All the installation steps are performed in the command prompt “cmd” running with administrator privileges. The commands you need to enter are highlighted in dark blue, I recommend you copy and paste them all to prevent mistakes. TIP: You can select a line of text by treble clicking it.

The first node you install is the “Master” it is the only host that needs access to a database for storing configuration and logs, it also runs the Framework’s Intranet (the web user interface).

All other hosts are referred to as a “Node” and do not require database access, although they may well need it for whatever applications you are running on them.

Installation is slightly different when installing the master if you are using WORKGROUP users and the database will be on another host, see the relevant section below.

Videos are provided throughout showing the steps involved.

Prerequisites (OS Preparation)

The OS must have 7-Zip installed, IIS, MSMQ, and .net correctly configured before starting. Please see the Prerequisites Page on this with videos.

Permissions

Please ensure the following (for a standard installation):

· You are running the command prompt with Administrator privileges (essential)

· If you are creating Windows Domain Users (not WORKGROUP) you must be logged in as a user who is in the “Domain Admins” group.

· If you are using Windows Authentication for the database (no passwords in connection strings) your logged in user must be a member of the “sysadmin” role in the database.

If you are not willing or able to meet the permissions requirements you can skip certain steps like creating Windows users or database logins and perform them manually, see the relevant sections below.

Note for older version of Windows with IIS <= 7.5

Older versions of IIS 7.5 and below will use temporary user profiles. To prevent this create the user profiles in advance as detailed here.

Do this after creating users and before the main install run the following 2 commands (Substitute the host or domain name):

runas /profile /user:"HOSTORDOMAIN\SpludlowUser" notepad.exe

runas /profile /user:"HOSTORDOMAIN\SpludlowAdmin" notepad.exe

Download, Extract and get a Command Prompt up

Get the main installer setup archive from downloads page. Put it at the root of the C drive (save to downloads, then move to C drive).

Right click -> 7-Zip -> Extract here (the archive contains a single directory at root) to give the directory “C:\ SpludlowSetupV1”.

Start an Administrator Command Prompt.

Enter the following:

cd C:\SpludlowSetupV1

dir

You should see a directory listing that includes “Spludlow-Process.exe”. You must remain in the directory for all of setup.

From here you are ready to continue to the relevant section:

· Installing the First “Master” (First) Host

· Installing Additional “Node” Hosts

· Installing a “Node” on another network

Installing the First “Master” Host

The Master Host is the only one that requires access to a database for storing host configuration and the logs.

SQL Server on same machine SQL Server on separate machine

Create and open the SETUP.txt file

Enter the following:

Spludlow-Process.exe Spludlow Spludlow.Setup MakeFileMaster

notepad.exe SETUP.txt

You should now be viewing the setup file in notepad.

Edit the SETUP.txt file

The “SETUP” file is where all customizations for the install are set. You should go through the file and make any amendments relevant to you.

The file contains notes of what configurations are required, here’s a brief list of the important ones.

· Credentials – Windows Users that will be created or used. With local users (WORKGROUP) the same user and password should be configured on all hosts (if you want to share resources), so all nodes should have these details compiled from the master’s SETUP.

· Databases – There are 2 connection strings; an admin one used at install then creating the database login and schema and the standard connection string used by the framework when running. Ensure all hostnames are correct if you are using local users on a remote database server you need to change all the hosts to that of the database.

· Organization – The names used for referencing make sure you set “OrganizationId” and “NetworkId” you can change the rest later. In the example the organisation is set to “WSYS” for “Weird Systems” and the network “HEAD” for the “Head Office”. I recommend you name all your hosts in the ORG-NET-USEAGE format so the “Application Server” here is called “WSYS-HEAD-APP”

Don’t forget to save the file when finished!

Automatically add the required security group and 2 user accounts to the OS

NOTE: This step can be performed manually

This step will add 2 users and a security group to Windows either locally or in active directory (domain controller) based on entries in the SETUP.txt file

Enter the following:

Spludlow-Process.exe Spludlow Spludlow.Setup UsersAndGroups

You should get 6 lines of output about adding groups, users and adding users to groups. Check for obvious errors.

Add Windows User to the Database Computer (If Required)

NOTE: This step can be performed manually

Ignore this step if any of the following are true:

· You are NOT using Windows Authentication (no passwords in connection strings) with your database server.

· You are using Domain Users for Windows Authentication.

· You are using Local Users (WORKGROUP users) for Windows Authentication and the database server is running on the same computer as the Spludlow Master Node.

You need to perform this step when all the following are true:

· You are using Windows Authentication.

· You are using local accounts (WORKGROUP) not domain accounts (You may still be in a domain but you would rather use local accounts).

· The database server is running on another computer to the Spludlow Master Node.

