Install Astra Schedule |
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Install Astra Schedule |
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Install Astra Schedule |
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Install Astra Schedule |
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•Database Server
•Server Name – server hosting the Astra MSSQL Database
•SA user name and password
•TCP Port
•SIS Connection Information (if applicable)
•See SIS Addenda for vendor-specific connection settings
•Database Server
•Host/IP – server hosting the Astra Oracle Database
•Username and Password – system administrator user name and password for sysdba
•Oracle user with sysdba rights – can create schemas
•TCP Port
•Service Name – Service_Name – db server sid
•TNS Name – Database Alias
•SIS Connection Information (if applicable)
•See SIS Addenda for vendor-specific connection settings
•Verify or create a TNS entry to the Oracle database instance
•If the defaults were retained during the Oracle 11g client installation, the path to the tnsnames.ora file should be c:\app\*username*\product\11.1.0\client_1\Network\Admin.
A tnsnames.ora template file can be copied from the “Sample” directory and pasted into the root of “Admin”.
To add a new TNS entry, perform the following:
1.Open the tnsnames.ora file with Notepad.
2.Edit the existing sample TNS entry or add a new entry with the following syntax:
<data source alias> =
(DESCRIPTION =
(ADDRESS = (PROTOCOL = TCP)(HOST = <hostname or IP>)(PORT = <port>))
(CONNECT_DATA =
(SERVER = DEDICATED)
(SERVICE_NAME = <database service name>)
)
)
Replace "<data source alias>" with an alias of your choosing
Replace "<hostname or IP>" with your Oracle server host name
Replace "<port>" with your Oracle port (1521 is the default Oracle port)
Replace "<database service name>" with your Oracle service name
3.Save changes to the file.
1.Install and launch the Control Panel, as described here.
2.For a new installation of both the application and database, select "Install new application instance" from the Application Options, and "Create a new default database" from the Database Options. Click Start to begin the installation configuration process.
3.Click the browse (…) button next to Installation Path to select an location for the web application files. Use the Make New Folder button as needed to create a folder. The web application files will be installed in a sub-folder named "Schedule" under the folder selected. In this example, selecting D:\Astra\Prod as the installation folder will result in the creation of D:\Astra\Prod\Schedule and D:\Astra\Prod\Files. (The default installation path is %System Drive%\Ad Astra)
NOTE: It is NOT a good practice to use version numbers in your folder names as these will become inaccurate as the software is upgraded.
Click Next to continue.
4.Click Browse to select the application license file.
NOTE: License files are distributed by Astra Schedule implementation or support staff during initial installation.
5.Select the license file and click Open.
6.With file path displayed, click Process License File to validate license. Click Next to continue.
7.If using Oracle, skip to step 8. Otherwise, select the Microsoft SQL Server 2005/2008 radio button option and then enter the following information:
A username and password for Astra Schedule to use when creating and accessing the database. This becomes the Astra Schedule application's login for its database going forward.
The host name or IP address of the database server.
The MS SQL SA username. (only required prior to 7.5.10)
The MS SQL SA password. (only required prior to 7.5.10)
If desired, place a check in the box to encrypt the database connection information. (Click here for more information.)
Note: The requirement that SA credentials be used to perform upgrades in MSSQL environments was removed for later builds of 7.5.10 and 7.5.11. The Astra database user is now made the Astra database owner during installation. Because existing installations will still have the SA user as the owner, an administrator will need to manually make the Astra database user the owner of the Astra database before upgrading a database created with a build prior to 7.5.10.337 or 7.5.11.51. You can use the following commands to change database ownership. (replace database_name and astra_user_name with values from your environment)
USE database_name
DROP SCHEMA astra_user_name
DROP USER astra_user_name
ALTER AUTHORIZATION ON DATABASE:: database_name TO astra_user_name
Click Next to continue. The connection will be tested to make sure it is successful. If there is a problem with the connection an error message will appear.
NOTE: The TCP port will default to 1433. If you wish to use a port other than 1433, you can specify the port number in the Host / IP field after the server name, separated by a comma. For example, to connect to a server named mydbserver on port 2345, you would use Host / IP = mydbserver,2345.
