Content:

I. Requirements
II. Installation
III. Update
IV. Configuration
V. Installation via Command Line
VI. Installation via Group Policy

vistrax

the digital visitor book

vistrax 2.6 - Setup Guide

This document describes the installation process.

Copyright Notice and Disclaimer

Copyright © 2013-2021 CONZE Informatik GmbH

vistrax 2.6
All rights reserved.

This help may not be reproduced in whole or in part in any form without the explicit written permission of CONZE Informatik GmbH (CONZE). The information contained in this help is subject to changes as standard. Please note that CONZE can assume no responsibility for loss or damage resulting from information included or omitted in this help.

Further legal information and conditions of use can be viewed at vistrax.com.

We remain at all times grateful for suggestions for improvements or information regarding faults which help us to provide you with an improved software product in the future.

Support Services

vistrax offers online support free of charge via email (support@vistrax.com). Inquiries regarding issues such as setting up and designing visitor documents or projectors are handled by service companies from CONZE’s network of partners.

Corporate clients have access to our service via telephone or the remote maintenance service.

Online FAQ and Tutorials

If you need additional assistance, please visit the vistrax website vistrax.com first. There you will find help in the online FAQ and tutorials section.

Add-Ons

Extensions are available for download at vistrax.com.


I. Requirements

Administrator rights: For the installation and configuration procedures of vistrax administrator rights are necessary.

Internet connection: It is recommended that an internet connection is available during installation, because necessary prerequisits are automatically downloaded from online servers (up to 300 MB), if these are not already installed on the computer. However, you may also install vistrax without an internet connection by downloading the obligatory components (if necessary from another computer) and manually installing them onto the computer on which you wish to set up vistrax. The new vistrax installation can then be re-started. The following table lists all components that can be installed manually and the location from which they can be downloaded.

Designation Necessity URL for download
DirectX End-User Runtimes (June 2010) obligatory http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=8109
Microsoft Visual C++ 2010 SP1 Redistributable Package (x86) obligatory https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/topic/the-latest-supported-visual-c-downloads-2647da03-1eea-4433-9aff-95f26a218cc0
Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributable for Visual Studio 2017 obligatory https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/2977003/the-latest-supported-visual-c-downloads
Microsoft .NET Framework 4.6.1 obligatory for vistraxWelcome https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=49981

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Important: Microsoft Server operating systems require an installation of the "Media Foundation" feature, because it provides the required MF.dll. This can be done via the "Add Roles and Features Wizard".

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vistrax Hardware and Software Requirements

Minimum: Recommended:
Microsoft Windows 7 (min. SP1)
Microsoft Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1
Microsoft Windows Server 2012
Microsoft Windows Server 2012 R2
Microsoft Windows 8.1
Microsoft Windows 10
Microsoft Windows Server 2016
Microsoft Windows Server 2019

32 Bit or 64 Bit desktop operating system
2 GHz Dual-Core CPU
2 GB memory
2 GB free disk space
1 Gbit network connection
1 free USB 2.0 port
Screen resolution: 1280 x 1024 pixels
DirectX 9.0c and compatible graphics card (256 MB)
Microsoft Windows 8.1
Microsoft Windows 10

64 Bit desktop operating system
3 GHz Quad-Core CPU
4 GB memory
10 GB free disk space
10 Gbit network connection
2 free USB 2.0 ports
Screen resolution: 1920 x 1080 pixels
DirectX 11 and compatible graphics card (1 GB)


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Recommended: Install vistrax onto the computer which is used for the administration and organization of visitors.


vistraxWelcome Hardware and Software Requirements

Minimum: Recommended:
Microsoft Windows 7 (min. SP1)
Microsoft Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1
Microsoft Windows Server 2012
Microsoft Windows Server 2012 R2
Microsoft Windows 8.1
Microsoft Windows 10
Microsoft Windows Server 2016
Microsoft Windows Server 2019

32 Bit or 64 Bit desktop operating system
2 GHz Dual-Core CPU
4 GB memory
4 GB free disk space
SATA II hard drive (8MB Cache)
1 Gbit network connection
Screen resolution: 1280 x 1024 pixels
Microsoft .NET Framework 4.0
Microsoft Windows Media Player 10
DirectX 9.0c and compatible graphics card (256 MB)
Microsoft Windows 8.1
Microsoft Windows 10

64 Bit desktop operating system
3 GHz Quad-Core CPU
8 GB memory
10 GB free disk space
SATA III hard disk 24/7 (64MB Cache)
10 Gbit network connection
Screen resolution: 1920 x 1080 pixels
Microsoft .NET Framework 4.0
Microsoft Windows Media Player 11
DirectX 11 and compatible graphics card (1 GB)


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Important: vistraxWelcome must be installed on a local drive and cannot be operated from network drives!

