Network Installation Using a Server Image (Automatic)

A network-based installation of DBT is simply an installation in which all the instances of DBT, on as many machines as they are installed, are all activated through a single server machine on your network. Only the server computer needs to be officially activated; all other DBT’s on the network become activated as its clients. Naturally, in this set-up the server must be activated for multiple users.

This method of installation requires at a minimum that you have a network accessible location to host the “server image” installer you will create. This location must be accessible by all your client computers that will run DBT. Use the Network Installation using the Activation Wizard (Manual) instructions if you cannot set up such a shared location on your network.

These instructions consist of an overview, detailed step-by-step instructions for installation and activation, and some notes at the end on Unattended Installation and Quiet Installation.

Overview

Network installation is a fairly dense topic. Here we boil down all the instructions to show an outline of the steps:

  1. Assemble the information and tools to create the server image.
  2. Install DBT on the server or master workstation.
  3. Activate DBT for multiple users on that server.
  4. Configure embossers in DBT on that server.
  5. Install the Shared License Service on that server, and allow it in the firewall.
  6. Create the “server image” of the DBT installer. Save the server image in a shared folder that client computers can access.
  7. On each client machine, install DBT from the server image.

Now we will go through these steps in detail.

(1) Assemble the Information and Tools
  1. You need to know the location of your standard DBT installer, whether on CD or downloaded from Duxbury. If you have the DBT distribution CD in your computer, this location might be D:\dbt-1102.msi. But it is up to you to know the exact volume letter and path. You also need to know the location of the Shared License Service installer, a separate installer which is also on the CD or downloaded from Duxbury.
  2. You must prepare a network location or shared volume to make available the server image you will create. There should be at least 100 MB free at this location. This location must be writable for you, and it must be readable from all the computers where DBT will be installed. Do not use the “Program Files (x86), Program Files,” or “Windows” directories. The location you share from need not be on your DBT server computer. For example, let us say that you have set up a directory on "server10" called "DBTinstall". The network location of the server image would be “\\server10\DBTinstall.”
  3. You should know your license text and the maximum number of DBT users you are licensed for. The license text 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. The number of users should be found on your purchase paperwork or other key documents relating to your installation.
  4. You will install and activate DBT on your server or master workstation as your first task. The next section covers the server installation task in detail.
  5. You should verify that TCP/IP port 8080 is not already in use on your network, and will not be blocked by internal firewalls between the machines where DBT will be installed. This is the default port number that the “Shared License Service” uses. If port 8080 is not available or not suitable, then choose another port and pay close attention to the instructions about where to enter the custom port number.
  6. Know your server’s DNS name in order to locate it from the client machines. If you do not have a DNS name, you can instead use the server’s IP address as long as it is a static IP number. On the server, use ipconfig /all <Enter> to obtain its DNS name.
    Use ping (name) <Enter> on the client machines to verify that the client machines can find the server with that name. Note: Do not use a dynamic IP number or DBT activations will only work for a short time.
  7. If you intend to share one or more braille embossers with all the DBT users on the network, you should have any documentation you need to define a global embosser configuration for each one that is to be shared.
(2) Install DBT on the Server or Master Workstation

We say, “server" or "master workstation,” because the computer you choose as the master for DBT activation need not be running a server operating system. This gives you a wider choice of which computer to use as your master for activation. If the computer you choose is not a Windows Server machine, then it must be at least a Windows XP computer or later, and you need to be willing to leave it powered on whenever DBT is needed by any user on the network

Once you have chosen a server machine, install DBT on it by following the Simple Installation instructions.

(3) Activate DBT on the Server

The next step is to activate DBT on the server machine. When you launch DBT, you will see the “Activate” button on the splash screen. When you click that (or the like button in the “About” box), it invokes the Activation Wizard. Or the Activation Wizard can be invoked directly from the DBT home folder (actwiz.exe).

On the Activation Wizard main page is a radio button labeled, “Set up this server to host the network license.” Select that choice and click the “Next” button. From there you can simply follow the instructions in the Activation Wizard, but here are some helpful tips.

To see page-by-page instructions for using the Activation Wizard see activation.

Note: This is the only activation you need to do. Do not attempt to activate the individual client machines.

(4) Configure Global Embossers on the Server

Now that the server is activated for DBT, you may configure any embossers that you wish to support for all DBT installations on your network.

To create global embosser configurations, your DBT must be running with administrative privileges. Start your DBT by right clicking on the DBT icon and select "Run as administrator." Then, at the User Account Control (UAC) prompt, enter the admin password if needed.

