Opera

Installing Opera

Windows

Windows packages come in three variants:

• Classic Installer, English (US)
• English (US)
• International

The English and International installers are standard implementations of the Microsoft Windows Installer (MSI). The classic installer is not recommended, except on versions of Windows prior to Windows XP.

The International installer, unlike the other two, contains all the languages that are available for Opera on desktop. In case of doubt, the International installer is the recommended version.

Linux

Opera is released for Linux in three different formats: .deb, .rpm, and tarball. The Linux packages include all the languages that are available for Opera on desktop.

The latest version of Opera is always available for download from http://www.opera.com/download/. Select your distribution and version, and you will be served the correct package for your system. Alternatively, you can download a regular tarball by selecting "tar.bz2" or "tar.gz" under "Choose compression method".

Auto-update

Windows

Opera users on Windows are notified by the auto-update dialog when a recommended update has been released.

Because an automatic update requires a system administrator password, it is most easily implemented when the user is also the system administrator. Alternatively, the system administrator can push the update to all users after receiving the notification.

Linux

Opera users on Linux are notified by the auto-update dialog when a recommended update has been released.

There is no automatic update mechanism for .rpm-based distributions. However, for .deb-based distributions, Opera adds the following apt source in /etc/apt/sources.list.d/opera.list:

# This file makes sure that Opera Browser is kept up-to-date
# as part of regular system upgrades

deb http://deb.opera.com/opera/ stable non-free

# The line above will make sure you get all final public releases.
# Uncomment the following line if you want to get alpha and beta
# releases, too.

# deb http://deb.opera.com/opera-beta/ stable non-free

During installation the repository GPG key is automatically installed:

gpg --keyserver subkeys.pgp.net --recv-key 6A423791
gpg --fingerprint 6A423791
gpg --armor --export 6A423791| apt-key add -

Consequently, Opera can be updated together with the rest of the system, using the package manager.

Disabling BitTorrent

System administrators frequently ask how to disable Opera's BitTorrent client. To disable Opera's BitTorrent client, simply follow this link:

opera:config#BitTorrent|Enable

Unselect "Enable", click "Save", and BitTorrent is disabled, at least at user-level. To disable BitTorrent system-wide, simply add the following two lines from the user configuration file to the system fixed file:

[BitTorrent]
Enable=0

and write-protect it. Opera's BitTorrent client is now disabled system-wide, and cannot be re-enabled by other means than editing the system fixed file.

For a deeper understanding of user-level versus system-wide configuration, please read the priority scheme for configuring Opera.

Opera Unite

Disabling Opera Unite

To disable Opera Unite, follow this link:

opera:config#WebServer|Enable

Unselect "Enable", click "Save", and Opera Unite is disabled, at least at user-level. To disable Opera Unite system-wide, add the following two lines from the user configuration file to the system fixed file:

[User Prefs]
Enable Unite=0

Restricting Opera Unite to the local network

Since Opera Unite makes it easy to share content and collaborate, the system administrator may prefer to enable it, but restrict its use to the local network, by controlling inbound and outbound traffic:

• Inbound: To disable direct connections from outside the local network to Opera Unite servers located inside, make sure that your firewall works as intended, and cannot be configured by unauthenticated users on your system. Otherwise Opera may try to open the firewall for incoming requests on port 8840 using UPnP.
• Outbound: To prevent Opera from contacting the Opera Unite proxy, you can do either of the following:
  • Block outgoing traffic on port 16680.
  • Enable the setting opera:config#WebServer|DoNotUseOperaAccount to disable the use of the Opera Unite Proxy, by adding the following two lines to the system fixed file:

    [Web Server]
    Do Not Use Opera Account=1
    

Opera Unite network connections

There follows a step-by-step overview explaining how Opera Unite behaves when a user enables it. If opera:config#WebServer|DoNotUseOperaAccount is enabled (see above), Opera will not connect to the proxy, or send lists of running applications to asd.opera.com.