For Windows authentication on the database server to work the Windows user account must exist on the database server. These 3 steps must be performed on the database server:

· Create local user “SpludlowUser” with the same password from the SETUP.txt file.

· Create local security group “SpludlowGroup”

· Add the user to the group

You can do this manually if you like or copy the install folder to the database server and run the following:

(On database Server) cd C:\SpludlowSetupV1

Spludlow-Process.exe Spludlow Spludlow.Setup LocalUsersAndGroups

NOTE: The video shows accessing the C drive on the master from the database server using an administrative share “\\WSYS-HEAD-APP\C$”. To do this file sharing must be enabled and the “LocalAccountTokenFilterPolicy” registry hack applied to the target host (the registry hack is not required when using a Domain Administrator).

Add Login for “SpludlowUser” to the database

NOTE: This step can be performed manually

This step adds the standard account the Framework uses as a login on the database server.

Enter the following:

Spludlow-Process.exe Spludlow Spludlow.Setup DatabaseLogin

Main install

This is the main install, it puts all the binaries and data directories in place, creates message queues, and installs some web services and a service process (Windows Service).

Provided the Override flag is set to true then setup will automatically remove and replace, in a clean manor, anything that already exists. So if a problem occurs in setup it can be simply run again when the problem is fixed.

Enter the following:

cls

Spludlow-Process.exe Spludlow Spludlow.Setup InstallMaster

You should get a good page of output. Check through it and make sure there are no errors in there.

The last few lines of the output should contain the address of the Intranet, start a browser and go there.

Example: https://WSYS-HEAD-APP/Spludlow-IntranetV1-WAQQ/

If you get “Service Unavailable” then the application pool has stopped, look in the Windows Logs, good chance that the user login credentials aren’t right. Double check the SETUP.txt file and run install again.

Go to the “Status” Intranet page and select a Spludlow-Service line then click “Start Service”, everything should be “running”.

If the “Log” task is displaying an error, there is a good chance something isn’t right with the database connection, maybe connection string wrong or not in configuration.

Installing Additional “Node” Hosts

You should now have a Master host up and running with the Intranet running on it. On the new hosts start off like you did for the master.

Create and open the SETUP.txt file

Enter the following:

cd C:\SpludlowSetupV1

Spludlow-Process.exe Spludlow Spludlow.Setup MakeFileNode

notepad.exe SETUP.txt

You should now be viewing the setup file in notepad.

Edit the Credentials section of SETUP.txt

If using domain users, the 5 items in the credentials section will be the same on all hosts within the domain, so copy all 5 from the Master’s SETUP.txt file.

If using local (workgroup) users, then ‘SpludlowUserPass’ should be the same on all hosts on LAN (if you want them to share network resources). So copy and paste the value of ‘SpludlowUserPass’ from the master’s SETUP.txt file to this one.

Don’t forget to save the file when finished!

Automatically Add the required security group and 2 user accounts to the OS if required

If you are using domain users, then you can skip this step as it was already done when installing the Master.

This step will add 2 users and a security group to Windows either locally or in active directory (domain controller) based on entries in the SETUP.txt file

Enter the following:

Spludlow-Process.exe Spludlow Spludlow.Setup UsersAndGroups

You should get 6 lines of output about adding groups, users and adding users to groups. Check for obvious errors.

Create the new Host within the Master’s Intranet

If your new host is on a new separate network, please add a network record on the Intranet Config.aspx page first (see the “Additional Networks” section below).

Using the “Quick Add Host” section on the bottom if the Internet Config.aspx page; enter the following 4 pieces of information, all but network should all be copy and pasted from the SETUP.txt file on the new host within the “Web Paths” section.

· MachineName

· Network

· Spludlow-WebService-Admin

· Spludlow-WebService

After clicking “Add Host” cast your eyes over the new record and check everything looks like it does in the master record.

New Network: You can edit the public addresses now if you are using multiple networks.

If you are adding the first host on a new network, then the “PublicWebAddress” needs setting for one host on every network, this makes that host a “Router” (should do! at moment set in network record), this is the way in and out for everything to and from remote networks. Router host’s carry an additional routing message queue for every remote network.

Release Spludlow.config to all existing hosts

This step makes the new host visible to all existing hosts even though it’s not actually up yet. On the Internet Config.aspx page under the section “Send and View Host Configuration files” click the button “Toggle Hosts” to select all existing hosts then click “Send Spludlow.config”. The new configuration files are pushed out to all existing hosts and then web service application pools and service processes are restarted, please allow a few moments then go to the Internet Status.aspx. As you just restarted everything you may get “Service Unavailable” for the Intranet page and existing hosts maybe showing various errors, just click “Query” every few seconds until it settles down and everything finishes restarting. You should end up with something like this:

The new host is offline because we haven’t finished setting it up yet.

