Installation Best Practices Guide for PlateSpin Migrate and PlateSpin Protect

  • 7920881
  • 13-Mar-2007
  • 29-Oct-2013

Environment

PlateSpin Migrate
PlateSpin Protect

Situation

This document describes the detailed requirements to install Migrate or Protect on a Windows 2003/2008 server. In addition, it covers IIS and NTFS permission requirements, local and domain security policies that may cause issues with the installation, and usage of the product.

Resolution

Operating System Requirements

  • Windows 2003 Server [32-bit & 64-bit] 
  • Windows 2003 Server R2 version [32-bit & 64-bit] 
  • Windows 2008 [32-bit & 64-bit] 
  • Windows 2008 R2

** For 64-bit installations please make sure to also follow the instructions in TID 7920915 to ensure that IIS is configured to run in 32-bit mode.

System Requirements:

Minimum Processor:    1 Ghz (Recommended: multi-core, 2 GHz or higher)
Minimum Memory:      2 GB RAM (4 GB Recommended)
Minimum Disk Space: 15 GB free Space

 

IIS, ASP.NET, .NET2.0 SP2\3.5 SP1 Installation

Platespin Migrate/Protect Server requires IIS, ASP.NET, and .NET Framework 2.0 SP2/3.5 SP1 to operate. These components need to be installed in a specific order:

  • When installing Platespin Portability Suite 8.1.3 or below, .NET Framework 2.0 SP2 is required.
  • When installing Platespin Migrate 9.x / Platespin Protect 10.x, .NET Framework 3.5 SP1 is required.

 

Windows 2003 Server Procedures:

NOTE:  For Windows 2003 R2 Servers, please see the section below.

STEP ONE: INSTALLING INTERNET INFORMATION SERVICES (IIS) and ASP.NET

Under Windows 2003, ASP.NET is a separate Windows Component and can be installed as follows:

1. Open the Windows Control Panel, then open 'Add or Remove Programs' utility.
2. Click on the button labeled 'Add/Remove Windows Components'.  This will bring up the Windows Component Wizard.
3. Highlight the 'Application Server' option and click on the Details button to bring up the available components.
4. Ensure that ASP.NET and Internet Information Server (IIS) are checked and click on Ok. Click 'Next' button to  complete the installation.

5. IIS and ASP.NET should now be installed on the system.

STEP TWO: INSTALLING .NET 3.5 SP1

.NET Framework 3.5  SP1 can be installed as follows:

1. Download .NET 3.5 SP1 package from the Microsoft Download Center.

2. Install the .NET 3.5 SP1 package

3. To ensure that ASP.NET 3.5 is properly registered with IIS, follow the steps in TID 7920915 at this point.

4. Within the IIS Management console, ensure that ASP.NET v2.0 is properly setup by right clicking on the Default Web Site, select Properties and clicking on the ASP.NET tab.


 Windows 2003 Server R2 Procedures:

Since Windows 2003 R2 has .NET 2.0 SP2 Framework installed (but not ASP.NET), the procedures are slightly different:

1. Open the Windows Control Panel, then open the 'Add or Remove Programs' utility.
2. Click on the button labeled 'Add/Remove Windows Components'.  This will bring up the Windows Component Wizard.
3. Highlight the 'Application Server' option and click on the Details button to bring up the available components.
4. Ensure that Internet Information Server (IIS) is checked and click on Ok.  Ensure that ASP.NET is NOT CHECKED - as doing so will install and bind ASP.NET 1.1.  Click on the Next button to proceed to complete the installation.

5. Install .NET Framework 3.5 SP1 (Follow instructions under Windows 2003 procedures section).

6. To ensure that ASP.NET 2.0 is properly registered with IIS, run the command:

"C:\WINDOWS\Microsoft.NET\Framework\v2.0.50727\aspnet_regiis.exe" -i     

7. Within the IIS Management console, ensure that ASP.NET v2.0 is properly setup by right clicking on the Default Web Site, select Properties and clicking on the ASP.NET tab.

 
Windows 2008 Server [32-bit & 64-bit] Procedures:

All installations and changes must be done using Built In Administrator Account in Windows 2008.

1. Make sure to turn off or configure the Windows Firewall. When turning off the Windows Firewall, make sure it is off for all profiles.
2. IPv6 is on by default. If it is not being used in the environment then turn it off in the Network Connection Configuration also.
3. Add the Role of 'Web Server (IIS)'.

4. Make sure to enable the following role services and all of their sub roles.  Disable any role services that are selected by default and not included below:

  • Common HTTP Features
  • ASP .NET
  • .NET Extensibility
  • ISAPI Extensions
  • ISAPI Filters
  • Security
  • Management Tools
5. Add the .NET Framework 3.0 Features and all Features under it. During the wizard, it will ask you to confirm the Role Services. Make sure that you re-check off any of the previously added Roles.

