On-Premise Installation Guide | Communifire Documentation

Welcome to the Axero's On-Premise Installation Guide! This comprehensive manual is designed to guide you through the process of installing and configuring Axero's intranet software on your server.

Overview

• Environment Requirements – Essential technologies and configurations for Axero's optimal performance.
• Installation Process – Detailed steps from initial server preparation to software setup.
• Troubleshooting – Advice for addressing common installation issues
• Other Considerations – Additional important topics include disaster recovery, creating a sandbox/development environment, managing your on-premise setup, and upgrading your Axero software.

Environment Requirements

To maintain top performance and security, Axero regularly updates its environment requirements. Stay informed by following our On-Premise Management guide to receive updates.

Domain, SSL, & SSO

• Select a domain name before initiating the setup.
• Install an SSL certificate in IIS before installing Axero.
• Review the list of supported Single Sign-On (SSO) providers.

Hardware Specifications

• Operating System: Windows Server 2019 is required
• Database Server: SQL Server 2016 R2 or higher is required
• Storage: An SSD is recommended for enhanced performance

Note Azure Web Apps are incompatible due to indexing timeout constraints.

RAM and Storage Recommendations

• 0-5,000 users: 16 GB RAM
• 5,000-20,000 users: 32 GB RAM
• 250,000 users: 64 GB RAM
• 1,000,000 users: Contact Axero for guidance
• Storage: 100 GB SSD for up to 20,000 users, 500 GB SSD for 250,000 users

Technologies Required

• IIS version 8 or higher (IIS version 10 is recommended)
• .NET Framework ASP.NET 4.8 runtime
• HTML5 WebSockets must be enabled
• Java SDK for Elasticsearch service

Network Ports Configuration

• Web Server: Ports 80 & 443 for Internet/internal network
• SQL Server: Port 1433
• Elasticsearch: Port 9207
• Licensing: licensing.axerosolutions.com on port 443
• SMTP server: Port 25
• Active Directory ports, if AD is enabled

TLS and Cipher Suites

• Use TLS 1.2 with strong ciphers for IIS hosting VM. This is required for compatibility with our Licensing API and as a security best practice.
• Add the following cipher suites in the specified order:
  
  TLS_AES_128_GCM_SHA256
  TLS_AES_256_GCM_SHA384
  TLS_ECDHE_ECDSA_WITH_AES_256_GCM_SHA384
  TLS_ECDHE_ECDSA_WITH_AES_128_GCM_SHA256
  TLS_ECDHE_RSA_WITH_AES_256_GCM_SHA384
  TLS_ECDHE_RSA_WITH_AES_128_GCM_SHA256
  
  

  Note The six cipher suites should be prioritized and added before any others.

Installation Process

For personalized assistance, including walkthroughs from our team, contact your Client Success Manager about our Enhanced Support options.

Follow these steps to set up Axero on your server:

1. Downloading Axero
   • Submit a private case to obtain the latest installation files.
   • Download and unzip the installation files.
2. Database Setup
   • Creation: Create a new database for the SQL Server.
     • Do not have multiple SQL server services running in the same VM.
     • Set the database compatibility to 130:
     1. Right-click the database and choose Properties.
     2. Go to the Options page in the Database Properties dialog box.
     3. Find "Compatibility level" and select 130 from the list.
   • Schema Setup: Run DB_Scripts\Communifire_Database_Schema.sql on the newly created database. Open the script directly in SQL Server Management Studio; do not copy and paste the content.
3. User Creation for Database
   • Create a new SQL user or use an existing Active Directory (AD) user.
   • Assign db_owner permissions to this user for the database you created in Step 2.
   • Under Owned Schemas (right-click the database name, select Properties, and then select Owned Schemas), assign the db_owner permission.
     
4. Database Instantiation
   • Replace the values in single quotes below with your details. Execute the updated script in your SQL Server database to set initial values. SMTP settings can be configured later on your site.
     

     EXEC [Dyve_System_InstantiateCommunity]
             @ApplicationName = 'Your_app_name',
             @ApplicationURL = 'http://www.your-application-url.com',
             @VirtualDirectory = '',
             @DefaultEmailAddress = 'email@email.com',
             @SMTPServer = '',
             @SMTPUsername = '',
             @SMTPPassword = '',
             @SMTPPort = 25,
             @AdminUserName = 'admin',
             @AdminPassword = 'Your_Complex_Password'

   • Note Save the administrator username and password. You will need these to log in to your new site in step 14.
5. Web Server Configuration
   • Use Server Manager to configure necessary roles and features:
     
     
     
   • Note If you plan to use Windows Active Directory Single Sign-On, ensure that Forms Authentication is disabled in your IIS configuration.
6. IIS URL Rewrite
   • Install IIS URL Rewrite from Microsoft on your web server.
7. Modify Hosts File
   • Update the hosts file to allow server access to local sites. Add YOUR_SERVER_IP_ADDRESS yourcommunifireurl.com to the hosts file at %SystemRoot%\system32\drivers\etc\hosts.
8. Setting Up the Site Folder
   • Create the site root folder \websites\yoursite.com on any drive other than C:\ with sufficient space.
   • Copy all content from the Software installation folder to the site's root folder.
9. Configuring Database Connection
   • Update CFConnectionStrings.config in the site root folder with the correct database credentials.
     • For SQL user authentication:
       

       <add name="CommunifireConnectionString" connectionString="Initial Catalog=[DATABASENAME];Server=[IPADDRESS];User ID=[USERID];Password=[PASSWORD]" />

     • For Windows AD user authentication:
       