Put new host’s Spludlow.config file in the Setup Directory

Stay in the Intranet and go to the Config.aspx page under the section “Send and View Host Configuration files”. Click on the link in the column “Offline (New Host)” that corresponds to new host, you should get a page of text, select all (CRTL-A) and copy (CTRL-C) for later.

Have a look in the setup directory “C:\SpludlowV1Setup” on the new host, there should be a file “Spludlow.config” file that is empty (0 bytes), open it in notepad and paste (CTRL-V) the text from earlier, save and close the file.

notepad.exe Spludlow.config

Main install

This is the main install, it puts all the binaries and data directories in place, creates message queues, and installs some web services and a service process (Windows Service).

If a problem occurs in setup it can be simply run again when the problem is fixed.

Enter the following:

cls

Spludlow-Process.exe Spludlow Spludlow.Setup InstallNode

You should get a good page of output. Check through it and make sure there are no errors in there.

Go back to the Intranet Status page and the new host should be visible. Select a Spludlow-Service line and click “Start Service”. The new host is up and running.

Installing a “Node” on another network

When hosts are on different networks they cannot directly access message queues on remote networks. The framework overcomes this by putting outbound network queue messages on a local Routing queue first, then uploading the message into the remote network through the web service with a public address, from there it then is sent to the final destination message queue.

Expose IIS to the Internet at both ends and test

Ensure IIS is running and accessible from the other end at both networks, see below for further details.

In this example DNS records have been added so we can easily test from both ends using a browser:

From WSYS-BRAN network browse to: https://wsys-head-app.weirdsystems.com/

From WSYS-HEAD network browse to: https://wsys-bran-app.weirdsystems.com/

You should see the default IIS page at both ends.

Add new network to Intranet

Enter the following new network record on the Intranet Config page:

· NetworkId : WSYS-BRAN

· OrganizationId : WSYS

· Disabled : False

· Notes : ""

· Configuration : ""

· RouterHostId : WSYS-BRAN-APP

· SmtpServer : WSYS-BRAN-APP

· QueueNamespace : SpludlowV1

NOTE: Double Quotes mean empty string as NULL not allowed in database.

When the record is added and you have checked it, tick all hosts and “Send Spludlow.config”. This will update all hosts so they are aware of the new network, for example the Intranet Config Page “Quick Add Host” function now has the new network in the drop down.

Perform Node Install

Do Node install as detailed above. Make sure you set the public addresses in config for the hosts that will be routers at both ends.

NOTE: Using the same password for SpludlowUser on separate networks is not necessary as no direct connection exists, however you may find it more convenient to use the same password, just so you only have to keep track of one password.

NOTE: The last step of node install, checking the status page will give the error: “The queue does not exist or you do not have sufficient permissions to perform the operation.” This is because the web service is attempting to log and the routing queue does not exist yet, the next step will fix this.

Add Routing Queue on new node (WSYS-BRAN network)

Run the following command (in any directory):

"C:\Program Files\SpludlowV1\Spludlow-Process\Spludlow-Process.exe" Spludlow Spludlow.Setup MessageQueuesRouting "WSYS-BRAN-APP\SpludlowUser"

NOTE: don’t run Spludlow-Process.exe in the setup directory it isn’t using the live config file.

Open the Spludlow Service Config file:

notepad.exe "C:\ProgramData\SpludlowV1\Config\Spludlow-Service.txt"

Add a line, below the existing message queue lines (Ensure tabs are separating the fields not spaces):

Method Route.WSYS-HEAD Spludlow Spludlow.QueueProcessor Run Route.WSYS-HEAD

Save and close the file.

Add Routing Queue on existing master (WSYS-HEAD network)

Run the following command (in any directory):

"C:\Program Files\SpludlowV1\Spludlow-Process\Spludlow-Process.exe" Spludlow Spludlow.Setup MessageQueuesRouting "WSYS-HEAD-APP\SpludlowUser"

NOTE: don’t run Spludlow-Process.exe in the setup directory it isn’t using the live config file.

Open the Spludlow Service Config file:

notepad.exe "C:\ProgramData\SpludlowV1\Config\Spludlow-Service.txt"

Add a line, below the existing message queue lines (Ensure tabs are separating the fields not spaces):

Method Route.WSYS-BRAN Spludlow Spludlow.QueueProcessor Run Route.WSYS-BRAN

Save and close the file.

NOTE: You may want to delete user profiles before deleting the users.

Removing a Node Host

To remove a node host, enter the following:

cd C:\SpludlowSetupV1

Spludlow-Process.exe Spludlow Spludlow.Setup RemoveNode

Removing the Master Host

Removing the Master will also delete the Spludlow database from the server, enter the following:

cd C:\SpludlowSetupV1

Spludlow-Process.exe Spludlow Spludlow.Setup RemoveMaster

NOTE: If there is a problem reported uninstalling, give it a moment and try it again, I’ve occasionally seen locked files.