6. Download and install Microsoft .NET Framework 3.5 SP1 from the Microsoft Download Center.

7. To ensure that ASP.NET 3.5 is properly registered with IIS, follow the steps in TID 7920915 at this point.

 


 
Windows 2008 R2 Server Procedures:

All installations and changes must be made from the Built In Administrator Account that comes with Windows 2008 R2.

1. Make sure to turn off or configure the Windows Firewall. When turning off the Windows Firewall, make sure it is off for all profiles.
2. IPv6 is on be default.  If it is not being used in the environment then turn it off in the Network Connection Configuration also.
3. Add the Role of 'Web Server (IIS)'. Make sure to enable the following role services and all of their sub roles:
  • Common HTTP Features
  • ASP .NET
  • .NET Extensibility
  • ISAPI Extensions
  • ISAPI Filters
  • Security
  • Management Tools
4. Add the .NET Framework 3.5.1 Features and all Features under it.
5. To ensure that ASP.NET 3.5 is properly registered with IIS, follow the steps in TID 7920915 at this point.
 


Local & Domain Security Policies

Portability Suite may fail to install or function as required if some local or domain (GPO) policies have been modified. The policies listed below are the most common policies which have been known to cause issues with Portability Suite.

During the installation process the Portability Suite installation wizard will attempt to create a process on the local system. This process creation is implemented through the Create method of the WMI win32_process class. To be able to call win32_process.CreateProcess the following privileges must be defined on the server:

Bypass Traverse Checking Local Security Policy

Step 1: Click Start, Programs, Administrative Tools, Local Security Policy.

Step 2: Expand Security Settings, Local Policies, User Rights Assignment.

Step 3: Double-click on Bypass Traverse Checking in the right-window pane

Step 4: Click Add to insert the appropriate accounts (in this case we added Authenticated Users).

Step 4: Refresh the policy immediately using GPUPDATE /FORCE (for Windows 2003/XP)


Replace A Process Level Token Local Security Policy 

Step 1: Click Start, Programs, Administrative Tools, Local Security Policy.

Step 2: Expand Security Settings, Local Policies, User Rights Assignment.

Step 3: Double-click on Replace A Process Level Token in the right-window pane

Step 4: Add the NETWORK SERVICE, LOCAL SERVICE, IWAM_<MACHINENAME> accounts

Step 5: Refresh the policy immediately using GPUPDATE /FORCE (for Windows 2003/XP)

Log On As A Service Local Security Policy

Step 1: Click Start, Programs, Administrative Tools, Local Security Policy.

Step 2: Expand Security Settings, Local Policies, User Rights Assignment.

Step 3: Double-click on Log On As A Service in the right-window pane

Step 4: Add the NETWORK SERVICE and ASPNET accounts

Step 5: Refresh the policy immediately using GPUPDATE /FORCE (for Windows 2003/XP)
 
 

NTFS Permissions

NTFS permissions are expected to conform with those listed in TID 7920718.
 

PlateSpin Installation

NOTE: It is not recommended to install PlateSpin Portability Suite, PlateSpin Migrate, or PlateSpin Protect on a server that is hosting any webpage’s or applications with IIS. The installation of any PlateSpin server software may interfer with the functionality of the other applications or fail to install successfully.

1. Double-click on the Setup exe file, which is downloaded from the download page for the product being installed.

2. The Microsoft SQL 2005 Express database will be installed if selected.  Otherwise, a Microsoft SQL server must be installed manually.  Ensure that the manually installed database server conforms with TID 7009809.

 

3. When prompted, select the directory where the PlateSpin Server will be installed (default: C:\Program Files\PlateSpin %Portability Suite/Migrate/Protect% Server).

 

4. Click Finish when prompted to complete the installation. 

 

5. Install the client portion, either through the installer (Migrate/Protect); or via the link to download the Portability Suite Client and choose Open to begin the installation.

 

6. When prompted, select the directory where the client is to be installed and choose whether the client will be installed for all users on the system or only the current user.

 

7. Click Finish to complete the installation.

 

 

Post Installation Checks

Once the installation is complete confirm the following settings are correct.

IIS Permissions:

IIS permissions are expected to conform with those listed in TID 7920718

By default anonymous access is granted using the IUSR_<MACHINENAME> account which is typically part of the GUEST group.  Verify that there are no domain or group policies that may reject remote logins using this account.

Log Files
 
After installing PlateSpin Portability Suite, PlateSpin Migrate, or PlateSpin Protect it is good practice to check the following logs to confirm that the server's controller is functioning correctly.

1.       Active.log & Archive.log (C:\Program Files\PlateSpin %Portability Suite/Migrate/Protect% Server\Controller\EventLog)

These logs should be 0 bytes in size if the controller is functioning correctly.