# Directory

**URL:** <https://hub.mender.io/t/directory/325>\
**Category:** Update Modules\
**Created:** [March 12, 2019, 8:53am UTC](https://hub.mender.io/t/directory/325 "2019-03-12T08:53:46Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![lluiscampos](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex036/user_avatar/hub.mender.io/lluiscampos/32/112_2.png) [@lluiscampos](https://hub.mender.io/u/lluiscampos)\
**Post date:** [March 12, 2019, 8:53am UTC](https://hub.mender.io/t/directory/325/1 "2019-03-12T08:53:46Z")

</div>

### Description

The Directory Update Module installs a user defined file tree structure (files and subfolders) into a given destination directory on the device.

Before deploying to the destination folder on the device, the Update Module will take a backup copy of the current contents. This allows to restore it with the rollback mechanism of the Mender client if something goes wrong.

Example use-cases:

- Updating an application which resides in a standalone directory on the device

### Specification

| | |
| --- | --- |
| Module name | directory |
| Supports rollback | yes |
| Requires restart | no |
| Artifact generation script | yes |
| Full operating system updater | no |
| Source code | [Update Module](https://github.com/mendersoftware/mender/blob/master/support/modules/directory), [Artifact Generator](https://github.com/mendersoftware/mender/blob/master/support/modules-artifact-gen/directory-artifact-gen) |
| Maintainer | Community |

**Please be aware that Mender Update modules are meant to update parts of the operating system and if not configured properly they could potentially delete parts or the complete operating system. Always inspect the code carefully and only test modules on a devices that you can recover easily.**

**It is not recommended to install a Mender Artifact on your workstation**

## Prepare the device

This section describes how to setup your target device, i.e. the device to be updated. This will also be referred to as the device environment.

All commands outlined in this section should be run in the device environment.

### Prerequisites

This Update Module has the following prerequisites for the device environment:

- [Install the Mender client](https://docs.mender.io/client-installation/install-with-debian-package), version 2.0 or later

### Install the Update Module

Download the latest version of this Update Module by running:

```bash
mkdir -p /usr/share/mender/modules/v3 && wget -N -P /usr/share/mender/modules/v3 https://raw.githubusercontent.com/mendersoftware/mender/master/support/modules/directory

```

## Prepare the development environment on your workstation

This section describes how to set up your development environment on your workstation.

All commands outlined in this section should be run in the development environment.

### Prerequisites

This Update Modules has the following prerequisites for the development environment:

- [Install mender-artifact](https://docs.mender.io/downloads), version 3.1.0 or later

### Create Mender Artifacts

For convenience, an Artifact generator tool `directory-artifact-gen` is provided with the Update Module. This tool will generate [Mender Artifacts](https://docs.mender.io/overview/artifact) in the same format that the Update Module expects them.

Download `directory-artifact-gen`, by running the following command:

```bash
wget https://raw.githubusercontent.com/mendersoftware/mender/master/support/modules-artifact-gen/directory-artifact-gen

```

Make it executable:

```bash
chmod +x directory-artifact-gen

```

Create example content to deploy:

```bash
mkdir dir-to-deploy
echo "File created by Mender directory Update Module!" > dir-to-deploy/file1.txt
echo "File created by Mender directory Update Module!" > dir-to-deploy/file2.txt

```

Now generate a Mender Artifact using the following command:

```bash
ARTIFACT_NAME="my-update-1.0"
DEVICE_TYPE="my-device-type"
OUTPUT_PATH="my-update-1.0.mender"
DEST_DIR="/opt/installed-by-directory/"
FILE_TREE="dir-to-deploy"
./directory-artifact-gen -n ${ARTIFACT_NAME} -t ${DEVICE_TYPE} -d ${DEST_DIR} -o ${OUTPUT_PATH} ${FILE_TREE}

```

- `ARTIFACT_NAME` - The name of the Mender Artifact
- `DEVICE_TYPE` - The compatible device type of this Mender Artifact
- `OUTPUT_PATH` - The path where to place the output Mender Artifact. This should always have a `.mender` suffix
- `DEST_DIR` - The path on target device where content of `FILE_TREE` will be installed.
- `FILE_TREE` - The path to a folder containing the contents to be sent to the device in the update.

You can either deploy this Artifact in managed mode with the Mender server (upload it under Releases in the server UI) or by using the Mender client only in [Standalone deployments](https://docs.mender.io/artifact-creation/standalone-deployment).

### Artifact technical details

The Mender Artifact used by this Update Module has two payload files: a tarball containing all the files to be deployed and a regular file with the `DEST_DIR` in plain text.

The Mender Artifact contents will look like:

```bash
Updates:
    0:
    Type: directory
    Provides: Nothing
    Depends: Nothing
    Metadata: Nothing
    Files:
        name: update.tar
        size: 17571840
        modified: 2019-03-05 15:20:42 +0100 CET
        checksum: dab0a292a8c2a089eb0a22e56082e51fcfa5485264b66063a4f9798db919af23
    Files:
        name: dest_dir
        size: 12
        modified: 2019-03-05 15:20:42 +0100 CET
        checksum: 5dfbbf0a8baa51888494fa5fe1665cc5b2826419f9ec6d90a92eeabd54a0f574

```

---

_[View the full topic](https://hub.mender.io/t/directory/325)._