Per-User Installation

Important note: If you have a 64 bit system, please substitute "\Program Files\" with "\Program Files (x86)\" in the explanation below.

What is a Per-User Installation?

A per-user installation of DBT is simply an installation that relies on a server machine on your network to determine that it has been activated. Typically, only the server machine has been activated, and it has been activated for more than one user. It shares its activation with other machines on the network, which themselves are never activated.

If you prefer, you can explore more automated ways to install DBT from your Server Image, including a fully-supported Unattended Installation method and a fully-supported Quiet Installation method that runs completely in the background.

Condensed Instructions for Per-User Installation

This topic is fairly dense technically. Here we boil down all the instructions to show what the steps really are:

  1. Review the requirements to create the server image.
  2. Install DBT on the server or master workstation.
  3. Activate DBT on the server or master workstation for multiple users. Also install embossers
  4. Go to a command prompt. Give the commands:
    cd "\Program Files\Duxbury\DBT 11.1\NetTools" <Enter>
    slsService -i <Enter
    net start slsService <Enter>
  5. Now create a "server image" of the installer. Give the command:
    msiexec /a D:\dbt-1101sr3.msi <Enter>
    Give a username and license as before. When prompted, elect to share activations. Give the server or "master" workstation's DNS name or IP number in the edit box. Save this in a shared folder that clients can access.
  6. On a client, install from the server image created in the previous step.

Now we go through these steps in detail.

(1) What is Required to Create the Server Image?
  1. You need to know the path to the standard version of the installer. If you have the DBT distribution CD in your computer, this might be D:\dbt-1101sr3.msi.  But it's up to you to know for certain.
  2. You must have a network location or share available in which to store the Server Image. This location should be a place to which you can write, and which is readable from all the computers on which you intend to install DBT. Do not use C:\Program Files or the Windows directory. There should be at least 35 MB free at this location. The computer holding the server image need not be the computer that will run the slsService. For the purposes of example, lets say that you have set up a directory on "server10" called "DBTinstall". The Network Location of the Server Image would be \\server10\dbtinstall (assuming that the directory name is the same as the share name that the client computer would see)
  3. You need to understand how to run programs from the command line, such as PING, IPCONFIG, or REGEDIT.
  4. You should know your license text. This can usually be found on a print-and-braille card that came with your original purchase of DBT. It may also be found in a file called gjgmw.dxr or hjgmw.dxr that came with your original purchase of DBT, if your first purchase was of version 10.4 or earlier.
  5. You should install and activate DBT on your server machine before creating the Server Image. There is a special section (below) dedicated to this task. Do not attempt to activate the client machines
  6. You should verify that TCP/IP port 8080 is not in use on your network, and will not be blocked by internal firewalls between the machines where DBT will be installed. If port 8080 is not available or suitable, then choose another port that is, and play close attention in the instructions to see what steps you'll need to customize.
  7. Know the DNS server name to address the server from the client machine. If you do not have a name, you can use a static IP number.
    Note: Do not use a dynamic IP number or things will only work for a short time. Use ipconfig /all <Enter> to get the DNS name for the server.
    Use ping (name) <Enter> on the client machine to verify that the client machine can "find" the server with that name.
(2) How do I install DBT on the server machine?

The first thing that you need to do is to choose a server machine. It needn't be an actual server in any other sense of the word. But if it is not a Windows Server machine, then it must at least be a Windows XP computer, able itself to run DBT, and which you are willing to leave powered on whenever DBT is needed by any user on the network. If installed from the Server Image that you will create below, DBT will not run if it cannot contact the server machine.

Once you've chosen a server machine, install DBT onto it by following the Simple Installation instructions.

(3) How do I activate DBT (and set up embossers) on the server machine?

Before proceeding, you should also activate DBT on the server machine. If you have a multiple user license, then the Activation Wizard should prompt you about whether you want activation for more than one user on this machine. It is possible for the server machine to share activation for just one user through your network. But it is usually handier if you activate for the full user count that your license will allow. (The only exception to this is when you want to leave open the possibility of having some Stand-alone installations in addition to the Shared Activation network installations.)

As long as the server machine is now able to run DBT, you may wish to consider configuring any embossers that you wish to support for all DBT installations on your network. Be sure that each embosser configuration is set up for "All Users of this Computer", which is not the default setting. You should also be certain that you've only defined embosser configurations that you intend to replicate.

(4) How do I install and run slsService on the server?

You need to install and run a service called slsService, so that other machines on your network can read DBT activation details from the server.

If you are using a port other than port 8080, then you must edit the file slsService.ini in the NetTools subdirectory of the DBT installation directory. (You can use any text editor you'd like to change the file. Typically, the full path to this will be C:\Program Files\Duxbury\DBT 11.1\NetTools\slsService.ini.) You only need to make one change in the file. Where the file now says: "/port:8080", you must change the 8080 to the port number you intend to use. Save your version of slsService.ini

Now, to actually start slsService, go to a Command Prompt and type the following:

cd "\Program Files\Duxbury\DBT 11.1\NetTools" <Enter>
slsService -i <Enter>
net start slsService <Enter>

(5) How do I create an appropriate Server Image?

