloud to start file transfers using Aspera for desktop. For more information, see Enabling local network access in Chrome for Aspera transfers.

macOS

Tip: If you receive the message "IBM Aspera is an app downloaded from the Internet. Are you sure you want to open it?", select Open to proceed with the installation.
  1. Open the installer and follow the prompts.
    1. Add the application to the Applications folder and then start the application by opening the IBM Aspera application.
    2. Select OK when macOS requests permission to access your Downloads folder.
Attention: Safari users - Configure the Safari browser extension to enable communication between websites and Aspera for desktop. For more information, see macOS Safari extension.

Windows

Aspera for desktop provides two installation packages for Windows: an MSI package and an EXE package.

  • MSI (.msi): Requires elevated privileges. Installs the application for all users on the machine.
  • EXE (.exe): Does not require elevated privileges. Installs the application only for the current user.
Note: If you have an MSI installation, running the EXE installer prompts you to uninstall the MSI installation before proceeding with the upgrade.

Standard installation:

  1. Open the installer and follow the prompts in the setup wizard.
  2. When installation is complete, search for IBM Aspera to start the application.

Silent installation (applies only to MSI):

  1. Run a silent installation using the /quiet command-line argument. For example: 
    msiexec /i ibm-aspera-desktop-version-x64.msi /quiet
  2. When the installation process completes, search for IBM Aspera to start the application.

Linux

Important: Your Linux distribution must have a graphical user interface (GUI) enabled to use Aspera for desktop.

Aspera for desktop provides two installation packages for Linux: a Debian package and an AppImage package. Choose the package that aligns with your workflow and follow the corresponding steps.

Debian:

  1. Install the package by running the following command: 
    $ sudo dpkg -i ibm-aspera-desktop_version_linux.deb
  2. When the installation process completes, search for IBM Aspera to start the application.

AppImage:

You can mark an AppImage as an executable file and run it using the graphical user interface (GUI) or the command line:

Using the GUI:

  1. Open the file manager and navigate to the directory containing the AppImage.
  2. Right-click the AppImage file and mark it as an executable file. The exact location of this setting varies depending on your file manager.
  3. Open the AppImage to start the application.

Using the command line:

  1. Open a terminal.
  2. Navigate to the directory that contains the AppImage by using the cd command.
  3. Mark the AppImage as an executable file: 
    $ chmod +x ibm-aspera-desktop_version_linux.AppImage
  4. Run the AppImage: 
    $ ./ibm-aspera-desktop_version_linux.AppImage