Installation Guide

Install and configure the API module

Updated in 2021.2

IMPORTANT: If you are upgrading from Alloy Navigator Express 8 or later, install the Self Service Portal 2023 on a separate IIS server computer or a virtual machine, different from the production server hosting your existing Alloy Navigator Express web applications. If you are migrating from Alloy Navigator Express 7 or 6, you can install the new Self Service Portal on your production web server, in a different web site.

NOTE: The API module was introduced in version 7.1. If you are upgrading form an earlier version, skip this step and install the API module later.

To install the API on a separate server:

  1. Run the AlloyInstaller.exe file from the network share, where you saved extracted installation files earlier. Alternatively, you can run the Alloy Installer and extract its temporary files again.

  2. Click Advanced Installation. The Advanced Installation page appears.

  3. Click Install Alloy Navigator API 2023.2.x.

    The installation wizard will automatically analyze your computer, and test for prerequisites. If any of the tests fail, the wizard displays a warning message along with a hyperlink, which shows additional information about the encountered issue.

    You can make the necessary changes and then recheck the prerequisites by clicking Recheck. To go back to the Advanced Installation page of the installation wizard, click Close.

  4. Click Install to proceed. The Setup Wizard starts.

  5. On the Welcome page, click Next. The End-User License Agreement page opens.

  6. Review and confirm the terms of the license agreement, then click Next. The Installation Folder page opens.

  7. Click Next to install the API module to the default Alloy Navigator 2023 installation folder (\Program Files\Alloy Software\Alloy Navigator 2023\). If you want to install the API module to a different folder, click Change, browse to choose the installation folder, click OK to return to the wizard page, and click Next.

    The Ready to install... page appears.

  8. Click Install to begin the installation. Click Back if you need to review or change any of the choices you made.

  9. On the Completed page, keep the Run the Web Configuration check box selected.

    Click Finish to complete the installation process.

The Web Configuration tool for Alloy Navigator2023 opens and the Create API wizard starts. Use wizard to configure the API module to work with your pilot database.

TIP: You can launch the Web Configuration tool for version 2023 whenever you need using the Alloy Control Panel or from the Start menu.

To configure the API for your pilot database:

  1. On the Database page, import the Database Access Key to allow the API to connect to your pilot Alloy Navigator 2023 database.

    1. Click Import Key to import the Database Access Key.

      INFO: For details, see Importing the Database Access Key.

    2. Fine-tune the database connection details, if needed: in the SQL Server field, enter the network address of the SQL Server, which may differ from the SQL Server name specified in the Database Access Key.

    Click Next. The Web page opens.

  2. Specify a description of your pilot API and click Next. The Installation Type page opens.

    Navigate to the Installation Type page. Specify where to install the API module. We recommend that you use a pilot web site.

    INFO: For details, see Test environment for pilot web applications.

    Click Install into a virtual directory, then click Next.

  3. The Web Site page displays all web sites available on your IIS server. Select the pilot site that you created earlier (in our example, it is Alloy Navigator 2023 Pilot), and click Next. The Virtual Directory page opens.

  4. Keep the default name for the virtual directory to create or type in a different name. Click Next.

  5. Navigate to the Ready to Apply Settings page opens.

  6. Click Apply to apply your settings. Click Previous if you need to make any changes. Wait for the Web Configuration tool to configure the application.

  7. When completed, the Web Configuration tool shows the API page with the newly applied settings. Using the Configure buttons you can adjust any settings, if needed.

NEXT STEP: Test your pilot Alloy Navigator Enterprise system.