SCInterface Quick Start Guide for Windows
From SCInterface Wiki
This Quick Start guide is intended to provide a complete overview for getting SCInterface installed and running on a Windows based operating system. Windows is only supported on the commercial versions of SCInterface. The OL (Open Source) packages of SCInterface does not support Windows. For instance, the Windows SC will not work with the OL licensed version of the SCM. For instructions with working with Linux, please visit the SCInterface Quick Start Guide for Linux.
Attention SCInterface Evaluation, XL and XLS Users: View the SCInterface Eval, XL and XLS Setup wiki article prior to reading these instructions as most of the setup has already been done for you.
If you have any questions regarding this Quick Start Guide, please visit the SCInterface Forums and post your question to the community. Professional support is also available through Netarus Professional Services.
Contents |
Overview
SCInterface is separated into three core components. All three components are required to be installed in order for SCInterface to function. These three components are:
- PHP Web Interface - The web interface is the way that administrators and end users interact with SCInterface. The web interface must run on any PHP compatible platform such as Apache compiled with PHP support or Xampp Which is Pre-installed with PHP Support.
- SCM - This is the core to SCInterface. The SCM can only run on a Linux or BSD based platforms and the SCM must be able to communicate with a PostgreSQL database.
- SC - This is the remote agent that is required to run on each platform that you wish for SCInterface to manage and control (including those applications running on the same server as the SCM and the UI).
NOTE: Only the UI, and SCs can be run on a Windows based system. The SCM must run on a Unix based operating system.
Prerequisites
The following are the minimum prerequisites in order to use this quick start guide. The SCInterface installer will not function unless all of these prerequisites are met.
- The SC installer will only function on Windows. Here is a list of platforms that have been certified by our development team: Supported SCInterface Platforms
- Make sure that all of the prerequisites have been met before continuing located here: SCInterface System Requirements
- The SCInterface system must be connected to the internet as certain dependencies are downloaded from the scinterface.com site.
- Ensure that you are comfortable working within a *nix and Windows environment. This installation guide is recommend only for those that are comfortable using *nix and Windows based platforms as it involves installing and downloading as a Windows Administrator.
- The entire installation should take anywhere from 30 to 60 minutes depending on the speed of your platform, what components are already setup (i.e. database and web server) on the platform that is running SCInterface and the amount of experience you have working with Windows.
Things to Know Prior to Installation
The following is a simple check list that you should fill out prior to the installation. This will help when filling in the fields necessary to install SCInterface.
- The location of where you would install the Web UI, the SCM, and the URL (i.e. http://ui.scinterface.com) of the Web UI.
Downloading the Windows SC Installer
The Windows SC is the remote agent that communicates directly with the SCM to manage Windows based platforms. The commercial version of the Windows SC is only available to those who have purchased the commercial version of SCInterface. The OL (Open Source) package of SCInterface is not compatible with Windows. If you need access to the SCInterface Support system, please contact Netarus Professional Services for support.
The Windows SC installer can be downloaded again by logging into the SCInterface support site at: http://support.scinterface.com
Installing the Windows SC
To install the Windows SC:
- Login to your Windows system as an Administrator. The Windows SC should be installed on a system with a user having Administrator privledges.
- After downloading the Windows SC setup program, double click on the executable to begin the setup.
- You may be prompted to install the Java run-time environment (JRE) before the setup can continue.
- The JRE can be downloaded from:
- When prompted, follow the on-screen display and accept the defaults.
- After installing the SC, the SC service will be automatically register to windows and the Windows SC taskbar service should appear on your taskbar.
The Windows SC runs as a service within windows and starts automatically after installing it or rebooting the computer. After installing the Windows SC, the following two applications will be installed:
- The Windows SC Service - This handles communication to and from the SCM
- The Windows SC Taskbar Utility - This provides the user interface and monitors the Windows SC Service.
Configuring the Windows SC
The Windows SC service can be configured on the taskbar by right clicking or double clicking on the taskbar icon (
) after the SCInterface taskbar utility has been started. The taskbar utility can also be executed by navigating into the Start -> Programs -> SCInterface folder.
After spawning the Windows SC service, we must now configure the SC to communicate with the appropriate SC.
- After successfully installing the SC, now we will go to the section Accessing SCInterface for the First Time. Return to this step once you've registered the Windows SC with the SCM.
- Open the SC Management Tool.
- Either double click on the
on the taskbar.
- Or click Start -> All Programs -> SCInterface -> Management Tool.
- Either double click on the
- Make sure that the Windows SC is Enabled at Startup.
- Within the SCInterface® Controller Management Tool window, click Tools and make sure Enabled at Startup is checked.
- Make sure that the Windows SC is Running in Service Mode.
- Within the SCInterface® Controller Management Tool window, click Tools and make sure Running in Service Mode is checked.
- Within the SCInterface® Controller Management Tool window, click Tools -> SCManager: scm1.scinterface.com: 51026
- In the SCM Host field, enter the hostname or IP address of your SCM.
- The default SCM Port should be 51026.
- Click Save and the management tool will verify communication with the SCM. Otherwise, it will instruct you to enter in a valid hostanem for the SCM.
- Once it successfully verifies that the SC can communicate with the SCM, click File -> Start SC within the SCInterface® Controller Management Tool window.
- If the Windows SC successfully connects into the SCM, you will see the following within the log and the Windows SC Management Tool icon by the time on your taskbar will look like this
.
