How to configure CCS for a multi user host

# Overview This application note describes a method to perform post-setup actions that allow Code Composer Studio to be used in a multi-user host. The goal is to provide tips for system administrators to configure Code Composer Studio in a manner that allows regular users to make the best use of its capabilities without risking corrupting the installation. This application note does not cover the steps to perform the Code Composer Studio install procedure. # References * [Enterprise Distribution](https://processors.wiki.ti.com/index.php/Enterprise_distribution) * [Linux Host Support CCSv8](../ccsv8_linux_host_support.html) * [MacOS Host Support CCSv8](https://processors.wiki.ti.com/index.php/MacOS_Host_Support_CCSv8) * [Multi-user CCS Installs](https://processors.wiki.ti.com/index.php/Multi-User_CCS_Installs) - older page that talks about the different directories used by CCS. * [How to set permissions in Windows](https://www.online-tech-tips.com/computer-tips/set-file-folder-permissions-windows/) # Procedure This procedure takes into consideration that regular users will be blocked from installing updates either via the Update Advisor or via the menu Help → Install New Software - this helps minimize the possibility of a corrupted install.  ## Linux and macOS To allow customizations to CCS and build projects, a few files must have their permissions changed to rw and directories to rwx. 1. Open a terminal and do the following: <pre> user@host:~/$ cd ti/CCSExternalReferences user@host:~/ti/CCSExternalReferences$ sudo chown -Rf user:user * user@host:~/ti/CCSExternalReferences$ cd /opt/ti/ccsv8/eclipse/configuration user@host:/opt/ti/ccsv8/eclipse/configuration$ sudo chmod -R a+rwX org.eclipse.osgi/ user@host:/opt/ti/ccsv8/eclipse/configuration$ sudo chmod -R a+rwX .settings/ user@host:/opt/ti/ccsv8/eclipse/configuration$ sudo chmod a+rw ccs.properties </pre> 2. If you have projects that use TI compilers, it is useful to change the permissions of the lib subdirectory of every TI compiler subdirectory. <pre> user@host:~/$ cd /opt/ti/ccsv8/tools/compiler user@host:/opt/ti/ccsv8/tools/compiler$ sudo find -name lib -type d -exec chmod -R a+rwX {} \; </pre> 3. Modify the TI Resource Explorer Preferences to set the installation directory to a common path: <hr> Select the three stripes menu at the top right of the TI Resource Explorer view ![](./images/appnote-multiuser_tirex_prefs_01.png) <hr> Choose the install path and click Save ![](./images/appnote-multiuser_tirex_prefs_02.png) <hr> Full access to TI Resource Explorer online is possible, but installation of newer packages is not fully supported due to the fact certain packages require installing XDC tools different than the ones installed with CCS. Thus, it is recommended to install all the software packages needed beforehand, both using the Product Discovery (for RTSC/TI-RTOS products) and Resource Explorer (for all SDKs). To allow complete access and modification of the installed packages, simply do the following: <pre> user@host:~/$ sudo chmod -R a+rwX /opt/ti/<name of each SDK package and dependency> </pre>  If the policy intends to allow users to install updates, most of the procedure above can be disregarded and the install directory can be configured with one of the two options: * Change the owner of the entire Code Composer Studio install directory to a guest or a specific group * Enable rwx permissions for all 4. If your network has internet access through a proxy server, it is recommended to add the proxy settings to the shell variables <tt>http_proxy</tt>, <tt>ftp_proxy</tt> and optionally <tt>https_proxy</tt> for all users (including the superuser). This will greatly help accessing the CCS Updates and the TI Resource Explorer. There are many ways to add these variables to the shell and the [Environment Variables article](https://help.ubuntu.com/community/EnvironmentVariables) on the Ubuntu wiki is a great resource. However, the important step is to use env_keep on the file /etc/sudoers to keep their values defined when sudo is invoked - details are shown at [this subsection](https://help.ubuntu.com/community/EnvironmentVariables#sudo_caveat) of the article. ## Windows The default category of regular users in Windows 10 is an Authenticated User, which allows Modify/Write permissions to CCS install directory. If the policy requires to set the category to Users, the directory permissions will have to allow Read/Execute permissions to the CCS install directory. * To do this, simply right-click on the installation directory C:\ti\ccsv8 and set the user and permissions according to the Windows version you are using (one reference is shown in the section [References](#references) above). The other step is to modify the file <ccstudio.ini> to set the temporary file to the user area: 1. Browse to the directory <tt>C:\ti\ccsv8\eclipse</tt> 2. Open the file <ccstudio.ini> in a text editor 3. Change the option <tt>-XX:ErrorFile=C:\Users\user\AppData\...</tt> to <tt>-XX:ErrorFile=@user.home/AppData/...</tt> 4. Save the file and close the editor 5. Configure the TI Resource Explorer as shown in step 3 of the Linux/macOS procedure above. Similarly to the Linux/macOS scenario, the full access to TI Resource Explorer is possible but installation of newer packages is not supported as of today. Thus, it is recommended to install all the software packages needed beforehand, both using the Product Discovery (for RTSC/TI-RTOS products) and Resource Explorer (for all SDKs). The device driver installation should not be a requirement for every user - during install, CCS performs the Administrator setup of the Windows drivers and, apart from some temporary files and some settings on ccstudio.ini, everything should work fine. Also, when running CCS for the first time as a user, at startup it asks to set up a firewall exception to allow network access to <ccstudio.exe>, which requires Administrator privileges, but that is asked only once. <hr>  <div id="footer"></div>