Synopsis and Server Breakdown
The major steps in the installation process are:
- Verify all prerequisites, including the installing (administrator) account and operational services account.
- Install all required databases.
- Authorize the service account.
- Install the web interface on the web application server.
- In a medium-to-large system (collecting FlexNet inventory for 50,000 devices or more), install one or more inventory servers as required.
- If you are implementing a large system, install a separate batch server. (The order of server installation is important.)
- Use the provided PowerShell scripts to configure the system.
- Product activation.
- Download the current data libraries.
- Optionally, install Flexera Analytics.
- If using Flexera Analytics, import the latest reporting package.
Thereafter, you can use the web interface to deploy inventory beacons, and establish rules for inventory collection. At each inventory beacon, you will also need to configure the beacon and populate the password store with credentials if you are allowing direct inventory gathering.
The following table summarizes which of the tasks in the installation details (from the following chapter) apply to which servers in a multi-server implementation (servers are identified and discussed in Design the Topography). A blank means not required; a Y means required, and Y1, Y2, Y3 and Y4 mean required in that order. When the functionality of several of these columns is rolled up in smaller implementations, then a Y in any relevant column means to perform the task on the server covering that functionality. The breakdown of servers in the columns is:
- Web - web application server
- Batch - batch server (sometimes called a reconciliation server)
- Inv - inventory server
- App svr - the application server (when all of the above are combined on a single server, in which case a Y in any of the three columns means perform the task on your single server)
- DBSvr - database server
- CSvr - Cognos server, if you choose to implement trend reporting
- IB - inventory beacon.
Installation tasks (from following pages) for each type of server:
| Tasks/Server: | App svr: Web | App svr: Batch | App svr: Inv | DBSvr | CSvr | IB |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Admin acct | Y | Y | Y | Y | ||
| Service acct | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | |
| DBA acct | Y | |||||
| Configure IIS | Y | Y | Y | Y | ||
| Disable WebDAV | Y | Y | ||||
| MS ADE (for Excel imports) | Y | Y | ||||
| Create databases | Y | |||||
| Authorize Service acct | Y | Y | Y | |||
| Install web interface | Y | |||||
| Install inventory server | Y | |||||
| Install batch server | Y | |||||
| Install Flexera Analytics | Y | |||||
| PowerShell configuration scripts | Y1 | Y2 | Y3 | Y | ||
| Product activation | ||||||
| Populate libraries | ||||||
| Import trend reporting package (Cognos) | Y | |||||
| Set up access rights | Y | |||||
| Deploy/configure inventory beacon(s) | Y | |||||
| Populate password store | Y |
The installation processes for each server are fully documented in the following sections. The table below summarizes which custom installation options are required for different server configurations. For each installation type, ensure that only the options listed are selected when you take the custom installation path.
Tip: For custom installations, the batch server is called the batch scheduling server in the installer. Regardless of the name, this server includes both the batch scheduling and the batch processing functionality.
| Installation type | Select these custom installation options |
|---|---|
| Single \(full\) application server | - **Inventory server** - **Web application server** - **Batch scheduling server** **Tip:** This is the same configuration as if you step straight through the standard installer without taking the custom installation path. |
| A stand-alone web application server | - **Web application server** |
| A processing server \(combining the inventory server and the batch server\) | - **Inventory server** - **Batch scheduling server** |
| A stand-alone inventory server | - **Inventory server** |
| The separate batch processing machine, which must use the batch scheduling server option | - **Batch scheduling server** |
| Parent topic:Preparation |