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Recommended: Install vistraxWelcome on a computer located at your company entrance.


vistrax database instance

vistrax requires a Microsoft SQL Server Database.

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Recommended: It is comfortable to install and configure the database by using vistraxAdmin.To install vistraxAdmin use the installation options "Custom" or "Complete".

These databases are supported (Express-Editions as well):
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Important: Due to the use of encrypted connections with the Microsoft OLE DB Provider for SQL Server (SQLOLEDB) it is mandatory, that TLS 1.0 is activated on the workstation and on the server. By default this is the case, but the setting can be deactivated via group policies or registry keys. Please check whether TLS 1.0 is enabled or set to "Not configured" in your group policies under the following category: Network/SSL Configuration Settings/Protocols/Weak Protocols

From vistrax version 2.6.2 it is possible to use the newer Microsoft OLE DB Driver for SQL Server (MSOLEDBSQL), that supports TLS 1.0 and newer, as well as self-signed certificates. This database driver must be installed separately. Only then it can be selected in the Microsoft SQL Server Connection Settings. You find the download here: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=56730


II. Installation

Step-by-step Guide

1. Start Installer

Begin installation of the software after it has been downloaded by double clicking on the downloaded installation file “vistrax_setup_x.x.x.xxxx.exe”. Click on “Continue” to start the installation program.

2. Set Language

Select an installation language in vistrax Setup and click “OK”. The language settings can be changed again in the program at a later stage.

3. vistrax Setup Assistant

Click on “Next”.

4. Confirm License Agreement

Please read the license agreement carefully. Click on “Yes” to accept the license agreement and then click on “Next”. If you do not wish to accept the license agreement, click on the option “Do not accept”. In this case vistrax will not be installed and the setup process will end.

5. Installation

a) In the next stage you are required to selection an installation option:

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Important: If you have not set up a vistrax database yet, select the "Custom" or "complete" installation option. Make sure that in case of the custom installation, the "vistraxAdmin" option is selected.

Standard: vistrax Custom: Select all functions which you wish to install. “vistraxAdmin” installs a installation and configuration tool for your database instance. Complete: vistrax + vistraxWelcome + vistraxAdmin (Database installation and configuration tool)
b) Select a destination folder. If you agree to the pre-defined destination folder, click on “Next” to proceed with the installation. If you wish to select a different destination folder for the installation, click on “Browse…”.

6. Configure Shortcuts

Here you are required to configure whether vistrax shortcuts are created and where they are located. Begin the process with “Next” or click “Back” if you which to change settings.

7. Installation

The installation begins and may take a few minutes. Close the vistrax- installation assistant by clicking “Finish”.

The installation of further components required for vistrax operation and the following optional installations can be initiated during setup:
a) Installation of MSXML 4.0 SP3 Parser The welcome dialog box for the MSXML 4.0 SP3 Parser setup assistant will open. Click on “Next”, to start the installation. Accept the license agreement with “Next” and follow the instructions. The installation may take a few minutes. To complete installation, click on “Finish”.

b) Installation of .NET Framework 4. Confirm the license conditions and click on “Install”. Follow the instructions.

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Note: After installing the prerequisits, the setup may fail installing the database instance. In this case, please reboot and restart the setup to finish the installation.


III. Update

The usual installation file "vistrax_setup_x.x.x.xxxx.exe" is also used to update the software. There is no separate update routine. The update is performed as described in section II. Installation.

You can obtain the installation file by running a check for updates in the software.

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Note: After a successful update, please note that a database migration via vistraxAdmin may be necessary. For more information, see the corresponding application help.

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Note: Rights for new features are not assigned automatically. Check your user roles for the rights to be assigned.


IV. Configuration

After installation, configuration of your database instance, as well as the connection settings for vistrax and vistraxWelcome can be undertaken. Administrator permissions are required for this process.

1. Install your instance of the vistrax database

Start vistraxAdmin. The dialog box “vistraxAdmin Login” will open.

Click "Download & Install" to install a vistrax database instance. Select the database that most fits to your operating system and click "Download". Select the path for saving the downloaded file and confirm with "Save".After the download has finished answer the question to open the download with "Yes".

The access dialog box for the database installation will open.

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Important: Note the Standard Password “VxAdmin4DB!” and Login “sa displayed in the access dialog box. You may change the name of the database instance (“VISTRAX”) as well as the password.

Click "Install". The preconfigured installation of Microsoft SQL Server will open. You just need to apply each step with "Next" and wait until the installation has finished.