In the DBT menu bar, go to Global menu, and select Embosser Set-up. Use the New button in this dialogue box to define new embossers (or use Modify Embosser to revise existing definitions). Enter all the settings your embosser requires, and on the General tab you must set the value of “Configuration location” to “All users on this computer.” You must do this explicitly to share the embosser definition, because this is not the default setting.

At this time, only configure the embossers that you intend to share with all the DBT client machines.

(5) Install the Shared License Service

Just the same way DBT is installed from an installer package (an .msi file), you need to install the Shared License Service from its .msi file, duxsls-0100.msi. The completion of installation automatically initiates the network license service that is needed for sharing your server activation. This service allows other machines on the network to obtain their DBT activations from your server. The duxsls-0100.msi file is available from http://www.duxburysystems.com/downloads/duxsls-0100.msi or from the root directory of your DBT 11.2 CD-ROM.

The installer guides you through each step, beginning with the End User License Agreement, which you must accept to enable the Next button and which we recommend you read through at least once.

By default the installer places the Shared License Service files in the “Duxbury\Shared License Server” folder. We recommend you accept the default location.

On its last page the installer pre-checks a box prompting you to “Configure and start service.” This causes the Duxbury SLS Editor to open. If your installation includes multiple versions of DBT, or includes other Duxbury products like NimPro, or uses third-party software that is activated using “Sheriff,” you need to configure them using the SLS Editor. Even if you have no complications, you must invoke the Editor to build the required initialization files and to start the service. If you uncheck this box, you will have to start the Editor manually to complete your installation.

In the Duxbury SLS Editor, you are prompted for the port number you wish to use for the Shared License Service. As previously noted the default is port 8080, and you can use that if it is not already in use or unsuitable for some reason local to your own network. If you chose a different port number in the Activation Wizard, enter that same port number here.

On this same screen, the Editor builds a list of checkboxes that allows you to indicate which Duxbury products are to be shared from this server. In the most common case, that list contains only the single version of DBT that you have just installed and activated. In the most complicated case, the list may include a range of Duxbury products and even third-party software.

Unless necessary, we do not recommend running third-party products (should any be listed) under the same port number as your Duxbury applications. In the most complex case, conflicts between Duxbury and third-party software may possibly be resolved by editing the content of the initialization (.ini) files per the next screen in the Editor. Consult your local IT personnel if you need to do this. Normally no editing of these settings is required.

On leaving the Editor you must click the “Start Service” button to launch the Duxbury Shared License Service. You can confirm this service is running by finding it under this name in your “Administrative Tools: Services” screen.

Concerning Your Firewall

The Duxbury Shared License Service is not added to the list of rules (or programs) in your firewall automatically. You must edit the Inbound Rules of the Windows Firewall (or similar program list on your third-party firewall) to add this service.

Using Windows 7 as an example:

In the Windows Firewall, you need to access the “Advanced settings” (administrative level) functions.

To avoid confusion, we suggest you name the new entry, “Duxbury Shared License Service.”

Assuming you have installed the Shared License Service in the normal default location, the program you need to allow is under the “Duxbury\ Shared License Server” folder. The program you need to allow is named slsServer.exe.

Once you make the new entry, you can open the specific port number that this service communicates on. In the Windows Firewall this setting is found under the Properties of the Duxbury Shared License Service.

Consult your specific firewall documentation for additional guidance.

(6) Create the Server Image of the DBT Installer

All the preceding steps have been done on your DBT server machine. This step should be done there as well, because this is the only way that you can include your DBT global embosser definitions in the server image. At the end of this procedure, the server image can be created on the DBT server or on another network location (a writable shared volume).

To create your server image, follow these steps:

  1. From a command prompt, open the DBT installer by invoking the Windows msiexec.exe program with the “/a” switch and the path to the installer. If you are installing from a Duxbury CD on your D: volume, for example, the command line is: msiexec /a d:\dbt-1102.msi <Enter>
  2. Click Next, or type <Alt>+N, to dismiss the Welcome Screen. (The screen is not shown here. It is very similar to the first screen in the Simple Installation instructions, though a subtle difference in the text shows that you have started the process of creating a server image.)
  3. Please, read the End User License Agreement (EULA) in the next dialog, if you have not read the EULA for DBT 11.2 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 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 the information you supply will be stored with the server image. When you install from that image, this information is pre-filled for you. In this screen, you must enter your License Text, and we recommend that you enter your Organization name. For the User Name field, we recommend entering another reference to your organization, or a generic user description, such as "School District Braille Transcriber" or whatever fits your situation. Click Next, or type <Alt>+N, when done.