Creating the Server Image is quite simple. Follow these steps:

  1. Open DBT's installer using the msiexec.exe program and it's /a switch. The full command line for this might be: msiexec /a d:\dbt-1101sr3.msi <Enter>
  2. Click Next, or type Alt+N, to dismiss the Welcome Screen. (This screen is not shown here; it is very similar to the first screen shown in the Simple Installation instructions, though a subtle difference in the text will show that you've started the process of creating a Server Image.)
  3. Please read the End User License Agreement (EULA) in the next dialog, if you haven't read the EULA for DBT 11.1 SR3 before. You must agree to the terms of the EULA to proceed. Click Cancel, or type Escape, if you do not agree to the terms. Otherwise, type Alt+A to accept the agreement and Alt+N to proceed. (The screen described in this step is exactly the same as the second screen in the Simple Installation instructions.)
  4. You will now see the installer's Customer Information Screen, the same as the third screen shown in the Simple Installation instructions. You can enter information in this screen just as if you were doing a Simple Installation, but bear in mind that any information you supply here will ordinarily be stored with the Server Image. When you install from that image, the information you supply now will be proposed again. We recommend that you enter your Organization and License Text, but not a User Name. If a User Name is supplied, we recommend erasing it. Or, if you want to supply a User Name, make it something generic, e.g. "Braille Transcriber". Click Next, or type Alt+N, once you've supplied all the data you wish to supply on this screen.
  5. The next screen is unlike anything in the Simple Installation procedure. It looks like this:
    Image shows a dialog prompting to "Choose Activation Model". Radio buttons allow you to choose either Local Activation or Shared Activation. With Shared Activation selected, there is an edit control below the radio buttons labelled "Track DBT 10.6 Activation on Computer:". Buttons at the bottom are labelled Back, Next, and Cancel.
    Note that "Local Activation" is originally selected when this dialog first appears. You must change the selection to "Shared Activation" by pushing Down Arrow or clicking on the second radio button. (This was done before taking the screen shot shown above.) "Shared Activation" is the correct option for per-user installations. Now use the Tab key to reach the checkbox labelled "Track DBT 11.1 SR3 activation on computer:" and type the DNS name or IP number of the server computer that you've already set up. (Note: If you are using a port other than 8080, then you should add a colon and a port number to the contents of the edit control as well, e.g. you might type "myserver.mydomain.com:8010".) Click Alt+N to continue.
  6. The installer now may display the following screen:
    Image shows a dialog with explanatory text, one check box, and three buttons labelled Back, Next, and Cancel.
    This screen is only shown if there are one or more embosser configurations defined, for "All Users on This Computer", by an existing DBT 11.1 SR3 installation on the computer where you're running this process. If you don't see this screen, then no embosser configurations will be included in your Server Image. So, if you expect to be including embosser configuration definitions in your Server Image, but don't see this screen, please click Cancel (or press Escape) now. Start the process again after you've checked your embosser configurations. Remember that they must be on this machine, and the location setting must be set to "All Users on this Computer". Only these configurations can be shared through this process. If, on the other hand, you do see this screen, but do not want to include the embosser definitions in the Server Image, simply click on the check box, or type Alt+I, to remove the check mark. Click Next, or type Alt+N, to continue.
  7. Now, the installer will display this screen:
    Image shows a dialog prompting for a network location. There is a text edit control where the location could be typed, a change button, and three buttons at the bottom of the dialog, labelled Back, Next, and Cancel.
    You should type the network path where you want your Server Image created. In the example given earlier, here you would type \\server10\dbtinstall presuming that the server was called server10 and the network share of the directory is called dbtinstall. You may use the Change button to browse for this path. The installer will create the path if necessary, and will create or overwrite directories within that path. Click Install, or type Alt+I, to begin creating your Server Image.
  8. The installer will display a dialog with a progress bar and cancel button, much like the one shown in the Simple Installation instructions, and eventually a Wizard Completed dialog, as shown there as well. Just click the Finish button, or type Alt+F, and your Server Image is completed.
(6) How do I install on the Client Machines?

After you've created the Server Image, you should install DBT on each client computer from it. Follow the Simple Installation instructions, except that you should open your Server Image from the client instead of inserting the original DBT CD.

Do not attempt to activate your client machine. All activation and registration should only involve the server machine.

 

How would I set up two or more independent Shared Activation systems?

In lieu of step-by-step directions for this presumably unusual request, here are some pointers:

  1. You must first have two or more server machines. (An XP or above machine will suffice, if it can run DBT.)
  2. It is OK for the two Shared Activation "pools" to be on one network, provided that they each use a different port. Therefore, at least one of them must use a port other than the default port 8080.
  3. You must create a different Server Image for each Shared Activation server.
  4. If the servers each have the same License Text, then none may be activated up to the full number of users your license will allow. That is, you'll have to decide how to apportion the available user count between or among these systems