Installing MadCap Feedback Server

You need to install the Feedback Server Admin on the Microsoft Windows machine that will be used to host your Feedback data. Provide the individual who is responsible for the installation with these instructions.

Requirements

• Windows operating system (the following are supported):
  • Microsoft Windows Server 2003 (32 and 64 bit)
  • Microsoft Windows Server 2008 (32 and 64 bit)
• Microsoft .NET Framework (latest version)
• SQL Server (the following are supported):
  • SQL Server 2005 Express (free download from msdn.microsoft.com)
  • SQL Server 2005 Standard
  • SQL Server 2008 Express (free download from msdn.microsoft.com)
  • SQL Server 2008 Standard
• Microsoft Internet Information Services (IIS)
• ASP.NET (latest version)
• MadCap Feedback Server Admin

Keys

When you purchase MadCap Feedback Server, you are issued two types of keys.

• Feedback Server Key You will be issued one key. Use this key to activate MadCap Feedback Server Admin on the machine hosting the Feedback data.
• Feedback License Keys You will be issued a set number of keys. Authors use one of these keys for each of their Flare targets that they want to track.

Steps—Microsoft Windows Server 2003

Complete these steps on the Windows machine that will host Feedback:

1. Make sure that the latest version of Microsoft .NET Framework is installed.Make sure that both required versions of the Microsoft .NET Framework are installed (Version .3.5.1 and 4.0).

2. Make sure that a supported version of SQL Server is installed. See SQL.

   Note If you do not have SQL Server installed, you can download SQL Server Express for free from msdn.microsoft.com.

3. Ensure that Microsoft IIS 7 is installed. You can check for an IIS installation using the Programs applet in the Windows Control Panel. If IIS is not installed, use the following steps:

   You can install IIS via the Server Manager dialog or via the Control Panel.

   Note When you log on to the IIS machine, the user name must have "admin rights." In addition, you must have "sysadmin permission" on the SQL Server itself.

   installing iis via the server manager dialog

   1. From the Start menu open the Server Manager dialog.
   2. Click Add or remove a role.
   3. Click Next.
   4. Select Application server (IIS, ASP.NET) and click Next.
   5. Click Enable ASP.NET and click Next.
   6. Click Next.
   7. After the installation is completed, click Finish.

   installing iis via the control panel

   1. Open the Control Panel. On many computers, you can do this by clicking Start > Control Panel.
   2. Double-click Add or Remove Programs.
   3. Click Add/Remove Windows Components.
   4. In the list of components select Application Server and then click Details.
   5. Click the check box next to Internet Information Services (IIS) to add a check mark.
   6. In the Windows Component Wizard, "Application Server" should now be selected. Click Next.
   7. After the installation is completed, click Finish.
4. Insert the CD (for boxed version purchases) or download the Feedback Server Admin application from the link you received (for online purchases). Install the application.Install the Pulse Server Admin application from the link you received.

   1. After installation is complete, launch the application.

      Note If you did not perform one of the above steps, a dialog shows what is not yet installed (by displaying it in red text). If necessary, you can install ASP.NET from the dialog by clicking the button to the right of the red text.

   2. Click the down arrow in the SQL Server field and select your SQL Server. You can select any SQL Server on your network. If the SQL instance that you would like to use does not appear in the list, you can type the IP address or the name of the machine.

      Note If you are connecting to an SQL Server on another machine, you must make sure that the machine running IIS and the machine running SQL Server are on the same domain. To verify this, you can right-click My Computer, then select Properties, then select the Computer Name tab.

      Note If your SQL instance does not appear in the SQL Server field, you may need to turn on the SQL Server Browser or manually type in the computer name/SQL Server instance name. To turn on the SQL Server Browser, do this: (1) Open the SQL Configuration manager; (2) select SQL Server Services in the left pane; (3) right-click SQL server browser and select Properties; (4) on the Service tab, select start mode to Automatic and click OK; (5) right-click the SQL Server Browser again, and select Start.

