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The Device Management plugin provides super administrators with comprehensive tools to manage content, configure device settings, and maintain Kolibri installations. It serves as the technical control center for Kolibri deployments.

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Overview

Device Management encompasses all system-level administration tasks including content curation, device configuration, facility management, and system maintenance. This plugin is designed for technical administrators responsible for Kolibri infrastructure. Key Capabilities:
  • Import content channels from Kolibri Studio
  • Manage on-device content and storage
  • Sync content between Kolibri devices
  • Configure device settings and permissions
  • Manage multiple facilities on one device
  • Monitor system tasks and resource usage
  • Export content to other devices or drives
Device Management features are available only to Super Admin users. These operations affect all users on the device.

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Content Channel Management

Content channels are collections of educational resources curated by content providers and imported from Kolibri Studio.

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Importing Content Channels

1

Start Import Workflow

From Device > Channels:
  • Click “Import” button
  • Choose import source
2

Select Import Source

Choose where to import content from:Kolibri Studio (Internet)
  • Import directly from Kolibri Studio
  • Requires internet connection
  • Access to full channel catalog
  • Automatically gets latest version
Local Network
  • Import from other Kolibri device on same network
  • No internet required
  • Faster than internet import
  • Discover devices automatically
External Drive
  • Import from USB drive or external storage
  • Offline import option
  • Pre-downloaded channel databases
  • Useful for disconnected deployments
3

Select Channel

Choose channels to import:
  • Browse available channels
  • View channel descriptions and metadata
  • See channel size and resource count
  • Check for channel updates
4

Select Content

Customize what to import:
  • Import entire channel or select topics
  • Navigate topic tree
  • View resource counts and sizes
  • Filter by resource type or language
  • Optimize for available storage
5

Import and Monitor

Start the import:
  • Review total size and resource count
  • Confirm import
  • Monitor progress in task manager
  • Import runs in background

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Channel Import Sources

Advantages:
  • Always latest channel versions
  • Full channel catalog
  • Curated quality content
  • Direct from source
Requirements:
  • Internet connection
  • Sufficient bandwidth
  • Storage space on device
Best For:
  • Initial device setup
  • Channel updates
  • Deployments with internet

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Managing Installed Channels

Channel List View The Channels page displays all installed channels with:
  • Channel name and thumbnail
  • Version information
  • Total size on disk
  • Number of resources
  • Last updated date
Channel Operations
Customize what’s included:
  • Add more topics from channel
  • Remove unused topics to free space
  • Update to latest channel version
  • View detailed resource tree
Get latest content:
  • Check for channel updates
  • View what’s new or changed
  • Update channel version
  • Add new resources from update
Share content with other devices:
  • Export to USB drive
  • Export to local network device
  • Choose specific topics to export
  • Create portable content packages
Remove channels no longer needed:
  • Confirmation required
  • Frees storage space
  • Removes all channel content
  • Cannot be undone (requires re-import)

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Selective Content Import

Rather than importing entire channels, admins can select specific content: Topic Selection
  1. Navigate channel topic tree
  2. Check/uncheck topics to include
  3. See size calculation update in real-time
  4. Import only selected content
Benefits:
  • Optimize storage usage
  • Curate relevant content
  • Focus on curriculum needs
  • Fit content to available space
For devices with limited storage, import only the topics most relevant to your curriculum and learner needs.

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Content Updates and Versioning

Channels are periodically updated by content providers with new or improved resources.

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Channel Updates

Update Notification When updates are available:
  • “New” badge on channel
  • Update available indicator
  • View what’s new in update
Update Workflow
1

Check for Updates

From Channels page:
  • “Update” badge appears on outdated channels
  • Click channel options menu
  • Select “Update”
2

Review Changes

See what’s new:
  • New resources added
  • Updated resources
  • Removed resources
  • Version number change
3

Select Update Content

Choose what to update:
  • Update all channel content
  • Add only new resources
  • Maintain current selection
4

Import Update

Complete the update:
  • Import new/changed resources
  • Existing content remains
  • Learner progress preserved
Updating channels does not affect learner progress or assignments. Lessons and quizzes continue to work with updated content.