8.If using Oracle, select the Oracle 9i / 10g radio button option, and then enter the following information:
A username and password for Astra to use when creating and accessing the database. This becomes Astra's login for its database going forward.
WARNING: If the username and password entered here already exist, the user and schema will be deleted along with any data. Do not enter an existing username and password unless it is your intention to delete it and recreate it from scratch.
Enter the TNS Name as configured in the TNSNames file.
Enter the Oracle SYS username.
Enter the Oracle SYS password.
If desired, place a check in the box to encrypt the database connection information. (Click here for more information.)
Click Next to continue. The connection will be tested to make sure it is successful. If there is a problem with the connection, or if the database already exists, an error message will appear.
NOTE: Versions after the 7.5.15 release will no longer include an option to create a new Oracle database from scratch and will allow only an upgrade of existing Oracle databases.
9.Enter the initial organization and institution names, and the initial system administrator email address. The initial organization and institution names are used to establish the base application and distinguish the institution data. The system administrator email address is the initial email address given to the default system admin login.
NOTE: To avoid possible issues with default system notifications, it is important that the "System Admin Email" address be populated. This field can contain either a real or fake address, but should contain text that includes typical email address syntax. For example: noreply@your institution name.edu.
10.Internet Information Server Settings
IIS Application Options
Select the desired IIS web site from the drop down list.
The Astra Application URL will default based on the web site previously selected, but may be changed if desired.
Select an existing IIS app pool from the drop down list, or choose “New” and enter the name of a new app pool to be created. For an initial installation, it is recommended to select “New” and create an “AstraAppPool” to separate Astra Schedule in IIS and make identification easier.
NOTE: Windows Server 2012 is supported through the installation process starting with version 7.5.15. When installing previous versions on Windows Server 2012 you must manually configure the Application Pool in IIS. See A Note About Windows Server 2012 for more information.
Virtual Directory Names
Specify the virtual directory alias for the application(s) being installed. This directory name will be appended to the application's access URL.
IFrame Embedding
If you plan to embed a version of the Astra Schedule calendar in another site, Astra Schedule site security will block requests coming from a different domain unless that domain is allowed via this setting.
When installing a new application instance by choosing “Install new application instance”, this field will be blank. When upgrading or modifying an instance via “Upgrade from existing application instance” and “Modify existing instance” the field will display the existing URL if it exists, otherwise it will be blank.
This system configuration is made specifically to the Astra web config.
Click Next to continue.
11.Invoicing Module Setup
Enter the Company ID.
This value is the unique company identifier used by ObjAcct. It is recommended to use the Astra Schedule institution name.
Enter the Company Name.
This value can be the same as the Company ID unless a different name is desired.
Invoicing URL.
This value is the URL of the invoicing virtual directory that will be created during installation. (Example: http://mywebserver/mywebserver_OAWS/)
The default URL assumes the same web server as the Astra Schedule installation. Editing this value is an advanced option that should only be performed if required by network security settings. If unsure, please consult your network administrator.
NOTE: When you are first creating a new Astra instance, or modifying an existing instance that has not had invoicing previously enabled, you may choose to either not use invoicing or create a new invoicing company. During subsequent upgrades once invoicing has been enabled for an instance of the application, you can either disable it or connect to the existing invoicing company. (see options below)
12.If performing a multi-machine install of application components, enter the server name and share name to be used for shared file access.
Verify the host name and share name. The host name will typically be the local computer name.
13.You are ready to install the application and database. Click Install to perform the installation.
14.This step may take several minutes and will perform the following tasks:
Unpack files
Configure application
Configure IIS
Install services
Build database
NOTE: The control panel may encounter, log and correct errors during the database creation process.
If, however, you receive the message that errors were encountered and the application installation does not complete, the log files can be checked to investigate further. These files will be required by Astra Schedule Technical Support to troubleshoot any potential issues.
To find the log files, browse to the application directory specified in Step 2, above. The log files are named as follows:
MS SQL Server:
AstraCP.log for MS SQL Server logging and overall logging
Oracle:
AstraCP.log for logging and AstraCP-DB.log for database creation logging
Before continuing, review the summary at the end of the installation log. This will show any warnings or errors along with the context of where the error occurred so you do not need to scroll through the entire log looking for errors/warnings. Any critical errors that require attention before allowing users to resume using the system will be highlighted pink. Contact Ad Astra Technical Support if you need assistance in resolving these issues.