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Note: If the setup is unsuccessful, the setup bootstrap log file will give more information about the reason. More information and the path to the logfile is available at the following links:

Microsoft SQL Server 2008 R2: https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms143702%28v=sql.105%29.aspx
Microsoft SQL Server 2012: https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms143702%28v=sql.110%29.aspx
Microsoft SQL Server 2014: https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms143702%28v=sql.120%29.aspx
Microsoft SQL Server 2016: https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms143702(v=sql.130).aspx

2. Configure your instance of the vistrax database

Start vistraxAdmin. The dialog box “vistraxAdmin Login” will open. Enter the instance name, the login and the standard password of the SQL database administrator (cp. step 1). The authentication mode “SQL Server” can be left as it is. Click on “Login” and vistraxAdmin will open.

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Note: With unchanged default installation settings the instance name is composed of the host name followed by “\VISTRAX”. So for example, “MyComputer\VISTRAX”.

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Note: After installation of the vistrax database instance it can take initially up to 2 minutes until the database can be connected.

In the next steps, follow the instructions to create:
a) a main database
b) a mandator database
c) a database login

Regarding a) In order to create a main database for the first time, confirm the request “Would you like to create a new main database?” with “Yes” and click on “Create”. The main database and a Standard User Account will then be created. The standard user account enables subsequent login in vistrax and vistraxWelcome.
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Important: Note the user name “admin” and password “admin” for the registration and click on “OK”.


Regarding b) By following the instructions in the next step you can create a mandator. Info

Important: Make an entry in the obligatory field “Name”.


Regarding c) In the following step you can create a database login required to access the vistrax program. Choose and enter a login and a password. This information should be noted. Select the standard SQL account and follow the instructions. Database configuration is now fully completed.
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Note: If a database login is added manually (e.g. with Microsoft SQL Management Studio), the appropriate rights and roles within the vistrax databases must also be set: The roles "db_datareader", "db_datawriter" and the right to execute "stored procedures" are required. Ensure that the database login can access the main database and all mandator databases.

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Note:If you are using a version of the Microsoft SQL Server application from 2012 but less than 2017, you need to pass the parameter -t232 to the database instance. In the SQL Server Configuration Manager, open the properties of the vistrax database instance and switch to the "Startup Parameters" tab. There they add "-t232" via the text field. The SQL Server Configuration Manager can be found in the computer administration under Services and Applications.

3. Configuration of network access

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Note: If the database was installed using vistraxAdmin, the following settings (a) - (c) are already done. 

a) Activate the TCP/IP protocol within the SQL Server instance.

If you have not installed a database instance using vistraxAdmin (cp. 1), you must ensure that the TCP/IP protocol in your existing database is activated. To do this, open the SQL server configuration manager on the computer on which your database installation is located (Start menu -> Microsoft SQL Server -> Configuration Tools -> SQL Server Configuration Manager). A tree view is located in the section on the left. Under "SQL Native Client x.x-Configuration (32 Bit)“ and — if present —under "SQL Native Client x.x-Configuration", select the item "Client Protocols". The section on the right lists all protocols available. Right-click on "TCP/IP" to open a context menu, and then select the menu item "Activate". In the tree view, select the relevant database instance under "SQL Server Network Configuration" and use the context menu to activate the item "TCP/IP" here as well. Having competed the changes, the SQL instance must be restarted. This is done by clicking the item "SQL Services" in the tree view. The section on the right lists all SQL instances available on the server. Right-click to open a context menu for the relevant instance and select the item "Restart".

b) Adjust the firewall rules.

If vistrax installations from other computers are intended to have access to your database, you must ensure that access is not blocked by an installed firewall. For a named instance UDP port 1434, which refers to the SQL Server Service, needs to be opened. In addition, a TCP/UDP Port must be opened for the executable SQL server file.
The default path is usually "C:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\MSSQL[Version].[INSTANZNAME]\MSSQL\Binn\sqlservr.exe". [Version] depends on your MSSQL instance version, [INSTANZNAME]. must be replaced by the name of your database instance.

With a standard instance without a name, TCP port 1433 must be opened.

If you use Windows Firewall, more information is available at the following links:

c) Set the Server-Authentication Mode.

If you have not installed a database instance using vistraxAdmin, you need to change the server authentication mode in the security options during the installation. Set the mode to „SQL Server and Windows Authentication mode".

4. Configuration of vistrax client

Start "vistrax Connection Settings" from the Windows Start Menu. The configuration dialog will be displayed, enter the login and the password from IV. 2. a). By clicking “Test connection”, you are able to test the connection between vistrax and the main database you have created. Apply your settings by clicking "OK". Now you can start "vistrax" from the Windows Start Menu. The vistrax login opens. To log in to vistrax, enter the standard user account data (cp. IV. 2.a)) and click on “Login”. If you have a valid license, you can activate it by using the configuration dialog.

5. Configuration of vistraxWelcome

Repeat the above steps.

