Summary: describes how to complete the start-up wizard that is displayed the first time you connect to Console.
Introduction
The start-up wizard is displayed the first time you connect to the Console as described in Ensure AIP Console and AIP Nodes are running - v. 1.x. The wizard provides a user-friendly method to configure various mandatory settings and options, such as:
- Verify the installation
- Assigning the Administrator role to a user
- Entering a license key
- Configuring access to CAST Extend / use of a proxy caching server
- Configuring a Measurement schema
Each step in the wizard is explained in detail below.
Connect to the Console front-end
Browse to the URL of the Console - ensure you specify the correct server (change "server") and port number (which was configured during the front-end installation):
http://<server>:8081/ui/index.html
If the setup has been completed successfully, you will see step one of the wizard, explained below.
Wizard Step 1: Verify the installation
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This initial step in the wizard ensures that Console is securely configured by an "administrator", i.e. someone that has access to the installed location of Console. The wizard requires that a unique code written to a specific text file in the Console installation location (during the front-end installation) is entered. The unique code can be found in the following file:
≥ 1.19.x %PROGRAMDATA%\AipConsole\AipConsole\configurationKey.txt ≤ 1.18.x <Console_install_folder>\AipConsole\data\configurationKey.txt
Paste the unique code into the wizard and click Next. The wizard will check that the code you entered matches the code in the configurationKey.txt file. if it does not, you will need to double check the code and re-enter it. When the code matches, the next step of the wizard will be displayed.
Wizard Step 2: Assign Administrator role
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This step enables you to assign the Administrator role to one user. This user will then have full access to the Console and perform any action required. Enter the name of the user you would like to assign the Administrator role to and then click Next to continue to the next step of the wizard.
- If you are using local authentication, then you can only grant the Administrator role to a user that already exists:
- if you did not change the default local authentication "admin/admin" user when performing the AIP Console - front-end installation, then you should grant the Administrator role to this user.
- if you added your own custom local authentication user when performing the AIP Console - front-end installation, then you should grant the Administrator role to this user.
- If you are using a different authentication mode (LDAP, Active Directory or SAML) you can grant any user available in your authentication server the Administrator role.
- You can add additional local authentication users later as described in Configuring User Authentication and then grant those new users the Administrator role as described in Administration Center - Security - User Roles.
Wizard Step 3: Validate license
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This step enables you to enter your CAST global license key. This key will be applied automatically to all Nodes that you are managing with Console. Click Next to continue to the next step of the wizard.
You can change the license key settings post-installation as described in Administration Center - Settings - License Key.
Wizard Step 4: Connect to CAST Extend
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This step enables you to manage access to CAST Extend (this allows each Node to automatically download any CAST AIP extension that you may want to use, or that may be required for an analysis) and an optional Proxy Configuration:
CAST Extend options
Choose one option (these settings can be managed post installation in Administration Center - Settings - CAST Extend):
| Extend website | When enabled, this mode configures each Node to connect to CAST's publicly available extension server (https://extend.castsoftware.com/) over the internet on port 443 via TCP. In this mode, the CAST Extend URL field will be automatically populated with the CAST Extend URL (https://extend.castsoftware.com/) in read-only mode (i.e. the URL cannot be changed). You will then need to input your CAST Extend API key (this can be generated in the CAST Extend UI - see CAST Extend. Console will check that it can access Extend when you click Save.
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| Extend local server | When enabled, this mode configures each Node to connect to an on-premises deployment of CAST Extend local server, therefore avoiding a connection to CAST's publicly available extension server over the internet. See Install CAST Extend local server or Offline - optional. Enter the URL of your on-premises CAST Extend local server, enter the API Key and then click Next to continue - Console will then check that it can access the on-premises CAST Extend Offline:
API Key The API Key will have been generated during the installation of CAST Extend local server and is displayed in the final summary screen of the installer:
Alternatively you can find the API key in the following location on the server on which CAST Extend local server is installed: C:\Program Files\CAST\Extend\config.proxy.json The key is located on the line APIKEY: {
"PORT": 8085,
"STORAGE_DIR": "c:/ProgramData/CAST/Extend",
"PACKAGE_DIR": null,
"LOG_DIR": "C:/Program Files/CAST/Extend/logs",
"PUBLIC_URL": "http://WIN10TEST:8085/",
"EXTEND_URL": "https://extend.castsoftware.com",
"APIKEY": "XCGN1-9263B92E143984F6EF357684F7EFD3EE336C6E7A5F2278ADE1352D7BD34147FFC60F94920F90B9095EBDBD11",
"USER": "",
"CREDENTIALS": "CRYPTED2:A65B5035B193DB7B2B59221",
"SYNC_TYPE": "auto"
}
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| Extend offline service (deprecated) | CAST Extend Offline is deprecated and you should use CAST Extend local server instead. When enabled, this mode configures each Node to connect to an on-premises deployment of CAST Extend Offline, therefore avoiding a connection to CAST's publicly available extension server over the internet. See Install CAST Extend local server or Offline - optional. In this mode, the CAST Extend URL field will be empty and the CAST Extend Login (email) and CAST Extend Password fields will be hidden (no authentication is required for the on-premises CAST Extend Offline). Enter the URL of your on-premises CAST Extend Offline and then click Next to continue - Console will then check that it can access the on-premises CAST Extend Offline:
