Determine AnywhereUSB Manager mode for Windows: Service or stand-alone

You can choose to install the AnywhereUSB Manager in service or stand-alone mode. Each mode offers different features and may interact differently with the Manager.

Note The AnywhereUSB Manager shows information that pertains to the installed mode. Most importantly, if you install the Manager in service mode, "SERVICE MODE" displays in the Manager title bar and in the Status pane. See AnywhereUSB Manager Status pane for detailed information.

The table below compares the features in each mode. Refer to the table to help you determine which mode is best for your organization. For more information about the user roles, see User roles.

Feature	Service mode	Stand-alone mode
Run and configure the AnywhereUSB Manager	Only an Administrator can run the AnywhereUSB Manager to configure the service.	Any user (an Administrator or a non-Administrator) can run and configure the AnywhereUSB Manager.
USB device availability	The devices in the groups connected to the computer are always available to the computer. The service automatically runs in the background. Note To ensure that all USB devices are connected to your computer at boot time, you must select Enable Auto Connect for each group assigned to the client ID for the computer.	Devices in connected groups are only available when the Manager is running.
Which users can see devices connected to the computer	All users can see all the devices in the groups that are connected to the computer.	All users can see all the devices in the groups that are connected to the computer. Note The devices that can be seen are changeable, depending on which users are logged into the computer.

Feature

Service mode

Stand-alone mode

Run and configure the AnywhereUSB Manager

Only an Administrator can run the AnywhereUSB Manager to configure the service.

Any user (an Administrator or a non-Administrator) can run and configure the AnywhereUSB Manager.

USB device availability

The devices in the groups connected to the computer are always available to the computer. The service automatically runs in the background.

Note To ensure that all USB devices are connected to your computer at boot time, you must select Enable Auto Connect for each group assigned to the client ID for the computer.

Devices in connected groups are only available when the Manager is running.

Which users can see devices connected to the computer

All users can see all the devices in the groups that are connected to the computer.

Note The devices that can be seen are changeable, depending on which users are logged into the computer.

Mode interactions with AnywhereUSB features

The sections below explain how each mode interacts with the AnywhereUSB Manager features.

Service

To ensure that all USB devices are connected to your computer at boot time, you must select Enable Auto Connect for each group assigned to the client ID for the computer. The USB devices in the groups connected to the computer are available to the users.
Multiple users can log on with their Windows user account and use the devices connected by the service to the computer at the same time.

If you are not an Administrator, you cannot run the Manager but you can see and use the devices that are connected from the Hub to you.
Groups and devices remain connected when users log in or out.

Stand-alone

If you install the AnywhereUSB Manager as a stand-alone, Digi recommends that you select the Run AnywhereUSB Manager at Startup option during the installation process to automatically launch the Manager each time you log in to your Windows user account.
When the user logs in and starts the AnywhereUSB Manager, the Manager automatically connects to groups that have Enable Auto Connect enabled. The USB devices in those groups are connected to the machine.
Groups and devices are connected when the Manager starts running if auto connect is enabled for the group. If auto connect is not enabled for the group, you can manually connect to a group. Groups and devices are disconnected when the Manager stops running, which typically occurs when the user running the Manager logs off the computer.

Warnings

Only an Administrator has the rights to install the AnywhereUSB Manager.
If you log onto the computer as a non-Administrative user and attempt to install the AnywhereUSB Manager, you will be prompted during the installation process for an Administrator user name and password. If you do not provide Administrator credentials, you will not be able to complete the installation process.
In stand-alone mode, only one user can open the AnywhereUSB Manager at a time. The Manager cannot be opened simultaneously by multiple users. In addition, a single user cannot run multiple instances of the Manager.
In stand-alone mode, each user must have a different client ID, which results in an individual Manager configuration. Digi does not support sharing a client ID between two different Windows users or computers.
Digi recommends that you do NOT install the AnywhereUSB Manager as a stand-alone, re-install it, and then choose to run the Manager as a service. If this does occur, be aware that the stand-alone and the service will have separate configurations. The Manager or service will only use the stand-alone or service configuration, respectively.
If you install the Manager as a service and then stop the service, the AnywhereUSB Manager will choose not to run.