Qdabra DBXL - Administration Guide Installing, licensing and running DBXL All manuals

Chapter 3 - Installing on Azure

First draft. This chapter has not been reviewed yet and may contain mistakes. Please read it with that in mind, and tell us about anything that does not match what you see.
On this page3.1 Adding a Virtual Machine on Microsoft Azure3.2 Remote Desktop Connection to the Virtual Machine3.3 DBXL v3.6 Installation3.4 Steps for Troubleshooting3.5 Summary

This chapter is a step-by-step walkthrough for installing DBXL v3.6 on Windows Azure. It covers creating the virtual machine and attaching a data disk, connecting to it with Remote Desktop, preparing the server (IE Enhanced Security, data volume, IIS and .NET Framework 3.5, SQL Server Express 2014), running the DBXL installer, and configuring and testing the QueryDBWithUserKey service with a user key. A troubleshooting script for missing IIS and ASP.NET features closes the chapter.

Note: If you are upgrading from a previous version of DBXL, please contact Qdabra support.

3.1 Adding a Virtual Machine on Microsoft Azure

  1. Log in to your Microsoft Azure site.
  2. Create a new Virtual Machine instance by clicking the New button.

Azure portal Virtual Machines list with the New button highlighted at the bottom left.

  1. A new window pops up. Select Compute > Virtual Machine > From Gallery.

The New menu with Compute, Virtual Machine and From Gallery highlighted.

  1. On the next screen, select Windows Server 2012 R2 Datacenter and click the right-arrow (→) sign.

Choose an Image screen with Windows Server 2012 R2 Datacenter selected and the right-arrow button highlighted.

  1. On the next screen:
  2. Virtual Machine Name - enter the name for your Virtual Machine
  3. Tier - Standard
  4. Size - select A3 from the drop-down
  5. New User Name - enter the username
  6. New Password - enter a password and confirm it
  7. Click the right-arrow (→) sign to go to the next screen.

Virtual machine configuration page 1: virtual machine name, Standard tier, size A3, new user name and password filled in.

  1. On the next screen:
  2. Cloud Service - select "Create a new cloud service"
  3. Cloud Service DNS Name - give the Virtual Machine name
  4. Region/Affinity Group/Virtual Network - select a region for your virtual network
  5. Storage Account - select "Use automatically generated storage account"
  6. Click the right-arrow (→) sign.

Virtual machine configuration page 2: new cloud service, cloud service DNS name, region and automatically generated storage account highlighted.

  1. On the following screen, check the box next to Install the VM Agent and click the tick-mark.

Virtual machine configuration page 3 with Install the VM Agent checked and the tick-mark button highlighted.

  1. You will find the Virtual Machine instance Starting. After some time its Status changes to Running.

    Virtual Machines list showing the new instance with status Running.

  2. Now select your Virtual Machine and click Attach at the bottom of the screen, to attach an empty disk to your virtual machine.

    Virtual Machines list with the new instance selected and the Attach button highlighted in the bottom bar.

  3. In the dialog box that appears, give the disk Size in GB. Click the tick-mark sign.

    Attach an empty disk to the virtual machine dialog with the Size (GB) field set to 25.

  4. Now we will add the EndPoints. Go to the Dashboard and click the right-arrow.

  5. Click EndPoints.

  6. Click Add at the bottom of the screen.

    The virtual machine's Endpoints tab with the Add button highlighted in the bottom bar.

  7. A window pops up to add an endpoint to your virtual machine. Click Add A Stand-alone Endpoint and click the right-arrow (→).

    Add an endpoint to a virtual machine dialog with Add a Stand-alone Endpoint selected.

  8. Select HTTP for the Endpoint name and click the tick-mark.

    Specify the details of the endpoint: name HTTP, protocol TCP, public port 80, private port 80.

3.2 Remote Desktop Connection to the Virtual Machine

  1. Once the disk is attached and the status is Running, select the Virtual Machine and click Connect.

Virtual Machines list with the running instance selected and the Connect button highlighted in the bottom bar.

  1. A dialog box appears at the bottom of the screen asking, "Do you want to open or save <YourVirtualMachine>.rdp." Click Open.
  2. Click Connect on the following Remote Desktop Connection dialog box, to connect to your Virtual Machine.

Remote Desktop Connection warning that the publisher cannot be identified, with the Connect button highlighted.

  1. Enter the credentials (Username and Password) for the Remote Desktop that you entered while configuring this Virtual Machine. Click OK.

Windows Security dialog asking for the credentials used to connect to the virtual machine, with the OK button highlighted.