When the installation is complete and you are ready to continue, click Next.
15.Click the VII Astra Schedule logo button to test the application. The guest portal page should be displayed.
The Astra Schedule Task Agent is a Windows service installed on the machine that is responsible for coordinating transactional processes with other systems (i.e. SIS integration) as well as performing scheduled tasks like report subscriptions, batch jobs, sandbox scheduling runs, and workflow notifications.
NOTE: The Task Agent is a required component for proper functioning of the application. Features such as the room assignment optimizer, event workflow notifications, and section imports will not work without the Task Agent.
1.At the top of the Control Panel, click Task Agent.
2.Select the option to "Install a new task agent" and click Start.
3.Click the browse (…) button to select an installation path for the task agent files. Use the Make New Folder button as needed to create a folder. The task agent files will be installed in a sub-folder named TaskAgent under the folder selected. In this example, selecting D:\Astra\Prod as the installation folder will result in creating D:\Astra\Prod\TaskAgent and D:\Astra\Prod\Files.
NOTE: It is NOT a good practice to use version numbers in your folder names as these will become inaccurate as the software is upgraded.
NOTE: The "Show Task Agents From Database..." button is not needed during initial installation of a task agent, but may be useful if you want to look at a database to see information about the task agents that may be installed on other servers. When installing a new task agent, you cannot select an existing task agent in the list. This is only for informational purposes.
4.Select the applicable Astra Schedule application database platform and provide the login credentials for the application instance installed and click Next to continue.
5.On the Task Agent Settings screen, review and update the following information:
Task Agent Name
Specify the new task agent name to be used (typically the application instance name).
Polling Interval
The recommended value is 30 seconds unless there are specific reasons identified that require adjusting this value. Earlier versions may have set this to 5 seconds.
Number of Threads
The recommended setting is 4 unless there are specific reasons that require adjusting this value. Earlier versions may have set this to 2.
The Number of Threads setting (NumThreads column on the TaskAgents table) should be set to equal-to or less-than the number of processors allocated to the machine running the Astra Schedule application. This setting determines the number of jobs that can run simultaneously, including ATE imports and sandbox runs. Keep in mind that database performance issues can occur if the application server has more processors than the database server and is configured to run many jobs at once (i.e. running an 8-core core app server and 8 jobs against a 4-core database server).
Port
IMPORTANT: Make sure the port is not already in use by another application. The netstat utility may be helpful in determining if a port is in use. Port conflicts will prevent the task agent from processing jobs correctly.
Regenerate Task Agent Id
This checkbox is used to force the Astra Control Panel to assign a new task agent ID. This is normally only used when updating a test environment with data copied from a production environment. Using this prevents task agent ID conflicts between the different environments.
Click Next to continue.
6.If using an Astra Schedule interface with a supported Student Information System, place a check in the box next to Connect to SIS and then select the SIS Type from the drop down list. The SIS Type selection will dictate which connection parameters are required. The connection settings will appear with the SIS Type selection.
See the applicable SIS Addendum for details on connecting to your SIS.
7.Enter or verify the host name and share name to be used for shared file access. The host name will typically be the local computer name. Click Next to continue.
NOTE: It is strongly recommended to use a different share name than the web application even if the two components are being installed in the same folder (and thus share the Files folder). If the share name for the web application is AstraProd, you should use something like AstraProd_TaskAgent.
8.Click Install.
9.Wait while the task agent is installed.
Before continuing, review the summary at the end of the installation log. This will show any warnings or errors along with the context of where the error occurred so you do not need to scroll through the entire log looking for errors/warnings. Any critical errors that require attention before allowing users to resume using the system will be highlighted pink. Contact Ad Astra Technical Support if you need assistance in resolving these issues.
When the installation is complete and you are ready to continue, click Next.
10.Click Finish when completed.
Congratulations – you’re finished!
You can now log in to the application using the default system administrator user name of "sysadmin" and password of "apple". The system will prompt you to change the password of this initial user.
