Installation on Windows (Connect 2022)

Available builds

The installation package for Connect Server contains four different builds for Windows:

Notes on the platform-independent version

The platform independent build "portable" requires the previous installation of .NET 6 incl. ASP.NET Core. The current version is provided by Microsoft at the following link:

We recommend using the "Hosting Bundle" provided by Microsoft, as this contains all the required components.

The advantage of the platform-independent version is that you can install updates for the .NET Framework independently of the Connect software. In the event of security-critical errors in the Microsoft .NET Framework, they can thus react immediately and do not have to wait for the delivery of an update of the Connect Server. In addition, the identical installation files can be used for all supported operating systems.

Notes on the platform-specific versions

These builds are already compiled for the corresponding target platform and contain all files required for execution. This eliminates the need to install additional software. An update of the included software components is only possible by installing an update of the Connect Server.

Installation

Create an empty folder (e.g. "C:\Program Files\Galileo Group\Connect\server") and copy all files of the desired Connect Server version into this folder.

Configuration

The Connect Server is delivered with a ready-to-run configuration. The integrated web server is available on port 80 after startup and responds to HTTP requests. For more information about customizing the configuration, please refer to chapter Konfiguration (Connect 2022).

Starting the Connect Server (as a console application)

The Connect Server can be operated directly as a console application. This scenario is recommended for test scenarios and possibly for smaller proof of concept projects. Note that in this scenario, the Connect Server is terminated by closing the console as well as by the user logging off. Disconnecting a remote desktop connection (without logging off) does not affect the running Connect Server.

To start the Connect Server as a console application, change to the folder with the Connect Server and start the executable file named "GalileoGroup.Connect.Server.exe". Alternatively, you can start the Connect Server via Windows Explorer by double-clicking on the file "GalileoGroup.Connect.Server.exe".

Exiting the Connect Server (as a console application)

Activate the console window with the Connect Server and terminate the Connect Server by pressing the key combination Ctrl + C. Closing the console window directly is not recommended, as this cannot ensure that all running communication processes are terminated properly.

Operation as Windows service

In Windows-based production environments, it is recommended to operate the Connect Server as a Windows service. In this scenario, log output is to the Windows event log. The one-time setup is described below:

Creating a local user to run the service

To create the local user, enter the following commands in a PowerShell with administrator privileges:

$AccountName        = "Connect"
$AccountDescription = "Connect Service User"

New-LocalUser -Name $AccountName -Description $AccountDescription

After The user has been successfully created, it must be assigned the authorization to log in as a Windows service. Press Win + R keys and type "secpol.msc" in the following input window. Now a window will be displayed with a tree structure on the left side. There, open the "Local Policies" node and then click on the "Assign User Rights" node. In the right half of the screen, select the "Log on as service" entry via double-click.

In the following dialog window, click the "Add user or group" button and select the newly created local user. If the user is not found, restrict the search path to the local computer name.

Now the new user must be allowed access to the folder where the application was installed. In this example, the folder "C:\Program Files\Galileo Group\Connect\server" is used. To do this, enter the following commands in a PowerShell with administrator privileges:

$BasePath    = "C:\Program Files\Galileo Group\Connect\server"
$AccountName = "Connect"

$User = Get-LocalUser -Name $AccountName

if ($User -ne $Null) {
  $acl = Get-Acl $BasePath -ea Stop
  $FileSystemRights = [System.Security.AccessControl.FileSystemRights]"Modify"
  $AccessControlType = [System.Security.AccessControl.AccessControlType]::Allow
  $InheritanceFlags = [System.Security.AccessControl.InheritanceFlags]"ContainerInherit, ObjectInherit"
  $PropagationFlags = [System.Security.AccessControl.PropagationFlags]"InheritOnly"

  $AccessRule = New-Object System.Security.AccessControl.FileSystemAccessRule ($User.SID, $FileSystemRights, $InheritanceFlags, $PropagationFlags, $AccessControlType)
  $acl.AddAccessRule($AccessRule)
    
  Set-Acl -Path $BasePath -AclObject $acl -ea Stop
    
  Write-Host ("Permission granted for {0}" -f $BasePath)
}

Registering the Connect Server as a Windows service

The registration can also be accomplished with the help of PowerShell. Here is an example which can be used as a template:

$BasePath           = "C:\Program Files\Galileo Group\Connect\server"
$ExePath            = "$BasePath\GalileoGroup.Connect.Server.exe"
$BaseSettingsPath   = "$BasePath\appsettings.Default.json"
$CustSettingsPath   = "$BasePath\appsettings.json"

$HostName           = [System.Net.Dns]::GetHostName()
$AccountName        = "Connect"

$ServiceName        = "ConnectServer"
$ServiceDescription = "Connect Server"
$ServiceUser        = "$HostName\$AccountName"

$CommandLine        = """$ExePath"" --settings=""$BaseSettingsPath""? --settings=""$CustSettingsPath""?"

New-Service -Name ConnectServer -BinaryPathName $CommandLine -Credential $ServiceUser -DisplayName $ServiceName -Description $ServiceDescription -StartupType Manual

Deregistering the Windows service

If the Windows service is to be removed again, this can be done with the following command in a PowerShell with administrator privileges:

$ServiceName = "Connect Server"

cmd /c csc delete $ServiceName

If PowerShell 7 is already in use on the corresponding system, deregistration can also be performed using the Remove-Service cmdlet.