  1. A remote desktop connection will be established with your Virtual Machine name. More information about the machine (IP, free space, memory etc.) is displayed at the top right corner.

The Windows Server 2012 R2 desktop of the virtual machine, with the machine information panel at the top right highlighted.

3.2.1 Configure Server Manager

  1. Once the site has been added to your Trusted Sites, open the Server Manager on the Virtual Machine.
  2. Click Local Server.

Server Manager Dashboard with the Local Server tile highlighted.

  1. On the right side of the screen, search for IE Enhanced Security Configuration. Click On.

Local Server properties with IE Enhanced Security Configuration set to On highlighted.

  1. Turn off both the Administrator and User, for IE enhanced security. Click OK.

Internet Explorer Enhanced Security Configuration dialog with Off selected for both Administrators and Users.

  1. Refresh the page. The IE Enhanced Security Configuration should now show as Off.
  2. Now click Tools at the top-right corner of the Server Manager and select Computer Management.

Server Manager Tools menu with Computer Management highlighted.

  1. In the Computer Management window, select Storage and click Disk Management under it.

Computer Management with Storage and Disk Management highlighted in the tree.

  1. A dialog box pops up to initialize the disk. Select GPT (GUID Partition Table) and click OK.

Initialize Disk dialog with Disk 2 checked and GPT (GUID Partition Table) selected.

  1. In the Disk Management window, scroll down to Disk 2. Right-click it and select New Simple Volume.

Disk Management with the unallocated Disk 2 right-clicked and New Simple Volume highlighted.

  1. Click Next when the New Simple Volume wizard appears.

    New Simple Volume Wizard welcome page with Next highlighted.

  2. Let the Simple Volume size be the default value. Click Next.

    Specify Volume Size page with the default simple volume size of 25470 MB.

  3. In the next window, assign the drive letter or path (e.g. H). Click Next.

    Assign Drive Letter or Path page with drive letter H selected.

  4. For the Format Partition, enter the Volume label name (e.g. DBXLData). Click Next.

    Format Partition page: NTFS, default allocation unit size, volume label DBXLData, quick format checked.

  5. Click Finish in the next window, to complete the New Simple Volume Wizard.

    Completing the New Simple Volume Wizard summary with the Finish button highlighted.

  6. In the Disk Management window, Disk 2 will now have a Volume Label name (DBXLData), drive letter (H:) and size (24.87GB).

    Disk Management showing Disk 2 as the healthy DBXLData (H:) NTFS volume.

3.2.2 Install the Web Server (IIS) and .NET Framework 3.5

  1. Open the Control Panel and click Turn Windows features on or off, under Programs.

Control Panel category view with Turn Windows features on or off highlighted under Programs.

  1. The Add Roles and Features Wizard opens. Click Next.

Add Roles and Features Wizard, Before you begin page.

  1. Click Next on the Installation Type window.

Select installation type page with Role-based or feature-based installation selected.

  1. Click Next on the Server Selection window.

Select destination server page with the virtual machine selected from the server pool.

  1. Check Web Server (IIS) on the Server Roles window. Click Next.

Select server roles page with Web Server (IIS) checked.

  1. Check the .NET Framework 3.5 Features on the Select Features window. Click Next.

Select features page with .NET Framework 3.5 Features checked.

  1. Click Next on the Web Server Role (IIS) window.

Web Server Role (IIS) information page.

  1. On the Roles Services window, check all the boxes except for WebDAV Publishing. Click Next.

Select role services page with all role services checked except WebDAV Publishing.

  1. On the Confirmation window, click Install.

Confirm installation selections page with the Install button highlighted.

  1. Once the installation is successful, click Close.

    Installation progress page showing Installation succeeded, with the Close button highlighted.

  2. Open the Control Panel again and select Turn Windows Features on and off under Programs.

  3. Click Next 3 times until you reach the Server Roles window. On Server Roles, select the uninstalled roles under Web Server (IIS) shown in the screenshot below:

    Server Roles list under Web Server (IIS) with the additional role services checked, including Application Development (ASP.NET 3.5 and 4.5, .NET Extensibility, ISAPI) and IIS 6 Management Compatibility.

  4. Click Install and Close the dialog box after the install is successful.

    Installation progress page showing the additional Web Server role services installed successfully.

3.2.3 SQL Server Express 2014 Installation

  1. Open Internet Explorer and type in the Microsoft URL for downloading SQL Server Express 2014 Edition.
  2. Once the download screen opens, click the gear icon at the top-right corner of IE to expand it.
  3. Select Internet Options. Click the Security tab and select Trusted Sites.