       <add name="CommunifireConnectionString" connectionString="Data Source=[IPADDRESS];Initial Catalog=[DATABASENAME];Integrated Security=SSPI;" providerName="System.Data.SqlClient" />

10. Creating Site in IIS
    • Create a new site in IIS with the necessary HTTP and HTTPS bindings.
11. Assigning Read/Write Permissions
    • Confirm that IIS has been granted Modify permissions on the Assets folder.
    • Create the IIS User Account:
      • Navigate to the site's root folder within the file system.
      • Right-click on the folder and select Properties.
      • Move to the Security tab and click Add to introduce a new user.
      • Enter IIS Apppool\<AppPoolName> in the selection window, replacing <AppPoolName> with your application pool's actual name to specify the IIS User Account to be created.
    • Assign the Required Permissions:
      • Site root folder: Grant Read permission to allow the IIS user access to folder contents.
      • bin/HiQPdf.dep file: Provide Read and Execute permissions, enabling the IIS user to view and run the file as necessary.
12. Application Pool Settings in IIS
    • Configure the application pool in IIS with the following settings:
      • .NET CLR Version: v4.0
      • Enable 32-bit applications: True (False for large user bases: 50,000+ users)
      • Idle Time-out: 0
      • Maximum Worker Processes: 1
      • Disable Overlapped Recycle: True
      • Regular Time Interval: 41760
        
    • For SQL connections using an AD account, set Identity to the AD user and disable ASP.NET Impersonation.
13. Elasticsearch Setup
    • Follow the On-Premise Elasticsearch Installation guide to integrate it with Axero.
14. Starting the Application Pool
    • Once the site is running, navigate to the "Manage Your License" page to log in using admin credentials (as set in Step 4) and enter your license key.

Completion

Congratulations on successfully installing your Axero site! This marks a significant step in enhancing collaboration and communication within your organization. To ensure that you continue to benefit from a secure and efficient intranet environment, please follow On-Premise Management.

Troubleshooting

1. General Troubleshooting: If you encounter an error when loading your site, switch on Custom Errors for detailed error messages:
   1. Go to the web.config file in the website folder.
   2. Set CustomErrors mode to Off:
      

      <customErrors mode="Off" defaultRedirect="Errors-CF/default.aspx" redirectMode="ResponseRewrite">

2. Troubleshooting SQL Connection Issues
   • If you cannot connect to SQL, perform a telnet test first.
   • If telnet fails to connect, check your firewall settings or ensure TCP/IP is enabled in your SQL settings.
3. License Verification Issues
   • Issues may arise if your Internet connection uses a proxy server, preventing license validation with the Axero server.
   • To resolve this, add the following to your web.config file:
     

     <system.net>
         <defaultProxy enabled="true">
           <proxy bypassonlocal="true"
                  proxyaddress="http://your proxy address here:8080/" />
         </defaultProxy>
       </system.net>

4. File Upload Size Limit in IIS
   • For large file uploads, if IIS restricts the size, modify the web.config file:
     
     • Increase request length and timeout:
       

       <system.web> 
           <httpRuntime maxRequestLength="2000000" executionTimeout="100000" /> 
       </system.web>

     • For IIS 7 and above, increase the maximum file size:
       

       <security>
        <requestFiltering>
         <requestLimits maxAllowedContentLength="2000000000" />
        </requestFiltering>
       </security>

   • Alternatively, use the appcmd command:
     
     • For global setting:
       

       C:\Windows\System32\inetsrv\appcmd set config -section:requestFiltering -requestLimits.maxAllowedContentLength:100000000

     • For specific app setting:
       

       %windir%\system32\inetsrv\appcmd set config "Default Web Site/<your app>" -section:requestFiltering -requestLimits.maxAllowedContentLength:10000000

5. Optimizing Performance
   • In production environments, set compilation debug="false" in your web.config file for enhanced performance.
6. URL Canonicalization for SEO
   • To redirect from http://www.site.com/default.aspx to http://www.site.com/, refer to IIS7 and IIS6 URL Rewrite module settings.
7. Web Proxy Settings
   • If using a Web Proxy on your hosting server, add the following to your web.config file:
     

     <system.net>
       <defaultProxy useDefaultCredentials="true">
         <proxy usesystemdefault="false" scriptLocation="http://<your_proxy_server>/<pac_file>.pac"/>
       </defaultProxy>
     </system.net>

8. IIS Log File Management
   • Follow the recommendations in this article for optimizing log files.
9. Forms Authentication Cookie Customization
   • For enhanced security, it's recommended to have a custom name for the forms authentication cookie (the default name is .ASPXAuth). Set the name in the web.config file:

     <authentication mode="Forms">
       <forms loginUrl="login.aspx" 
             name=".yourSiteNameASPXAuth" 
             domain="yoursite.com" path="/"/>
     </authentication>

Disaster Recovery

Ensuring continuous operation of your intranet services requires a robust on-premise disaster recovery plan. The On-Premise Disaster Recovery guide provides detailed steps to create a plan for your intranet setup, ensuring resilience and stability.

Sandbox/Development Environment

To ensure smooth and safe updates to your production environment, the On-Premise Additional Instances guide recommends using a "Sandbox" or "Development" environment. This setup allows for thorough testing of new updates, features, and configurations without risk to your live intranet.

On-Premise Management

The On-Premise Management guide highlights key security updates and maintenance best practices for Axero's intranet software. It stresses the importance of staying current with Axero's updates and outlines the division of support roles to maintain a secure, efficient intranet.

Upgrading Axero Software

Regular updates are key to maintaining the efficiency and security of your Axero platform. Staying current is essential with a major version released yearly and service versions monthly. The On-Premise Site Upgrades guide provides comprehensive instructions and advice for upgrading your software.