Self-Hosted Site Management Guide | Axero Documentation

This guide helps you maintain a secure and efficient self-hosted Axero environment. Following these guidelines keeps your intranet fast, reliable, and secure.

Best Practices

This section outlines key best practices for maintaining an efficient and secure intranet environment.

1. Infrastructure Maintenance
   • Regularly update your infrastructure to align with Axero's specifications and industry standards. We recommend clicking the Follow button on the linked page to be notified of requirement changes.
   • Maintain a sandbox or development environment that mirrors your production setup.
   • Periodically refresh this environment with production data to accurately test updates and changes.
2. Software Update Compliance
   • Ensure timely implementation of Axero's General Release updates. Software support is provided for the two most recent versions.
   • Always test updates in your development environment before deploying to production to minimize disruptions.
   • Do not modify system files or settings without explicit Axero approval.
3. Application and Infrastructure Support
   • Axero's support team is committed to offering thorough assistance for any issues with the application itself.
   • We do not provide on-demand support for infrastructure-related issues, as these are managed by your team using third-party systems.
4. Collaborative Troubleshooting
   • To facilitate effective troubleshooting, grant Axero access to your systems when necessary.
   • When reporting issues, follow our case submission guidelines. Provide comprehensive details, including system configurations, actions taken, and any relevant observations.

System Modification Policy

Do not modify system files or settings without explicit Axero approval. This includes web.config files, Hangfire settings, database configurations, IIS application pools, Elasticsearch configurations, and system files.

Contact Axero Support before making any system changes. Unauthorized modifications can cause instability, security vulnerabilities, and void your support agreement.

Multi-Site Hosting

Can multiple Axero sites run on the same server? Yes, multiple Axero sites can share a virtual machine if it is properly configured with adequate resources. This approach works well for development environments and low-traffic internal sites but requires careful planning for production deployments.

Technical Requirements

To successfully host multiple sites on one VM, ensure the following requirements are met:

• Adequate Resources: Sufficient CPU, memory, and fast disk I/O to support all sites and their concurrent Elasticsearch processes.
• Sufficient Storage: Enough disk space for each site's data, user uploads, and IIS file system.
• Proper Isolation: Each site must be in its own folder with separate files and configurations.
• Process Separation: Each site needs a dedicated IIS Application Pool to prevent one site from affecting others.
• Search Independence: Use a separate Elasticsearch instance for each site to avoid data conflicts and ensure search integrity.

Environment Separation

Never mix production and non-production sites on the same server. Testing activities, debugging, and experimental changes in non-production environments can consume significant resources and negatively impact your live production site's performance and stability.

Recommended Approach

• Production: Use dedicated VMs for business-critical sites requiring maximum performance and uptime.
• Development/Testing: Multiple non-production sites can safely share a single VM with proper isolation.
• Staging: Use a separate staging environment that mirrors production for accurate pre-deployment testing.

Security Updates

These are the current minimums for a self-hosted Axero site. Each one has been in effect since the date shown, so a site that has not met them yet is already behind.