Internet Options Security tab with Trusted sites selected and the Sites button highlighted.

  1. Click Sites and Add the site. Click Close.

Trusted sites dialog with https://msdn.microsoft.com entered and the Add and Close buttons highlighted.

  1. Go back to the SQL Server Express 2014 Edition download page in Internet Explorer and click Download.

Microsoft Download Center page for Microsoft SQL Server 2014 Express with the Download button highlighted.

  1. Select ExpressAdv 64BIT\SQLEXPRADV_x64_ENU.exe and click Next.

Choose the download you want list with ExpressAdv 64BIT\SQLEXPRADV_x64_ENU.exe checked.

  1. Save the SQLEXPRADV_x64_ENU.exe.
  2. Once it is saved, click Run.
  3. The SQL Server 2014 Setup window opens. Check the box to accept the license terms. Click Next.

SQL Server 2014 Setup License Terms page with I accept the license terms checked.

  1. Check the box for Microsoft Update and click Next.

    SQL Server 2014 Setup Microsoft Update page with Use Microsoft Update to check for updates checked.

  2. On the Install Rules window, click Next.

    SQL Server 2014 Setup Install Rules page: operation completed, passed 6, warning 1 (Windows Firewall).

  3. For the Feature Selection, change the Instance root directory to the drive you chose earlier (H:).

    Feature Selection page with the Instance root directory set to H:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server.

  4. On the Instance Configuration window, keep the default name for the Named instance (SQLEXPRESS) and click Next.

    Instance Configuration page with Named instance SQLEXPRESS.

  5. On the Server Configuration window, click Next.

    Server Configuration page listing the service accounts and startup types.

  6. On the Database Engine Configuration, click the Data Directories tab. Check that the directory is pointing to the drive chosen by you.

    Database Engine Configuration Data Directories tab with all data directories on drive H.

  7. Click the User Instance tab and uncheck the box. Click Next.

    Database Engine Configuration User Instances tab with Users are allowed to run a separate instance of the Database Engine unchecked.

  8. Click Install Only on the Reporting Services Configuration window. Click Next.

    Reporting Services Configuration page with Install only selected under Reporting Services Native Mode.

  9. The Installation progress window shows the progress. When the installation is Complete, click Close.

    SQL Server 2014 Setup Complete page showing all features succeeded, with the Close button highlighted.

3.3 DBXL v3.6 Installation

  1. Open the Server Manager. Click Tools in the upper-right corner and select IIS Manager.

Server Manager Tools menu with Internet Information Services (IIS) Manager highlighted.

  1. In the IIS Manager window, expand the sites and click Default Web Site.
  2. On the right side, double-click Authentication.

IIS Manager with Default Web Site selected and the Authentication icon highlighted.

  1. Disable the Anonymous Authentication and Enable the Windows Authentication.

Authentication feature for Default Web Site: Anonymous Authentication Disabled and Windows Authentication Enabled.

  1. Go to the location where you have saved the DBXL installation package (Qdabra DBXL Server Edition.msi).
  2. Right-click setup and Run as Admin.

File Explorer showing the Qdabra DBXL Server Edition .NET4 package and setup, with Run as administrator highlighted in the context menu.

  1. The Qdabra DBXL Server Edition window appears. Click Next.

Qdabra DBXL Server Edition Setup Wizard welcome page.

  1. Select 'I Agree' on the License Agreement and click Next.

License Agreement page with I Agree selected.

  1. Click Next.

  2. In the Installation Address window, select Default Web Site if that applies to you. Click Next.

    Select Installation Address page with Site set to Default Web Site and Virtual directory QdabraWebService.

  3. Click Next on the Confirm Installation window.

    Confirm Installation page.

  4. A progress bar shows the Qdabra DBXL Server Edition installation.

    Installing Qdabra DBXL Server Edition progress page.

  5. In the Qdabra Database Accelerator v3.6 window, for Site:

    • Site URL - enter your Site URL
    • HostName - enter the fully qualified host name (add .cloudapp.net at the end of your Host name, or whichever applies as your fully qualified host name in Azure)
    • Port - 80

    Qdabra Database Accelerator Site tab with the fully qualified Azure host name entered under Binding Detail and port 80.

  6. Click Next.

  7. For Log On:
    • Predefined: select Network Service from the drop-down.

  8. Click Next.

    Qdabra Database Accelerator Log On tab with Predefined set to Network Service.

  9. For Document Security:

    • DBXL Admin: enter the DBXL Admin name

  10. Click Next.

    Qdabra Database Accelerator Document Security tab with the DBXL Admin group entered and Enable Global User Permissions checked.