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| Allow CAST to automatically collect anonymous statistical data | See Administration Center - Settings - Allow CAST to collect anonymous statistical data automatically for more information about this option. |
Proxy Configuration (optional)
If your organization requires internal systems to use a proxy caching server (such as Squid) for all connections, you can use these options to configure Console/Nodes to use a proxy server for all communication (for example communication on Nodes, Dashboards, CAST Extend, Maven repos, database servers etc.) as follows:
Extension Downloader limitation (for Console ≤ 1.24)
The Extension Downloader (a tool present on each Node which is used by Console in ≤ 1.24 to download extensions) cannot be configured to obey a manual proxy configuration defined in Console. Instead, if your organization uses a proxy, CAST recommends that:
- you define the required proxy configuration at system level (i.e. operating system level) on all Nodes
- define a manual proxy configuration using the settings described below - this ensures that everything else will connect through the proxy
Extension Downloader was replaced with ExtendCli in Console ≥ 1.25, therefore this limitation is no longer applicable for newer releases of Console.
Windows Services
Console and the Nodes packages are configured to run through Windows Services, therefore it is important to ensure that the user login configured to run the Windows Services has permission to access any proxy that you define. If the user running the Windows Services cannot access the proxy, then Console/Nodes will not be able to access the required resources. See the sections regarding the configuration of the Windows Services in:
| No Proxy | Default setting. No proxy required. | ||||||||
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| Use system proxy settings | This option will force Console and all Nodes to use the host machine's system proxy settings for all communication (i.e the proxy settings defined on each host server). | ||||||||
| Manual proxy configuration | This option allows you to configure your own proxy settings specifically for Console and all Node communication (for example if you do not want to use the system proxy settings set on the host or you are using a custom proxy script). These are applied to Console and all Nodes:
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You can change the CAST Extend/Proxy settings post-installation as described in:
Wizard Step 5: Configure Measurement Database
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The Measurement schema is required for consolidating snapshot data from all Nodes for display in the CAST Health Dashboard. Only one Measurement schema is required for all Nodes and this schema will be used by the CAST Health Dashboard exclusively. CAST recommends (see Deployment considerations) that you always deploy 1 x CAST Storage Service/PostgreSQL (on a dedicated Windows (CAST Storage Service) or Linux (PostgreSQL) server) only for the MEASUREMENT schema and this CAST Storage Service/PostgreSQL instance needs to be explicitly configured in Console as discussed below.
Fill in the fields as follows and then click Next to continue - Console will check that it can access the CAST Storage Service/PostgreSQL instance using the credentials you have defined:
| Host | The hostname of the target CAST Storage Service/PostgreSQL instance. By default, localhost will be populated which assumes a CAST Storage Service/PostgreSQL instance on the same host as Console, however, CAST highly recommends using a host name or IP address here, even if your CAST Storage Service/PostgreSQL instance is on the same host as Console. | ||||||
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| Port | The port number of the target CAST Storage Service/PostgreSQL instance. The field will be pre-filled with 2282, which assumes a CAST Storage Service 3. Use the following ports for other CAST Storage Service releases or define the appropriate port number where you are using PostgreSQL and a custom port number:
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| Username/Password | The credentials for the target CAST Storage Service/PostgreSQL instance. The default credentials are: operator/CastAIP. | ||||||
| Database name | The database name on your target CAST Storage Service/PostgreSQL instance. By default, postgres will be populated, however, if you are using AIP Core ≥ 8.3.40 and wish to store your Measurement schema in a custom database (i.e. not the postgres database) enter the name of the custom database. | ||||||
| Schema name | You can change the name of the schema, however CAST recommends using the predefined general_measure name since this means less work when performing the Embedded CAST Dashboard deployment process step. Authorized characters for the name are as follows:
A validation process is actioned and any unauthorized characters, such as -, # or $ will be rejected. |
- You do not need to create the Measurement schema yourself, it will be created automatically the first time you:
- generate a snapshot and choose to publish the snapshot in the Health Dashboard
- run the Publish All option to upload all snapshots to the Health Dashboard
- You can change the Measurement Schema settings post-installation as described in Administration Center - Settings - Measurement.
Wizard Step 6: Review
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The final step in the wizard enables you to review the selections you have made. If anything requires changing, click the Back button to cycle back through the wizard and make any changes you need. Click Save and Finish when ready. You will then be taken to the login screen where you can start to use Console to perform additional setup actions as described in Initial configuration steps:
