Before You Begin

Getting Started on Windows

Overview

In this section, we'll review

• Access required to complete the installation process
• Web server and database server requirements
• SMTP setup
• Additional install options

Access & Credentials

In order to fulfill the prerequisites you must have:

• Admin access to the web server
• Admin access to create and manage the database Validatar will use on the back-end

In order to run the Validatar installer you must have:

• Admin access to the web server
• Validatar back-end database credentials on hand

Web Server Specifications

• HDD: 50 GB (the web application files take up roughly 150 MB)
• RAM: 4-16 GB
• CPU: 2.0 GHz or faster (2-8 cores)

The server must have Internet Information Services (IIS) installed, including the following highlighted options:

To add and configure IIS:

1. Type Server Manager in the Windows search bar
2. Click Add Roles & Features
   1. Also found under Manage in the top-right corner
3. Click Next for every page until you reach the Server Roles section
4. In Server Roles check Web Server (IIS) then Add Features
5. Click Next
6. In the Role Services section
   1. Scroll down the web services list, expand Security, check Windows Authentication
   2. Expand Application Development, check Application Initialization
   3. Click Next, then Install

Install the following required tools if they are not already installed:

• The web server must have the IIS URL Rewrite extension installed: download URL Rewrite here
• The web server must have the Hosting Bundle installed for ASP.NET Core Runtime 6.0.x: download .NET Core here

Be sure to select the Hosting Bundle option. 

Database Server Specifications

The database server can either be SQL Server or PostgreSQL

• Supported versions
  • SQL Server 2022 (no older than 2014)
  • PostgreSQL 14.1
  • SQL Server 2022 Express (no older than 2014) - only recommended for proof of concepts or trials
• Common Specifications
  • HDD: 50 GB
  • SQL Drive: allocate 50 GB total for the Validatar metadata data/log files
  • RAM: 16 GB
  • CPU: 2.0 GHz or faster

Creating the Validatar Database

• Create a new database named "Validatar"
  • If you'd like to use a different name for the database, replace references to the "Validatar" database in the instructions below with the correct name.
• When using Windows Authentication for database connections in Validatar:
  • Your IT team must create an Active Directory (AD) service account and provide the corresponding credentials.
  • Grant this domain account db_owner access to the Validatar database.
  • Use this domain account when configuring the Validatar application pool in IIS during the installation procedure.
• When using SQL Server authentication for database connections in Validatar:
  • Create a SQL Server login
  • Grant this login db_owner access to the Validatar database

SMTP Settings

Configure SMTP settings so that Validatar can send password reset and other notification emails. If the SMTP settings are unknown, check with your IT administrator or Network administrator for this information.

Additional Options

• Snowflake ODBC Driver: If you will be testing Snowflake data, download the driver here
• Other ODBC Drivers: Install the appropriate drivers if you plan to connect to data via ODBC.
• DNS Entry: You can create a DNS record for the Validatar website so that Validatar can be accessed with a user-friendly address instead of the web server name or IP Address.
• SSL Certificate Obtain an SSL certificate from a certificate authority to encrypt network traffic to Validatar. After installing Validatar, use IIS to assign the SSL certificate to the Validatar website. Find detailed steps on how to assign the SSL certificate in the install guide.

Getting Started on Linux

To install Validatar on Linux, you will need to execute a script tailored to the variant of Linux you are utilizing. You can find the necessary scripts in the Linux Install Guide.