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RegScale Windows 2019 Server IIS Installation

For Enterprise Edition (EE) customers, we have developed a version of RegScale that will run on IIS on Windows Server 2019. As many enterprises have a large Microsoft footprint and may not be ready for a Linux hosted version or containers, the IIS version was developed to support these client needs and provide a seamless installation experience within a Windows Server environment.

PREREQUISITES

  1. You will need a Windows Server capable of running IIS and knowledge to install it
  2. You will need to have Administrative access on the Windows Server
  3. You will need a SQL server set up for the RegScale database and the connection string, and a user with sa permissions to create the database, with a format similar to:
Server=tcp:databaseservername.example.com,1433;Initial Catalog=ATLAS;Persist Security Info=False;User ID=dbusername;Password=superSecretDBPassword;MultipleActiveResultSets=False;Encrypt=True;TrustServerCertificate=False;Connection Timeout=30;

NOTE: - Some organizations may use an internal Certificate Authority (CA) for connecting to the database. If so, check the above to TrustServerCertificate=True.

Notes on SQL Connection

  1. Avoid unallowed special characters in the SQL Server password, see MSDN article. In addition, avoid the use of the '$' and '=' characters as they can cause issues when being read in by Docker. More information on SQL Password Policy is available from Microsoft. In particular, the following key points should be observed: 1) Should not contain the account name of the user, 2) be at least 8 characters long, 3) contain a mix of upper case, lower case, numbers, and specicial characters, 4) Passwords can be up to 128 characters long.
  2. Set SQL Server to use static port 1433, see MSDN article. Dynamic ports are not currently supported by ATLAS.

Step 1: Install IIS and .NET Hosting Bundle

  1. Install IIS using Windows Features
  2. Download the appropriate .NET Hosting Bundle file

General Page for DotNet
Direct Link to Hosting Bundle - .NET Core Runtime (Version 7) - required for legacy versions below 5.27

Direct Link to Hosting Bundle - .NET Core Runtime (Version 8) - required for Version 5.27 and above

  1. Restart IIS services. From administrative command prompt, run the following
net stop was /y
net start w3svc

Step 2: Set up the Server

RegScale utilizes persistent storage to store any uploaded files. The files are stored on disk encrypted.

  1. Create folder C:\RegScale\files OR
  2. If you are using another location, such as a mapped drive, make note of the location. We recommend the structure of \RegScale\files.
  3. Create the RegScale folder under C:\Inetpub\wwwroot. This is where the IIS files live. If you choose a custom location, please ensure it has all the proper IIS permissions.
  4. Download the latest RegScale IIS package
  5. Extract the zip file to the directory you set up in step 3 (likely C:\Inetpub\wwwroot\RegScale)

Step 3: Setup IIS

  1. Create a new Application Pool

    • Name the pool (RegScale_AppPool)
    • Choose No Managed Code for .NET CLR Version
    • Choose Integrated for Managed pipeline mode
    • Keep checkmark to Start the application pool immediately

  2. Add a new website to IIS

    • Right-click on Sites and choose Add Website
    • Choose a name for the site. We recommend RegScale
    • Browse or type in the path where you stored the files (C:\Inetpub\wwwroot\RegScale)
    • No authentication is required via IIS
    • For binding, choose the type/IP/port. We recommend using https and a certificate. However, you can change this later. If you don't have a cert, choose the port you want for the site, such as 81.
    • You can leave hostname blank or fill it out per your own IIS settings
    • Keep checkmark to Start Website immediately.

Step 4: Configure RegScale Settings

  1. Download Powershell script to set up the IIS environment variables: IIS Environment Setup Script
  2. Open a Powershell window as Administrator
    • NOTE: Ensure you do not open an x86 Powershell window. You need the regular Powershell window.
  3. Run Powershell to set up environment variables for the site
    • The script will prompt for several items specific to your environment. Defaults are in brackets. Here are the items
    • IIS Website Name
    • RegScale Files location
    • JSON Web Token (enter or choose the generated one)
      • If you want to generate your own, choose a 256-bit key from a site, such as key generator
    • Encryption Key (enter or choose the generated one)
      • If you want to generate your own, choose a 256-bit key from a site, such as key generator
      • WARNING: Once this key is used, it should not be changed as it can result in data becoming unreadable.
    • SQL connection string
  4. Restart RegScale site in IIS to read in the Environment Variables

Step 5: Test RegScale and Login as Admin

  • RegScale should now be running. Point your Web Browser to the IP/URL and then:
  • See Post-Deployment Steps to continue

NOTE: RegScale does not support Internet Explorer (IE). If you are testing RegScale on a Windows Virtual Machine (VM), please use Microsoft Edge or Google Chrome to launch and verify the installation.

Upgrading RegScale

Once installed and running, you simply need to download the upgrade zip file and extract it to the appropriate directory.

  1. Download the latest RegScale IIS upgrade package
  2. Extract the zip file to the directory you set up above (likely C:\Inetpub\wwwroot\RegScale)
  3. Restart the RegScale website in IIS.

Updated about 1 month ago