• A secure connection is established between Opera and auth.opera.com to authenticate the user. After the user is logged in, the connection is closed.
• Opera then connects to the proxy - operaunite.com - on port 16680. This connection is used to forward requests from visitors to the Opera Unite server on the user's computer. The connection is open at all times, and Opera sends "keep alive" messages at an interval determined by the proxy; by default it is every 30 seconds.
• A connection is made to asd.opera.com, the application discovery server. Opera sends it a list of running applications.
• A listening socket is set up on a port between 8840 and 8880. This number increases by one for every port that is already in use on the system. So, normally 8840 will be used, unless another Opera Unite instance is already running.
• Opera broadcasts several UPnP M-SEARCH packets, to discover a router. If a router responds, Opera will try to negotiate the opening of a port in the router. If a port is occupied, Opera will try to open another, and start listening on the port it was able to open.
• If UPnP service discovery is enabled, Opera sends a few NOTIFY and M-SEARCH packets, in an attempt to inform any UPnP-capable application of its presence, and to discover other Opera Unite applications running on the local network. For instance, if UPnP is enabled in Windows, it can list Opera Unite in Windows Explorer.
• Any Opera instance seeing the M-SEARCH packets will respond with 200 OK, allowing the querying Opera instance to connect.
• Many of the pre-installed applications connect to asd.opera.com and my.opera.com to retrieve user and friend information.

Configuring Opera

The priority scheme

The current implementation uses three different configuration files: a user file, and two system files, all in the same simple format. Any item in the user's operaprefs.ini file can be added to either of the two system files. The three files configure Opera according to the following priority scheme:

1. the system fixed file
2. the user file
3. the system defaults file

where the system defaults file provides the user a default configuration that he or she may override, and the system fixed file is used by the system administrator to override the user settings.

The user file

The user file is called operaprefs.ini and resides in the user's profile directory. Any changes to Opera's settings via the graphical user interface are stored in this file. When Opera starts up, it will normally look for the user file in the profile directory, but the location can also be specified from the command line. Find out more about the user file in the document Opera Settings Explained.

The system fixed file

The system fixed file allows the system administrator to define settings that the individual user cannot override, such as proxy settings. On Linux the path to this file is /etc/operaprefs_fixed.ini. On Windows, it is called operaprefs_fixed.ini and is located in the system directory. The system directory varies between system versions, but normally the placement would be \WINDOWS\SYSTEM32 on Windows XP or Vista.

Note that any item in the system fixed file overrides the corresponding item specified in the operaprefs.ini user file.

This means, for example, that if you set:

[User Prefs]
Home URL=http://www.opera.com/

in the system fixed file, then it is not possible to set another global home page in Opera. Although the configuration options remain visible to the user, they cannot be changed if specified in the system fixed file.

The system defaults file

The system defaults file is a fallback file. Here, the system administrator can store default values that the users may override. Of the three configuration files, this file has the lowest priority, and thus will only be used if the corresponding item is defined neither in the system fixed file nor in the user's operaprefs.ini file. The system defaults file on the Windows platform should be called operaprefs_default.ini and placed in the Opera install directory. On Linux its location is /etc/operaprefs_default.ini.

Summary

Priority	Configuration file	Path in Linux	Path in Windows
1	System fixed file	/etc/operaprefs_fixed.ini	operaprefs_fixed.ini in \WINDOWS\SYSTEM32
2	User file	$HOME/.opera/operaprefs.ini	operaprefs.ini in the profile directory
3	System defaults file	/etc/operaprefs_default.ini	operaprefs_default.ini in the Opera install directory

Note

The user settings file can be specified from the command line at startup, and in this connection it can have any name with an .ini extension. See the section on Command-line options for more information.

Configuration details

The settings file operaprefs.ini supports a vast array of options for detailed configuration, and its documentation is highly recommended reading for those who want the utmost control of their browser.

See the document Opera Settings Explained for the exact entries used in the settings files. In particular, take careful note of the large [User Prefs] section.

File locations

By default, Opera is installed into a program directory, while user data and configuration files are placed in a separate directory.

• On Windows, you can choose between a multi-user install (preferred) or a single-user install, where the single user install will make /profile a sub-directory of the program directory. Multi-user installs will typically place user data in the "Documents and Settings" tree in Windows XP.
• On Linux, the user data directory is called .opera and will be placed in the user's home directory.

You can set the locations of almost all of Opera's files. Move them all, or choose to relocate only selected files to any local drive, network drive, or even removable media. For example, you can choose to locate all user data on a removable storage device, while leaving program files on the hard drive.

Customizable files and directories are specified below.

