Update SNAP for all users (not just logged in user)

snap
#1

TLDR: How can I update SNAP (e.g. from 8.0.0 to 8.0.9) for all users, not just the user whose account I’m logged into?

Context: We use SNAP to process EO data (RCM, Sentinel-1, Sentinel-2) in an operational context, using a service account. We install SNAP on a server and run the workflows using GPT scripts (from the service account). In the past we’ve noticed that when we install the base version of SNAP (e.g. 8.0.0), it is installed for all users (i.e. here: c:\Program Files\snap) but that SNAP updates (e.g. to 8.0.9) only apply to the user who runs the update. So far we’ve always updated SNAP by logging into the server using the service account and running the update there. However, a new user of this system has very strict security requirements, and their IT department has informed us that we cannot use Remote Desktop to access the servers using the service account.

My questions are therefore:

  1. How can we update SNAP for all users at once?
  2. If that is not possible, why not, and will this change in the future?
  3. If it’s not possible, can you recommend a way to update SNAP for another account without logging in as that account?
#2

Before I retired, our IT group provided SNAP and SNAP updates thru MS Software Center. SNAP was installed to c:\Program Files\snap, but updates went as you describe to user’s AppData. If your organization is already using Software Center to apply Windows updates you should investigate support for SNAP.

#3

Hi, thanks for your quick response! I think this is more of a one-off situation, since the organization in question doesn’t use SNAP generally - only for this one operational workflow/server that we are installing. So I don’t think they will be interested in using Software Center to support SNAP more generally… I will include it in my response to them, but I’m hoping to hear more about why the SNAP updates work on a per-user basis, and whether this can be changed (or will be changed in the future).

#4

Hi nena.v,

SNAP is based on the NetBeans application platform. The update procedure is defined by them, and it makes some sense.
Not all users might want to update at the same time. This is why the updates are done separately.

What you can do is to do the update for one user and then copy the directory
<USER_HOME>/AppData/Roaming/SNAP to the other user accounts. before you should remove the existing directory. Afterwards all users should see the update.