Thu Dec 20 11:53:31 EST 2007 : LOG : Starting the SCInterface® Controller version 2.2.20071217-Java Thu Dec 20 11:53:31 EST 2007 : LOG : Logs are also in C:\Program Files\SCInterface\SCLog.txt Thu Dec 20 11:53:38 EST 2007 : LOG : Initialization successful. Thu Dec 20 11:53:38 EST 2007 : LOG : Operating port : TCP51025 Thu Dec 20 11:53:38 EST 2007 : LOG : Monitor Push Interval : 300 Thu Dec 20 11:53:38 EST 2007 : LOG : Configured SCMs: Thu Dec 20 11:53:38 EST 2007 : LOG : myscm.mycompany.com : 51026 Thu Dec 20 11:53:38 EST 2007 : LOG : Enabling monitors
If the SC is unable to communicate with the SCM, this information will be displayed within the SCInterface® Controller Management Tool window. For additional resources on debugging communication between the Windows SC and the SCM, please take a look at the SCInterface Troubleshooting Guide.
Starting the Windows SC
To start the Windows SC, right click on the Windows SC taskbar icon () and choose the option to start the SC service. Once you have connected into the SCM, the taskbar icon will look like this:
The following table shows the meaning of the colors of the taskbar service.
| Taskbar Icon | Status | Action |
|---|---|---|
|
| SC is Offline | Right click on the taskbar icon to start or view the system log |
| SC is attempting to connect into the SCM | Right click on the taskbar icon to view the system log |
|
| SC is Online | Right click on the taskbar icon to stop the SC or view the system log |
If you are having trouble connecting into the SCM, please refer to the SCInterface Troubleshooting Guide.
After successfully installing the SC, now we will go to the section Accessing SCInterface for the First Time.
Accessing SCInterface for the First Time
In order to access SCInterface, make sure that the following steps have been completed:
- The Web UI has been installed and Apache is running
- The SCM has been installed on a Linux system and is running
- The SC has been installed on your Windows system and is running
The following steps provide an overview of how to access SCInterface for the first time and the steps that should be taken after installing all of the necessary components.
Connecting into the Web Interface
The web interface is accessed through any web browser. Simply point your web browser to the URL of your SCInterface web UI (i.e. http://ui.scinterface.com) and enter in your username and password as show in the screenshot below:
Adding Users
Add some users to SCInterface to allow differnet people to access your newly installed applications and devices by:
- Login as the system administrator
- Click the Admin tab
- Click the Users tab
- Click the Add New User sub-tab
- Enter in the users information
- Make sure to assign the user to a particular application (or even SCs for that matter if you would like for them to be able to manage the SCs themselves).
Adding the SC to the SCM
After logging in as the system administrator, make sure to add your SC running on your SCM to the system. To do this:
- Login as the system administrator
- Click the Admin tab
- Click the SControllers tab
- Click the Add New SC sub-tab
- Follow the prompts to add the SC to SCInterface. The important fields are:
- SC Name: - This can be a simple description of the SC
- Address: - This is the full DNS name or IP address of the SC
- Numeric IP Address: - Enable this field if using the IP address of the SC
- SConnector: - Make sure to choose the appropriate platform for the SC that it is running on. In this case, we will choose Windows.
- Click Add SC
- Once the SC has been added, it can be manually started right from your Windows system by right clicking on the SCInterface Windows taskbar utility () and choosing to start the service. If the SC successfully connects into the SCM, the SC Windows taskbar utility should be orange ()
- Return to the At a Glance page on the Web UI and your SC should show a green light as shown below:
For additional assistance:
Adding a New Application Device
Next, we will add a new application or device.
- Login as the system administrator
- Click the Admin tab
- Click the Applications tab
- Click the Add New App tab
- Follow the step by step instructions for adding the new application or device to SCInterface.
- Only for commercial users of SCInterface: If applicable the SCInterface Add New App' wizard will prompt you to automatically install the application as well
To reinstall the application:
- Go under the At a Glance tab (also know as the Config section of SCInterface)
- Locate the new application and click the Config button (looks like a wrench) next to the application
- Commercial Licensees Only - Under the Commands tab:
- Select the Install option from the dropdown list of available commands.
- Click Execute.
- If available, the application and dependencies will automatically install onto the SC that this application belongs to.
- Once the application is installed on the system, the Start and Stop buttons should function.
NOTE: If SCInterface does not detect the executable for the application, the application will not start. The application must be installed in order for it to run.
To subscribe to a commercial license of SCInterface in order to access the automatic installers, please visit the SCInterface at http://www.scinterface.com
For additional assistance:
Install Additional SCs
To install an additional SCs, simply re-implement these steps outlined above on another system.
Known Issues
Please refer to the SCInterface Troubleshooting Guide for more information
Getting Help With SCInterface
There are numerous options for obtaining support for SCInterface.. Here are some important links to reference:
- SCInterface Troubleshooting Guide - View this guide to diagnose common issues that occur with the various components of SCInterface.
- SCInterface Online User's Manual - The online user's manual to navigating the Web UI.
- SCInterface Quick Start Guide for Linux
- SCInterface Forums - Search and post your questions and answers for free to the entire SCInterface community.
- SCInterface Support - For commercial and per incident support users only.
- Netarus Professional Services - Professional installation support directly from the developers of SCInterface: Netarus, LLC