  11. For the Active Directory Service, leave the LDAP Path blank. Click Next.

    Qdabra Database Accelerator Active Directory Service tab with the LDAP Path left blank.

  12. For SQL Server:

    • Server name - enter the SQL server name (e.g. (LOCAL)SQLEXPRESS)
    • Authentication - select Windows Authentication from the drop-down
    • Document Database - QdabraDBXL
    • Utility Database - QdabraUtility

    Note: If an existing database already exists, select the check box for "Use existing Databases".

  13. Click Finish.

    Qdabra Database Accelerator SQL Server tab: server name with the SQLEXPRESS instance, Windows Authentication, QdabraDBXL and QdabraUtility, with the Finish button highlighted.

  14. When the installation has successfully completed, Close the Qdabra DBXL Server Edition window.

    Qdabra DBXL Server Edition Installation Complete page with the Close button highlighted.

3.3.1 Configure QueryDBWithUserKey

  1. Open the IIS Manager and expand Sites. Expand Default Web Site and select Qdabra Web Service.
  2. Click the Content View tab at the bottom.
  3. Scroll down until you find QueryDBWithUserKey.asmx. Right-click it and select "Switch to Feature View".

IIS Manager Content View of QdabraWebService with QueryDBWithUserKey.asmx right-clicked and Switch to Features View highlighted.

  1. Double-click Authentication.

QueryDBWithUserKey.asmx Home in IIS Manager with the Authentication icon highlighted.

Authentication for QueryDBWithUserKey.asmx: Anonymous Authentication Enabled and Windows Authentication Disabled.

QueryDBWithUserKey.asmx Home with the Authorization Rules icon highlighted.

Authorization Rules for QueryDBWithUserKey.asmx with the Deny rule for Anonymous Users selected and Remove highlighted.

  1. To check if QueryDBWithUserKey.asmx is configured correctly, open Internet Explorer (IE).
  2. Enter the URL for the Qdabra Web service:

Syntax: http://<YourVirtualMachine>/QdabraWebService

Example: http://dbxlazure.cloudapp.net/QdabraWebService

  1. If you do not get a prompt for credentials and the DBXL Admin page opens, that means that the QueryDBWithUserKey service is configured as intended.

The Database Accelerator Control Panel (DBXL Admin page) opened in Internet Explorer without a credentials prompt.

  1. You can use this URL whenever you are calling with the Anonymous connection by passing the key from Office 365.
  2. If you want to access the Qdabra Web Service without the QueryDBWithUserKey.asmx service from your desktop, you will be prompted for your credentials.

Authentication Required prompt asking for a user name and password for the server.

3.3.2 Add a User Account

  1. Go to your server to create a new User Account.
  2. Open Server Manager. Click Tools and select Computer Management.

Server Manager Tools menu with Computer Management highlighted.

  1. In the Computer Management window, expand "Local Users and Group".
  2. Right-click Users and select New User.

Computer Management with Local Users and Groups expanded and New User highlighted in the Users context menu.

  1. In the New User window:
  2. User name - enter the User name for the shared user account (e.g. DBXLUser)
  3. Full name - enter a name. This can be the same as User name (e.g. DBXLUser)
  4. Password - give a password for this user account
  5. Click Create. Click Close in the next window.

New User dialog with user name and full name DBXLUser, password fields filled, and the Create button highlighted.

  1. A new User Account is created.

3.3.3 Generate a Key for the New User Account

  1. Open Server Manager from your Server system. Go to Tools and select IIS Manager.

Server Manager Tools menu with Internet Information Services (IIS) Manager highlighted.

  1. In IIS, expand the Server name, expand Sites, expand Default Web Site and select Qdabra Web Service.
  2. Click the Content View tab at the bottom and look for DBXLKeyService.asmx.
  3. Right-click DBXLKeyService.asmx and select Browse.

IIS Manager Content View of QdabraWebService with DbxlKeyService.asmx right-clicked and Browse highlighted.

  1. DbxlKeyService opens in the browser. Click GetUserKey.

DbxlKeyService web service page in the browser with the GetUserKey operation highlighted.

  1. To generate a user key for the new user account, enter the Username of the new user that you created in the "Adding a User Account" section.
  2. Click the Invoke button.

GetUserKey test page with username DBXLUser entered and the Invoke button highlighted.

  1. This will generate a Key.

Browser showing the XML string returned by GetUserKey, containing the generated key.

  1. Copy the Key value and paste it into a Notepad window.

Note: You will need the key later, to verify that this Key can be used to query the database.

