IT Departments

Please see the Security FAQs page for details about authentication, user data, and network requirements.

Network Requirements

Please see our FAQ about network requirements: What web/IP addresses/ports need to be whitelisted to access the site and sim?

Little Arms Launcher and Zephyr Simulator Relationship

We use the Little Arms Launcher (Launcher) application to manage user sessions, downloads, and installations of the Zephyr Drone Simulator (SIM) application.

Launcher Installation and Setup

When you install the Launcher, you will be prompted to select a drive on which to install applications. You can update this by:

1. Sign into the Launcher

2. Click "Settings"

3. "General" > "Management"

4. Click "Change" under the "Choose the location your installed apps are managed from"

5. Select a new location

6. The Launcher will then update its target location and move necessary files

Zephyr Installation

It's important that whoever is installing Zephyr for a computer that will be used by other students has the same license as the students

When a user signs in to the Launcher, it detects what downloadable content (DLC) the user has access to. DLC can contain anything from Scenarios to Drones. When you click "Install" or "Update", only the user's applicable DLC will be downloaded and installed.

If a student has DLC that the person doing the installation and computer setup did not have, then they will be prompted to "Update" when they sign in to the Launcher. Depending on the computer and students' permissions, this may prompt them to update every time they sign in to the Launcher

A Note on AppData

On Windows computers, the Launcher and SIM use the user's AppData folder to handle key files such as DLC and credentials.

If AppData is wiped between user sessions, then DLC may not persist between user sessions. This will result in the user being prompted to "Install" or "Update" Zephyr every time they sign in.

If the Launcher does not have permission to read/write to AppData, then the credentials file may not be created by the Launcher or picked up by the SIM. This will result in an "Invalid Credentials" error when they attempt to launch the SIM.

Distributing Little Arms Launcher and Zephyr

Ultimately each organization’s situation and distribution platforms are different, but the same principle can be applied to your situation.

The key points about these applications and their interactions are as follows:

• Zephyr MUST be launched through the Little Arms Launcher

• The Little Arms Launcher is used to manage Zephyr updates

• The Little Arms Launcher is responsible for managing login credentials and downloading required Zephyr content

Distribution Examples

Microsoft's Configuration Manager

Deployment Strategy using Mapped Network Drive

Changing the Launcher's Data Folder Location

If you have permissions or persistence issues with installing the Little Arms Launcher and Zephyr on a computer used by multiple users (i.e. you install the Launcher and Simulator as an Admin, but when a student signs in they are prompted to install the Simulator again). It may have to do with the default AppData location of the User Data folder and settings files for the Launcher.

Please refer to our guide here: Storing Little Arms Launcher data in a custom folder

FAQ Troubleshooting

Launcher Sign In Deep Linking Not Allowed

The sign in process for the Launcher opens a browser window then uses a deep link to communicate back to the Launcher application to finish the sign in process.

Some organizations have had permissions issues with this process, so we provide a method for users to enable a native sign in window within the Launcher application itself.

Note: Single Sign On is not supported with this method. Only Email/Password is supported

To Enforce the Native Sign In Window:

1. Click Start and type Little Arms Launcher.

2. Right-click Little Arms Launcher in the results and choose Open file location.

   1. A File Explorer window will open showing a shortcut to the app.

3. Right-click the Little Arms Launcher shortcut and choose Properties.

4. On the Shortcut tab, find the Target box.

5. Click at the end of the line, after the closing quote "...Launcher.exe".

6. Press Space, then add: --enforce-native-login-window

7. Click Apply, then OK

Your Little Arms Launcher Properties window should look like this

The next time you open the Launcher and click Sign In, the native sign in window should pop up.

Zephyr Installation/Update Does Not Persist Between User Sessions. Users Are Always Prompted to "Install" or "Update"

Please see the section IT Departments for details