Locations that can be specified in operaprefs.ini

[User Prefs]

Entry:	Description:	Configure from UI:
Opera Directory	Path to user data directory	Only during install
Windows Storage File	Session save file, example: C:\Program files\Opera\Opera.win	File > Sessions > Manage sessions
Hot List File Ver2	Full path to Opera's bookmarks file, uses the .adr extension. Default name is bookmarks.adr	"Open" button on the toolbar of Tools > Manage bookmarks
Button Set	Path to current skin description file. Part of the currently used skin, default is /skin/standard_skin.zip	Not available
Help URL	Full path to Opera help directory, by default a URL relative to your version of Opera decided on by the installer. Changing this is not recommended.	Not available
Local CSS File	User CSS file. Opera by default creates an empty CSS file in /styles/user.css	Tools > Preferences > Page style
Download Directory	Directory files are downloaded to in Opera. Windows default: "My documents". Linux default: /.opera/download/. Specify full path	Tools > Preferences > Advanced > Downloads
Plugin Path	Delimit multiple paths by semicolon. Default is opera\program\plugins	Windows: Not available Linux: Tools > Preferences > Advanced > Content
Direct History File	History of typed URLs. Full path must be specified.	Not available
Global History File	Opera global history is stored in this file. Specify the full path. global.dat	Not available
Cache Directory4	Full path to cache directory.	Not available
Home URL	URL to desired home page. Specify complete URL for Web site or full path for local file.	Tools > Preferences > General
Source Viewer	Opera gets default document source viewer from Windows, xedit is default for Linux. Specify full path to use alternate.	Tools > Preferences > Advanced > Programs
Language File	Full path to current language file used	Tools > Preferences > General
Wand Storage File	Full path to (encrypted) password storage file. Defaults to [profile directory]/wand.dat	Not available
[Various CSS files used by Opera]	Examples: Browser CSS file, IM CSS file (for chat), MIME CSS file (includes e-mail). Located in the /styles/ folder.	Not available

Additional sections that contain specific path identifiers that may be useful:

• [Java]
• [Sounds]
• [Saved Settings]

[Mail]

Entry:	Description:	Configure from UI:
Mail Root Directory	Full path to root directory for e-mail	Not available
External Application	Alternate application to use for e-mail links. Specify full path, may include additional parameters	Tools > Preferences > Advanced > Programs

[MailBox]

Entry:	Description:
AddressFile	Full path to Contact storage file, by default named contacts.adr
NotesFile	Full path to Notes storage file, by default named notes.adr

[Adv User Prefs]

Entry:	Description:	Configure from UI:
Plugin Ignore File	By default located in the installation folder, named plugin-ignore.ini, specifies plug-ins that Opera should not attempt to use. Specify full path.	Not available
URL Filter File	Primarily useful for browsers run in kiosk mode, specifies which URLs and/or domains and file types should be accessible.	Not available

Command-line options

You can run Opera from the command line using any combination of URLs and switches.

Documents

One or more documents can be loaded at startup by adding their URLs to the command line. Type the path to the Opera executable plus the full path of the document or documents, each separated by a space.

This may be typed at the command line prompt, or in "Run" in Windows, but you can also add URLs permanently to the "target" line of any Windows shortcut properties.

For example:

C:\program files\opera\opera.exe http://www.opera.com http://my.opera.com

Or

C:\program files\opera\opera.exe S:/docs/whitepapers/

Note that Opera will recognize characters in either upper or lower case, and it will also accept either back or forward slashes in URLs at the command line. Other command line switches, however, must be preceeded by a forward slash only.

Switches

One or more command line switches can be applied at startup via the command line. Type the path to the Opera executable, then the switch or switches, each separated by a space.

Examples:

• C:\program files\opera\opera.exe /nowin
• C:\program files\opera\opera.exe /k /nowin
• C:\program files\opera\opera.exe /k http://www.opera.com
• C:\program files\opera\opera.exe http://www.opera.com /k /noexit

On Windows, to launch Opera with a different settings file, type C:\program files\opera\opera.exe /settings D:\operaprofile\operaprefs.ini

Note:

• Command-line switches on Windows must always be preceded only by a forward slash.
• UNIX switches are case sensitive, Windows switches are not.

See the document Opera's Command-line Options for a complete overview.

Disclaimer: We cannot guarantee that the instructions in these documents will work on any computer and platform. Please inform us if you experience difficulties.