3.3.4 Using QueryDBWithUserKey Service

  1. Open IIS Manager and select Qdabra Web Service. Click the Content View tab.
  2. Look for QueryDBWithUserKey.asmx and right-click it. Select Browse.

IIS Manager Content View of QdabraWebService with QueryDBWithUserKey.asmx right-clicked and Browse highlighted.

  1. QueryDBWithUserKeyService opens. Select GetDropdownEntries.

QueryDBWithUserKeyService operations list in the browser with GetDropdownEntries highlighted.

  1. For GetDropdownEntries:
  2. Key - paste the key value that you copied into Notepad earlier
  3. Database - enter "#dbxldb#"
  4. Table - enter "document"
  5. ValueColumn - enter "docId"
  6. Click Invoke.

GetDropdownEntries test form with the key pasted, database #dbxldb#, table document, valueColumn docId, and the Invoke button highlighted.

  1. If the DropdownList entries get generated, it means that the QueryDBWithUserKey.asmx service is working as intended.

Browser showing the DropdownList XML returned by GetDropdownEntries with a list of entry values.

  1. The installation is now completed. All you need to do is to create the table in Microsoft SQL Server Management Studio.

3.4 Steps for Troubleshooting

DBXL installation will fail when ASP.NET and other web services required by DBXL in section 3.2.2 are not installed.

As a workaround, the following steps will enable all the required features in DBXL. To do this, you will need to run a script in the PowerShell window. These are the install commands for Windows Server 2012 R2/Windows Server 2016/Windows 10.

  1. On the Windows desktop, right-click Windows PowerShell on the taskbar, and then click Run as Administrator.
  2. Copy and paste the following commands and press Enter.

powershell Install-WindowsFeature Web-Server Install-WindowsFeature Web-WebServer Install-WindowsFeature Web-Common-Http Install-WindowsFeature Web-Default-Doc Install-WindowsFeature Web-Dir-Browsing Install-WindowsFeature Web-Http-Errors Install-WindowsFeature Web-Static-Content Install-WindowsFeature Web-Http-Redirect Install-WindowsFeature Web-Health Install-WindowsFeature Web-Http-Logging Install-WindowsFeature Web-Custom-Logging Install-WindowsFeature Web-Log-Libraries Install-WindowsFeature Web-Request-Monitor Install-WindowsFeature Web-Http-Tracing Install-WindowsFeature Web-Performance Install-WindowsFeature Web-Stat-Compression Install-WindowsFeature Web-Dyn-Compression Install-WindowsFeature Web-Security Install-WindowsFeature Web-Filtering Install-WindowsFeature Web-IP-Security Install-WindowsFeature Web-Url-Auth Install-WindowsFeature Web-Windows-Auth Install-WindowsFeature Web-App-Dev Install-WindowsFeature Web-Net-Ext Install-WindowsFeature Web-Net-Ext45 Install-WindowsFeature Web-AppInit Install-WindowsFeature Web-Asp-Net Install-WindowsFeature Web-Asp-Net45 Install-WindowsFeature Web-ISAPI-Ext Install-WindowsFeature Web-ISAPI-Filter Install-WindowsFeature Web-Mgmt-Tools Install-WindowsFeature Web-Mgmt-Console Install-WindowsFeature Web-Mgmt-Compat Install-WindowsFeature Web-Metabase Install-WindowsFeature Web-Lgcy-Mgmt-Console Install-WindowsFeature Web-Lgcy-Scripting Install-WindowsFeature Web-WMI Install-WindowsFeature Web-Scripting-Tools Install-WindowsFeature NET-Framework-Features Install-WindowsFeature NET-Framework-Core Install-WindowsFeature NET-Framework-45-Features Install-WindowsFeature NET-Framework-45-Core Install-WindowsFeature NET-Framework-45-ASPNET Install-WindowsFeature NET-WCF-Services45 Install-WindowsFeature NET-WCF-TCP-PortSharing45

  1. Wait until all the Windows Features are finished installing:

Administrator Windows PowerShell window showing the Install-WindowsFeature commands running, with Success and NoChangeNeeded results.

  1. When installation is finished, verify installation by opening the All Servers page in Server Manager, selecting a server on which you installed roles and features, and viewing the Roles and Features tile on the page for the selected server.

If you have encountered issues while installing DBXL, please contact Qdabra at [email protected]. For any other questions not covered in this document, please contact Qdabra Software.

For help, active customers can use the Customer Support Portal. For anything else, use Contact Us or e-mail [email protected].

3.5 Summary

Next: Chapter 4 - Configuring a License.

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