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Where are my files?

Canvus Connect server organizes files across multiple folders. The files can be categorized as follows:

  • Configuration file: Canvus server configuration file is called mt-canvus-server.ini. There is an example and a working version of this file on your server.
  • Asset files: The asset files contain file-based content for canvases.
  • Log files: Canvus server generates two log files. One for the server and one for the dashboard.
  • License files: Canvus server requires a license file.
  • Session secret: From 26.4.0 the containerized deployment stores a persistent dashboard session secret at /canvus-data/config/.session-secret.

Containerized deployments (26.4.0+)

The containerized Canvus server (Podman/Docker) stores all persistent state under a single host directory — by default /canvus-data/ — which is bind-mounted into the canvus-combined and canvus-postgres containers. See Containerized layout (Podman/Docker) below for the full tree. The bare-metal paths documented in the rest of this page still apply to traditional installations on Ubuntu and Windows.

Configuration file

The configuration file for Canvus server is called mt-canvus-server.ini. The server installation comes with an example configuration file called mt-canvus-server.ini.example that can be used as a reference.

Where is mt-canvus-server.ini on Ubuntu computers?

  • Working version: /etc/MultiTaction/canvus/mt-canvus-server.ini
  • Example version: /etc/MultiTaction/canvus/mt-canvus-server.ini.example

Where is mt-canvus-server.ini on Windows computers?

  • Working version: C:\ProgramData\MultiTaction\canvus\mt-canvus-server.ini
  • Example version: C:\ProgramData\MultiTaction\canvus\mt-canvus-server.ini.example

Asset files

The assets on canvases are stored in the asset folder. The default location depends on the operating system:

  • Ubuntu: /var/lib/mt-canvus-server/assets
  • Windows: C:\ProgramData\MultiTaction\canvus\assets

Where are the log files?

The Canvus server log files take the following file name format: mt-canvus-server-<date>.log. You can find the log files in the following folders:

  • Ubuntu: /var/lib/mt-canvus-server/logs/
  • Windows: C:\ProgramData\MultiTaction\canvus\logs

The Canvus server web UI creates a separate log file in the same folder with the filename format dashboard-<date>.log.

Where is my server license?

The location for an activated server license depends on the operating system:

  • Windows: Canvus server searches these folders for a license:
    • C:\Windows\System32\config\systemprofile\AppData\Local\MultiTaction\Licenses
    • C:\ProgramData\MultiTaction\Licenses
    • C:\Windows\System32\config\systemprofile\AppData\Roaming\MultiTouch\Licenses
  • Ubuntu: Canvus server searches these folders for a license:
    • /var/lib/mt-canvus-server/MultiTaction/Licenses
    • /etc/MultiTaction/Licenses
    • /var/lib/mt-canvus-server/.MultiTouch/Licenses

Where is Canvus server application binary?

The Canvus server application itself ([mt-canvus-server.exe]{.title-ref} on Windows and [mt-canvus-server]{.title-ref} on Ubuntu) can be found in the following locations:

  • Windows: %PROGRAMFILES%\MT Canvus Server\bin
  • Ubuntu: /opt/mt-canvus-server/bin

In the containerized deployment the binary ships inside the canvus-combined image at /opt/canvus/bin/mt-canvus-server; operators do not normally need to interact with it directly.

Containerized layout (Podman/Docker)

From 26.4.0, the supported deployment model is a three-container stack (canvus-combined, canvus-postgres, canvus-media) orchestrated with podman-compose or docker-compose. All persistent state lives under a single host directory — /canvus-data/ by default — which is bind-mounted into the containers.

/canvus-data/ directory contents

Under /canvus-data/:

  • assets/ — Canvas content (images, videos, PDFs, notes, etc.)
  • backups/ — Automatic server backups; postgres dumps land under backups/database/
  • certs/ — SSL certificate and key (mounted read-only in 26.4.0)
  • config/ — Working mt-canvus-server.ini and .session-secret
  • licenses/ — Activated license files
  • logs/ — Server and dashboard logs
  • mipmaps/ — Derived asset thumbnails and mipmap cache
  • postgres/ — PostgreSQL data directory (owned by the canvus-postgres container)

The compose file maps each subdirectory to the path the container expects:

  • /canvus-data/assets → /var/lib/mt-canvus-server/assets (inside canvus-combined and canvus-media)
  • /canvus-data/backups → /var/lib/mt-canvus-server/backups
  • /canvus-data/certs → /etc/MultiTaction/canvus/server/certificates
  • /canvus-data/config → /etc/MultiTaction/canvus
  • /canvus-data/licenses → /var/lib/mt-canvus-server/MultiTaction/Licenses
  • /canvus-data/logs → /var/lib/mt-canvus-server/logs
  • /canvus-data/postgres → /var/lib/postgresql/data (inside canvus-postgres)

Note

mipmaps/ is created lazily the first time the server generates derived thumbnails; it may not appear immediately after a clean install.

SFU media files

The canvus-media service reads assets from the same /canvus-data/assets bind mount when transcoding HLS. It does not introduce any new persistent host paths — mediasoup worker configuration and HLS segment buffers live inside the canvus-media image and are ephemeral.

Dashboard session secret

From 26.4.0, the containerized deployment persists the dashboard session secret at:

/canvus-data/config/.session-secret

This file is generated automatically on first startup by the canvus-combined entrypoint (openssl rand -hex 32), stored with mode 600 owned by the in-container canvus user, and reused across container restarts.

Include in backups, exclude from version control

.session-secret signs dashboard session cookies. Include it in your backup rotation (so sessions survive a restore), but never commit it to version control or share it in tickets. See the Dashboard session secret section of the configuration reference for rotation steps.