      Note If you experience connectivity issues, you can try entering the IP address for the SQL Server directly instead of selecting it from the drop-down list. When you do this, you need to replace only the computer name portion with the IP address (i.e., the part before the backslash).

   3. (Optional) You can select a location for the database other than the default location provided. To do this, next to the Database Location field, click the Browse button. Then find and select the folder where you want the database to be stored.

      Note The Database Location field is unavailable if you are using a remote SQL Server. The default data directory of the SQL Server will be used instead.

   4. Select the IIS website where you want the Feedback Server installed. If you have not set up a specific website for this purpose, use the default.

      Note This is an administrative preference. Your server (IIS) might be serving several websites and you need one to store the Feedback data. This drop-down simply lets you pick the website that you want to use.

   5. If the SQL Server is located on a machine different from the one where you are installing MadCap Feedback Server Admin, complete the authentication fields in the bottom part of the dialog. You might need to consult with your IT department to determine the user name and password. (This does not need to be the same user logged into the machine. This should be the designated "common user" for the Feedback Server communication to the SQL machine.)

      What is meant by "common user"? When the SQL database is on the same machine as the internet Information Services (IIS) and Feedback Server, Feedback Server will use a default anonymous login provided by Microsoft to communicate between the service and the database. The name of this default anonymous login varies between different versions of IIS. For example, in IIS 6 the login is "NT AUTHORITY\NETWORK SERVICE." When using SQL Server on a separate machine than the IIS machine, this anonymous user (which is defined on the IIS machine) would be denied access on the SQL machine. Therefore, a "common user" such as a domain user is needed for this back end communication. The "common user" can be any current domain user name or a specific user name set up for this purpose. If the SQL Server is on the same machine as the IIS machine, yet you require more control over the specific Windows user that is used to connect to the SQL Server from the Feedback Server, enable Manually set SQL authentication settings. This will allow you to specify a Windows user in the fields below.

      Note If the SQL Server is located on the same machine as the Feedback Server Admin, completing these fields is optional.

      If you complete these fields, it is recommended that you use a password that does not expire. However, if necessary, you can later change an expired password via the Control Panel. Following are steps for doing this.

      1. Open the Control Panel.
      2. Double-click Administrative Tools.
      3. Double-click Internet Information Services.
      4. In the Internet Information Services dialog, expand the Web Sites folder.
      5. Expand the website folder corresponding to the one specified in the Feedback Admin.
      6. Right-click on Service.FeedbackExplorer and select Properties.
      7. In the Properties dialog, select the Directory Security tab.
      8. Under Anonymous access and authentication control, click the Edit button.
      9. In the Authentication Methods dialog, change your password.
   6. (Optional) If you are using an earlier version of Feedback Server, the check box labeled Import data… at the bottom of the dialog is enabled and selected by default. This will import the data from your previous installation. You probably want to keep this check box selected.

   7. Click OK.

      The installation is complete and the Feedback Server Admin opens with a couple of tabs shown (General and Maintenance). You can use these tabs to configure the admin and set up maintenance tasks. See Configuring MadCap Feedback Server Admin.

      Note If the SQL Server is located on a different machine, this final step will (a) install two web services on the IIS machine and (b) install the Feedback Server Database on the SQL Server machine.

      Note If the SQL Server and IIS are located on the same machine and you are using SQL Express, a Windows service will also be installed. The service handles the backing up of the database (configurable on the Maintenance tab of the Feedback Server Admin).

   

Steps—Microsoft Windows Server 2008

Complete these steps on the Windows machine that will host Feedback:

What’s Next?

After you install MadCap Feedback Server Admin and the other necessary services, you can open the admin at any time to configure and maintain the various settings. This includes the ability to test your settings, set up an SMTP server for various email notifications, specify redirection web pages for end users who register, and schedule automatic backups of the database and transaction log. See Configuring MadCap Feedback Server Admin.