  5. The next screen, Choose Activation Model, is unlike anything in the Simple Installation procedure. It looks like this:


    Image shows a dialog with radio buttons which allow you to choose either Local Activation or Shared Activation. With Shared Activation selected, there is an edit control below the radio buttons labeled Track DBT 11.2 Activation on Computer. Buttons at the bottom are “Back, Next, and Cancel.

    Note that "Local Activation" is selected when this dialog first appears. You must change the selection to "Shared Activation" by pushing the down-arrow key or clicking on the second radio button. (This was done before taking the screen shot shown above.) "Shared Activation" is the correct option for sharing DBT activations over the network. Now use the Tab key to reach the text field labeled "Track DBT 11.2 activation on computer" and type the DNS name or IP number of the server computer that you activated. (Notes: 1.You can only use an IP address if it is a static IP number. 2.If you are using a port other than 8080, then you should add a colon and the port number to the contents of this field, for example, for a computer named “server6” you might type "server6.mydomain.com:8010".) Click <Alt>+N to continue.

  6. If, as described in an earlier section, you have used your new DBT – on this computer – to configure at least one braille embosser for “All users on this computer,” the installer now displays the Include Embossers screen:

    Image shows a dialog with explanatory text, a check box, and three buttons labeled "Back, Next, and Cancel.


    If you do not see this screen, then no embosser configurations will be included in your server image!
    Therefore, if you intended to include embosser configurations in your server image, but do not see this screen, you must click Cancel (or press Escape) now and start the process again after you have created your global embosser configurations. Remember that they must be created 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 embosser definitions in the server image, simply click on the check box or type <Alt>+I, to remove the check mark. Then click Next, or type <Alt>+N, to continue.Now, the installer displays the Network Location screen:

    Image shows a dialog with explanatory text that prompts for a network location and a text field where that location can be entered. It also holds a Change button and “Back, Next, and Cancel” buttons at the bottom.

    You should type the network path where you want your server image created. Using the example given earlier with a server named “server10” and a location found at the simple path “DBTinstall,” you would enter “\\server10\DBTinstall” in this field. You can use the Change button to browse for this path. (Note: The installer will create the path if necessary, and it will create or overwrite directories within that path.) Click Install, or type <Alt>+I, to begin creating your server image.

  7. The installer next displays a dialog with a progress bar and a Cancel button, much like the one shown in the Simple Installation instructions, and eventually it displays a Wizard Completed dialog as well. Click the Finish button, or type <Alt>+F, and your server image is completed.
(7) Install DBT on each Client Machine from the Server Image

After you have created the server image, use it to install DBT on each client computer. From the client machine, double click on the server image, and then follow the instructions as per a Simple Installation, except that your text information and selections have generally all been pre-entered for you.

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Unattended Installation

Unattended Installation is a feature available with any installer built with Windows installer technology. However, because you are not given the chance to give any data to the installer while it runs, it only makes sense to do this with the DBT installer in those cases where you know the installer already has all of the data it needs, as with a fully set-up server image.

While Unattended Installation is running, you see only a small dialog with a progress bar and a Cancel button. It is possible to cancel Unattended Installation, just like a normal installation.

To start Unattended Installation, you must run msiexec.exe with both the “/i” and “/passive” command-line options. For example, if your server image is in a file called dbt-1102.msi (the default name) at a network share location called \\Server2\Images\DBT 11.2, then you would give the following command to install DBT, without any user interaction:

msiexec /i "\\Server2\Images\DBT 11.2\dbt-1102.msi" /passive

(Note: quotation marks are needed around the installer path because it contains spaces.)

 

You can run this command either from a command prompt or from the Start Menu's Run prompt. You may need to specify the full path to the msiexec program. Typically, this is C:\Windows\System32\msiexec.exe.

Quiet Installation

Quiet Installation works much like Unattended Installation, except that the process runs completely in the background with no progress display.

As with Unattended Installation, we recommend attempting Quiet Installation only after you have provided all the needed data by creating a server image.

To start Quiet Installation, you must run msiexec.exe with both the “/i” and “/quiet” command-line options. For example, if your server image has been placed in a file called dbt-1102sr4.msi (the default name) at a network share location called \\Server2\Images\DBT 11.2, then you would give the following command to install DBT, without any user interaction or progress dialog:

msiexec /i "\\Server2\Images\DBT 11.2\dbt-1102.msi" /quiet

(Note: quotation marks are needed around the installer path because it contains spaces.)

You can run this command either from a command prompt or from the Start Menu’s Run prompt. You may need to specify the full path to the msiexec program. Typically, this is C:\Windows\System32\msiexec.exe.