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Device Settings

Device-level settings control system behavior and access policies.

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General Device Settings

Device Identification
  • Device name (customizable)
  • Kolibri version
  • Device ID (unique identifier)
  • Operating system information
  • Available storage
Device Name
  • Edit device name
  • Appears in network discovery
  • Identifies device in multi-device setups

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Advanced Settings

Server Settings
  • Port number for web interface
  • Network interface binding
  • Connection timeout settings
  • Concurrent user limits
Restart and Maintenance
  • Restart Kolibri service
  • Clear cache
  • Database maintenance
  • Log file management
Changing port or network settings may affect user access. Coordinate changes with users and document new connection details.

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Storage Management

Efficient storage management ensures optimal device performance.

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Storage Overview

The Device Info page shows:
  • Total storage capacity
  • Used space by content
  • Used space by system/logs
  • Available free space
  • Storage warnings if low

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Managing Storage Locations

1

View Storage Locations

From Device Settings:
  • See all configured storage locations
  • View available space per location
  • Identify primary storage
2

Add Storage Location

Expand storage capacity:
  • Click “Add Storage Location”
  • Browse to external drive or partition
  • Verify available space
  • Add as additional storage
3

Set Primary Storage

Designate main content storage:
  • Select storage location
  • Set as primary
  • New content imports to primary
4

Remove Storage Location

When no longer needed:
  • Move content to other location first
  • Remove empty storage location
  • Cannot remove location with content

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Storage Best Practices

Monitor Storage

  • Check storage regularly
  • Plan for content growth
  • Set up storage alerts
  • Maintain 10-20% free space

Optimize Content

  • Remove unused channels
  • Import selectively
  • Delete outdated content
  • Remove duplicate resources

Use External Storage

  • Offload content to external drives
  • Expand capacity affordably
  • Use high-speed drives
  • Ensure reliable connections

Plan Imports

  • Calculate space before importing
  • Stagger large imports
  • Import during off-hours
  • Verify space after import

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Task Management

Device operations run as background tasks that can be monitored and managed.

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Task Types

Content Tasks
  • Channel imports
  • Channel exports
  • Channel updates
  • Channel deletions
  • Content sync operations
Facility Tasks
  • Facility sync
  • Data imports
  • Data exports
  • User imports (CSV)

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Task Manager Interface

Active Tasks View running tasks:
  • Task type and description
  • Progress percentage
  • Estimated time remaining
  • Status (running, queued, completed, failed)
Task Controls
  • Cancel task (for cancellable operations)
  • Clear completed tasks
  • View task details
  • Retry failed tasks
Task Notifications Tasks bar shows:
  • Number of active tasks
  • Overall progress
  • Task completion notifications
  • Error alerts for failed tasks
Tasks continue running even if you navigate away. Check task manager to monitor long-running operations.

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Facility Management (Device Level)

Super admins can manage multiple facilities on a single device.

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Multi-Facility Operations

1

View All Facilities

From Device > Facilities:
  • See all facilities on device
  • View facility names and IDs
  • See user counts per facility
2

Create New Facility

Add facility:
  • Click “New Facility”
  • Enter facility name
  • Configure initial settings
  • Create facility admin account
3

Import Facility

Bring facility from another device:
  • Select import source (network or drive)
  • Choose facility to import
  • Import facility data and users
4

Sync Facilities

Keep facilities synchronized:
  • Select facilities to sync
  • Choose sync destination
  • Initiate sync operation
  • Monitor sync progress
5

Remove Facility

Delete facilities:
  • Select facility to remove
  • Confirm deletion
  • All facility data deleted
  • Cannot be undone

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Facility Sync

Synchronize facility data across devices: Sync Options
  • One-time manual sync
  • Scheduled automatic sync
  • Bi-directional sync
  • Conflict resolution
Synced Data
  • User accounts
  • Class rosters
  • Learner progress
  • Lesson assignments
  • Quiz results
Regular facility syncing keeps data consistent across devices and enables distributed learning environments.

