Installation

From CaisisWiki

Revision as of 19:16, 10 May 2010 by Avinash (Talk | contribs)
Jump to: navigation, search

Translations: italiano - français

VERSION 5.0 install instructions are in progress! The web instructions below still apply, but for revised database instructions please check back on Monday.

Version 4.5 Release Notes

Caisis is an ASP.NET web application with a SQL Server backend. Users interface with the application using a web browser and we have supported Internet Explorer 6 & 7, FireFox, and Safari 3.0 for the Mac since version 4.0.

Caisis was built to scale to from single users to thousands, and the number of users and performance expectations should be considered when selecting hardware. At minimum, the Caisis database and web server can be run on the same server with 5 GB of free hard drive space and 512MB of RAM. Using SQL Server 2005 Express in place of the Enterprise version allows groups to get up and running at no cost (assuming you have a Windows Server with IIS installed).

This page will guide you through the installation of the database and web application.


Contents

System Requirements

Database Server

  • Microsoft SQL Server 2008, 2005 or SQL Server Express (with limitations: see Microsoft Web Site)

Web Server

  • Microsoft Windows 2008, 2003, 2000 or XP
  • Microsoft Internet Information Services (IIS) 5 or Greater

- The database and web server can be on the same or different physical machines

Installation Prerequisites

Before you begin the installation, verify that you have met the requirements above and that the .NET 2.0 Framework is installed on your web server, and SQL Server and Internet Information Services(IIS) are running.

The .NET 2.0 Framework is available as free download.

This will help to ensure a problem free installation when running the Caisis Installer and SQL setup script.

Downloads

Caisis 4.5 can be downloaded as a zip package, which contains the files needed to setup the database and web application. There are 3 packages available for download:

Caisis 4.5 - New Installation

  • Installer: Contains the Windows Installer file for a standard installation.
  • Database: Contains the Database sql script files and databases needed to install the Caisis 4.5 database.

Caisis 4.5 - Upgrade from Caisis 4.1

  • WebApp: Contains the web application files if you prefer to manually copy the Caisis files to a registered IIS web root instead of running the Installer file.
  • Installer: (recommended) Contains the Windows Installer file for a standard installation. Before running the install, you may have to uninstall prior versions of Caisis using Control Panel:Add/Remove programs
  • Database: Contains the Database sql script files and databases needed to upgrade your Caisis 4.1 Database to the Caisis 4.5 Database.
  • the above also applies when upgrading from version 3.5 to 4.0. You must upgrade from 3.5 to 4.0, and/or from 4.0 to 4.1 before running the 4.5 upgrade scripts.

Caisis 4.5 Source Files

Contains the Visual Studio Solution file and source code used to build and modify Caisis 4.5.

Database Setup

You will need to log into your SQL Server in order to run the install or upgrade scripts.

Setup Scripts

New Caisis 4.5 Database Installation

You will find two files in the Caisis_v4.5_NewInstall/Database folder:
1) SetupDB.sql : the SQL script that when executed within SQL Server Management Studio will restore the Caisis database. You will need to open the SetupDB.sql file located in the Database folder of the package and fill in the required fields in the user input section. Below is a list of parameters.
2) Caisis.bak : by default you should put this database backup file in a "Downloads" folder on your C drive (C:\Downloads\Caisis.bak). Otherwise, update the @BackupFile parameter in the above .sql file to point to your copy of Caisis.bak.


Required Values

  • @BackupFile: This is the path to database file (Caisis.bkp) included in the download
  • @WebPassword: this is the password that the web application will use to connect to the database

The following default values work for most cases and do not need to be edited.

  • @DataFilePath: This is the path where the database file (MDF) will be installed.
  • @LogFilePath: This is the path where the transaction log file (LDF) will be installed.
  • @SecurityMode: SQL or Windows mode security setting. To use SQL security make sure your server is running in mixed mode.
  • @WebUserName: The web application account. This allows the webserver application to communicate with the database.
  • @DatabaseName: The name of the database.
  • @DatabaseOwner: The owner of the database, usually sa.

Database Upgrade from Caisis 4.1 to 4.5

Before attempting to upgrade the database from 4.1 to 4.5 it is recommended to make a backup of your current database. It is advisable to run the database upgrade process on a copy to see if any problems may occur.

The upgrade process consists of three sequential steps:

  • Upgrade the database using the file 4.1_to_4.5_upgrade_script.sql
  • Grant permissions to new objects introduced in 4.5 using the file GrantPermissions.sql
  • Import new system data into the database using the file ImportMetadata.sql

You must be connected to the correct database to run these files. If all steps run without error then the upgrade is successful.

NOTE 1: If errors occur during the first step then restore your database and instead of using 4.1_to_4.5_upgrade_script.sql run the files in the folder IndividualScriptFiles until the exact file is found that is causing a problem. Resolve data errors before proceeding.

NOTE 2: The ImportMetadata.sql file will remove your old lookup codes and help descriptions and replace it with the new data. So if you have made many changes to your own data be sure to backup at least those tables.

Web Application Setup

Windows Installer File

Before beginning the installation, please make sure IIS is running and that you have permissions to the modify settings. Caisis comes packed in a Windows Installer file which will install the application through a series of steps. The installer will setup your virtual directory in IIS for hosting Caisis and then launch the Caisis Configuration Utility, a desktop application which will allow you to to modify various settings in your application, such as Institution settings, Email settings, Database settings and Error Handling. It will also allow you to test the connection from the web app to the Database.

Once the settings are saved, the installer will end and launch the application in a new browser.

Installer Screenshots

File:Installer_1.jpg File:Installer_2.jpg File:Installer_3.jpg File:Installer_4.jpg File:Installer_5.jpg File:Installer_6.jpg File:Installer_7.jpg File:Installer_8.jpg


Note, it is NOT necessary to add all the variables in the Caisis Configuration Utility during setup. The can be modified anytime by:

  • The Caisis Configuration Utility will be located in the user's program files directory and can be launched anytime to mange the settings in your web.config file.
  • The same installation parameters can also be modified anytime by opening the web.config file found in the web root directly

NOTE: You will need to log in to the server as an administrator to install Caisis using the provided Windows Installer.

Manual Installation

If you need to manually configure the application, you can create a virtual directory in IIS and place the files contained in the Upgrade/WebApp Folder in there. You will also need to verify that your application is running under ASP.NET 2.0. You can check this, and other web site properties, by opening IIS, find the Caisis web site, right clicking on it and choose properties. When the dialogue box opens select the "ASP.NET" tab and check that 2.0 appears in the drop down box.

Confirm Application Running

After running the Setup file, a web page will launch to your application. The typical URL of your application will be http://machine_name/virtual_directory/Login.aspx If you application was installed on machine ONYX in the virtual directory Caisis, your application would be located at http://onyx/Caisis/Login.aspx. If you receive any errors, you can consult the Troubleshooting page for help diagnosing the issues.

Personal tools