Further information on getting started with vistrax and vistraxWelcome

See the application help.





V. Installation via Command Line

Start the PowerShell or command line. For the installation requires administrator privileges, so start the console as administrator or assign the authorizations individually during the installation process. Navigate with cd [path to installation file] or cd /D [path to installation file] (if installation file on another hard disk) into the directory of the installation file and execute it with .\vistrax_setup_[Version].exe. Alternatively, start the installation with [path to installation file]\vistrax_setup_[version].exe.

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Hint: Example for a call:
.\vistrax_setup_[Version].exe /exelang 1031 /qb

Parameter Explanation
/qf Installation with complete UI
/qr Reduced UI, complete display without interaction
/qb, /passive The installation is completely automated, only progress bars are visible.
/qn, /quiet The installation does not generate any feedback.
/exelang Defines the language of the installation.
  • german: /exelang 1031
  • english: /exelang 1033

VI. Installation via Group Policy

The script GPOinstaller.ps1 is used for an automated installation and configuration of vistrax. The tools vistraxAdmin or vistraxWelcome are currently not supported.

The scripts described below can be acquired from here:
GPOinstaller.bat (batchfile to run the install script as GPO)
GPOinstaller.ps1 (install script)
GPOPassEncryptor.ps1 (Script to encrypt the password)

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Note: If you like to run the install script as a Group Policy Object by your domaincontroller, you have to copy the scripts and the vistrax setup to your SYSVOL path. After that add the .bat file as a start script on your Windows Server. The minimum parameter in our batchfile, the vistrax version, have to be equal with your desired vistrax setup. After script start wait 5 minutes, so all predefined settings are loaded. For a detailed description of adding a GPO start script click here.

In order to execute the install script, the settings in the parameter list must first be set to or be passed with the call.
Either the script is opened with an editor and in param()-Block or the call is completed with -[Parameter]:"[Value]" (see table below).

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Note: The installation of vistrax and the configuration of the database connection w ill be done with the following steps Administrator rights required.

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Note: During the installation with the help of the script, it creates a log on the target computer at %AppData%\CONZE Informatik\InstallerScript\log

For example calls or further information within the console, you can also use the Powershell function Get-Help -[examples|parameters|detailed|full] GPOinstaller.ps1 can be called. To see this -detailed or -full completly it may be necessary to increase the number of buffered lines within the Powershell.

Parameter Type Description Default value
installerLanguage Integer Legt die Sprache der Installation fest.
  • deutsch:  /exelang 1031
  • englisch: /exelang 1033
1033
installerPath String path to installer
installerVersion String vistrax version to be installed by the script 2.5.1.5374
installMode String Sets UI degree of installation to Silent (/qn,/quiet) Passive (/qb,/passive) or Full-UI (/qf) /qb
silentConfig bool Configuration of the database connection without UI feedback. This value needs to be set inside the script and cannot be set as parameter.
vxDbDriver String Choose database driver "msoledbsql" if you installed "Microsoft OLE DB Driver for SQL Server" before.
[msoledbsql|sqloledb]
sqloledb
vxDbAuthMode String Set to Windows to log in to the database via domain or Windows Credentials
[server|windows]
server
vxDbEncryption String Encrypted database connection, you can choose "forcednocert" if you set vxDbDriver to "msoledbsql".
[disabled|auto|forced|forcednocert]
disabled
vxDbName String Name of Main Database VISTRAX
vxDbPacketSize Integer Packet size of the database connection 4096
vxDbPassword String Password of the admin user of the database VxAdmin4DB!
vxDbPort Integer Database Port 1433
vxDbServer String Database IP und instance name 127.0.0.1\VISTRAX
vxDbUseEncryptedPassword bool This flag is set when using an encrypted password previously generated with vistraxAdmin or GPOPassEncrypter. This value needs to be set inside the script and cannot be set as parameter.
vxDbUser String Database user name SA
vxLdapAdsDomain String LDAP, LDAPS or ADS-Domain for vistrax user
vxLdapAdsPath String LDAP, LDAPS or ADS-Path for vistrax user
vxLicensePath String Path to vistrax license file C:\Users\[User]\Documents\vistraxLicense.vxl
vxLoadLicense bool Flag is set when a vistrax license file is supposed to be loaded. This value needs to be set inside the script and cannot be set as parameter.

If you want to use an encrypted form of the password, you can use the following options to generate an encrypted password in advance. For this purpose the script GPOpassEncryptor but vistraxAdmin must be installed. The script is called via GPOPassEncryptor.ps1 [Password] or GPOPassEncryptor -password:"[Password]" is called.

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Important: Write down or copy the password, it will not be saved is still copied to the clipboard.

Example call GPOPassEncrypter
Example call from GPOPassEncrypter.ps1 to generate an encrypted password.