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Network Device Discovery

Kolibri can automatically discover and connect to other Kolibri devices on the local network.

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Discovery Features

Automatic Discovery
  • Broadcast device presence on network
  • Discover other Kolibri instances
  • Display available devices
  • Connection status indicators
Device Information For discovered devices:
  • Device name
  • Available channels
  • Facility information
  • Connection quality
  • Last seen timestamp

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Using Network Devices

  • Select network device as import source
  • Browse channels on remote device
  • Import content over local network
  • Faster than internet import
  • Learners access content from other devices
  • Stream without local download
  • Unified library view
  • Automatic device switching
  • Sync facility data between devices
  • Keep user data current
  • Distributed facility management
  • Automatic sync scheduling

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Content Export

Export channels to share with other devices or create offline content packages.

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Export Workflow

1

Select Export Destination

Choose where to export:
  • External USB drive
  • Local network device
  • Network file share
2

Select Channels

Choose content to export:
  • Select one or more channels
  • Choose specific topics within channels
  • View total export size
3

Start Export

Begin export operation:
  • Confirm destination has space
  • Start export task
  • Monitor in task manager
4

Verify Export

Confirm successful export:
  • Check export completion
  • Verify files on destination
  • Test import on target device

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Export Use Cases

Device Provisioning

Create content packages for new device setup in disconnected environments.

Backup

Backup channel content to external storage for disaster recovery.

Distribution

Create USB drives with content for distribution to remote locations.

Peer Sharing

Share content between nearby schools or learning centers.

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User Permissions Management

Super admins can manage user permissions across all facilities.

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Permission Assignment

Super Admin Permissions Grant super admin to trusted users:
  • Full device access
  • Content management
  • All facility administration
  • Device configuration
Revoking Permissions
  • Downgrade super admin to facility admin
  • Revoke admin permissions
  • Assign coach role
  • Change to learner
Super admin permissions should be granted sparingly. These users have complete control over the device and all facilities.

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System Maintenance

Regular maintenance ensures optimal Kolibri performance.

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Maintenance Tasks

Database Optimization
  • Vacuum database (SQLite)
  • Clear old session data
  • Optimize indexes
  • Remove orphaned records
Log Management
  • View system logs
  • Download logs for troubleshooting
  • Clear old log entries
  • Set log retention periods
Cache Management
  • Clear application cache
  • Refresh content metadata
  • Reset cached calculations
  • Rebuild search index
Updates
  • Check for Kolibri updates
  • View release notes
  • Plan update schedule
  • Backup before updating

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Backup and Recovery

Protect data with regular backups:
1

Backup Content

  • Export all channels to external drive
  • Document channel versions
  • Store in safe location
2

Backup Facility Data

  • Export facility databases
  • Save user data and progress
  • Include configuration files
3

Document Configuration

  • Record device settings
  • Note custom configurations
  • List installed channels
  • Save facility settings
4

Test Recovery

  • Verify backup integrity
  • Test restore procedures
  • Document recovery steps
  • Update backup regularly

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Remote Management

For deployments with internet connectivity, remote management options enable centralized administration.

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Remote Features

Device Monitoring
  • Connection status
  • Resource usage
  • Active users
  • Content inventory
Remote Updates
  • Push content updates
  • Deploy configuration changes
  • Schedule maintenance
  • Monitor task completion
Remote management features depend on network connectivity and may require additional setup. Consult deployment documentation for details.

Facility Management

Manage users, classes, and facility settings

Content Library

Learn about content channels and Kolibri Studio

Coach Plugin

Create lessons and quizzes with imported content

Learn Plugin

Understand how learners access content

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