Installation Guide

Installing Alloy Navigator Express client components

Updated in 2023.2

The Client installation option is meant for administrator’s workstations. This installation type includes the Settings App with other administrative tools, and the Network Inventory app, and not install any services or server components. Use this option for Alloy Navigator Express administrators.

To install the client components of Alloy Navigator Express:

  1. Run the Alloy Navigator Express 2023 Installer.

  2. By default, the installer extracts its installation files to the C:\AlloyNavigatorExpress-23.2.x.cd folder. If this folder does not exist, the installation wizard will create it.

    NOTE: If you want to change the destination folder, click Browse and make a new temporary folder for installation files.

    TIP: If you need to install Alloy Navigator Express components on multiple computers, you can copy this folder to a network share and then run the AlloyInstaller.exe file from there. If no longer needed, this folder and its content can be manually removed after the upgrade has finished.

    Click Extract. After the installation files are extracted, the Welcome page opens.

  3. On the Welcome page, click Advanced Installation.

  4. On the Advanced Installation page, select Install Alloy Navigator Express.

    The installation wizard will automatically analyze your machine and test for prerequisites. If any of the tests fail, for example, if your computer has insufficient RAM size or hard drive space, or Microsoft .NET Framework 4.8 is missing, the wizard displays a warning message along with a hyperlink, which shows additional information about the encountered issue.

    • Information - Indicates missing software components that will be installed automatically.

    • Warning - Indicates missing software or partially met requirements that may result in the incorrect work or inoperability of the installed software.

    • Error - Indicates not met requirements that prevent the installation.

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

  5. Click Install to proceed with the installation after checking the prerequisites. The Setup Wizard starts.

  6. On the Welcome page of the Setup Wizard, click Next.

  7. On the End-User License Agreement page, review the license agreement and, if you agree, confirm the terms of the license agreement, and then click Next.

  8. On the Setup Type page, select the Client installation option. Click Next to install Alloy Navigator Express to the default installation folder (\Program Files\Alloy Software\Alloy Navigator Express 2023\).

    TIP: If you want to install Alloy Navigator Express to a different folder, click Change, browse to choose the installation folder, click OK to return to the wizard page, and then click Next.

  9. On the Ready to install page, keep the Create a desktop shortcut for Alloy NavigatorExpress 2023 check box selected, if needed.

    Click Install to begin the installation. Click Back, if you need to review or change any of your settings.

  10. When the installation is complete, the Completed page opens.

    Click Finish to complete the installation process.

INFO: If you want to open snapshot files outside the Network Inventory application, you should manually associate the files with the Alloy Audit Snapshot Viewer. For details, see Associating snapshot files with the Audit Snapshot Viewer.

NOTE: When Alloy Navigator Express is installed, you may need to enable TLS 1.2 support. For details, see Enabling TLS 1.2 support.

Installing Alloy Navigator Express client components with the Desktop App included

Deprecated in 2023.2

With recent updates, the Web App has taken center stage as the primary user interface for technicians, prompting the phased-out use of the Desktop App. As of version 2023.2, the Desktop App is no longer part of the default installation package. Nevertheless, for users who still prefer the desktop experience, the option to install the Desktop App remains available. If you wish to include the Desktop App in your client installation, instead of relying on the Alloy Installer, run the installer executable file from the command line, employing a specific command-line option as described below.

The installer executable file is AlloyNavigatorExpressSetup.exe. You can find that file in the installation package, within the folder where the Alloy Installer extracted the installation files. The default location is here: C:\AlloyNavigatorExpress-23.2.x.cd/Alloy Software/.

NOTE: Before you begin, make sure that the technician's workstation does not already have the client components of the same version installed, and meets the system requirements. For details, see Desktop client requirements.

To install the client components of Alloy Navigator Express with the Desktop App:

  1. Run the installer file from the command line as follows:

    AlloyNavigatorExpressSetup.exe /i INSTALL_DESKTOP_APP=1

  2. On the Welcome page of the Setup Wizard, click Next.

  3. On the End-User License Agreement page, review the license agreement. If you agree, click I Accept to confirm the Alloy Software's EULA.

  4. On the Setup Type page, select the Client installation option, specify the installation folder, and click Next. Even though the Setup Wizard will not show the Desktop App in the list of components, rest assured that it will still be installed.

    NOTE: If you opt for the Full (Client and Server) option, the Desktop App will also come with the client installation, in addition to server components and services. However, the Server installation option will not include the Desktop App despite of the command-line option.

  5. On the Ready to install page, keep the Create a desktop shortcut for Alloy Navigator 2023 check box selected, if needed.

  6. Click Install to begin the installation, or click Back, if you need to review or change any of your settings.

  7. When the installation is complete, the click Finish to complete the installation.

Command-line options

The following table lists the command-line options available for the AlloyNavigatorExpressSetup.exe installer. You may want to use them if you want to run the installer in a quiet (unattended) mode.

Option Description
/i

Installs the product. Required.

/qb

Runs the installer in the quiet mode, without user interaction.

AN_SETUP_TYPE=stClient|stServer|stFull

Specifies the installation type for the quiet installation: Client, Server, or Full (Client and Server). If missing, the Full (Client and Server) installation option is used.

/AN_DESKTOP_ICONS=1

Creates a desktop shortcut.

/OLD_PRODUCT=Keep

Keeps version 7, if detected.

/INSTALL_DESKTOP_APP=1

Installs the Alloy Navigator Express Desktop App.

Applies only with the Client or or Full (Client and Server installation type.

Examples

The following command installs the client components (with the Desktop App included) in the quiet mode and creates a desktop shortcut:

AlloyNavigator Express Setup.exe /i /qb AN_SETUP_TYPE=stClient AN_DESKTOP_ICONS=1 INSTALL_DESKTOP_APP=1

The following command installs the server and the client components (with the Desktop App included) in the quiet mode, keeps version 7 if detected, and creates a desktop shortcut:

AlloyNavigator Express Setup.exe /i /qb AN_DESKTOP_ICONS=1 /OLD_PRODUCT=Keep INSTALL_DESKTOP_APP=1