Installation Guide

Install and configure the Web App

Updated in 2021.2

IMPORTANT: If you are upgrading from Alloy Navigator Express 8 or later, install the Web App 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.

To install the Web App 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 Alloy Navigator Express 2023 Installer and extract its temporary files again.

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

  3. Click Install Alloy Navigator Express Web App 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 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 Web App to the default Alloy Navigator Express2023 installation folder (\Program Files\Alloy Software\Alloy Navigator Express 2023\).

    If you want to install the Web App to a different folder, click Change, browse to choose the installation folder, click OK to return to the wizard page.

    Click Next. The Report Viewer page appears.

  8. Report viewer components are necessary for viewing and printing reports in the Web App. Select which component to install or accept the default selection.

    Click Next. The Ready to install page appears.

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

  10. 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 Navigator Express2023 opens and the Create Web App wizard starts. Use wizard to configure the Web App 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 Web App for your pilot database:

  1. On the Database page, import the Database Access Key to allow the Web App to connect to your pilot Alloy Navigator Express 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.

  2. Click Next. The Web page opens.

  3. Specify a description of your pilot Web App and click Next. The Installation Type page opens.

  4. Specify where to install the Web App. 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.

  5. 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 Express 2023 Pilot), and click Next. The Virtual Directory page opens.

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

  7. Specify the User Authentication Type and click Next. Note that the new version may offer new authentication types.

  8. Skip the Workflow Integration step and click Next.

  9. Specify your settings on next pages to navigate to the Ready to Apply Settings page.

  10. 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.

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

NEXT STEP: Install and configure the Self Service Portal.