This section explains the simple step-by-step installation process for the Aeon Server. This installation process is for non-hosted server locations only. Please contact Atlas Systems to install Aeon if your institution is a hosted server location. The Aeon Server Installation PowerShell scripts are downloaded from the Atlas Systems web pages and run on your server. These scripts will install the Aeon Server and all components needed to run Aeon. The Aeon services and other files will install automatically on the server upon running the Aeon installation scripts.
Obtaining the Aeon Server Setup File
To obtain the server PowerShell installer scripts, follow the steps outlined below:
You will need to contact Atlas Systems for credentials to access the installation files listed below.
Email: support@atlas-sys.com. Phone: 1-800-567-7401 ext. 1.
There is one set of installer scripts used to perform the server installation/upgrade. You will be prompted to select which major version of Aeon (5.1, 5.2, 6.0, etc.) you would like to install upon running the scripts. You do not have to update from each major version sequentially, for example, you can update an Aeon 5.1 server directly to Aeon 6.0 without needing to update first to Aeon 5.2.
Current Server Installers
Desktop Client Installation
Note that the Aeon Desktop Client Installer is available on the Aeon Downloads page.
The Aeon Web Client is installed on the Aeon Server as part of the Aeon 6.0 server installation process detailed below and does not need to be installed separately.
Downloading the Server Installer
- Use the link above to download the Aeon Server Installer PowerShell Scripts.
- Enter the User Name and Password provided by Atlas Systems. Click OK.
- The file will be downloaded to your default download location.
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When the download is complete, follow the steps outlined in the Installing/Updating the Server with PowerShell Scripts section below.
Installing/Updating the Server with PowerShell Scripts
Installation and update PowerShell scripts that support a broader array of configurations are used to perform the server installation/update. You can obtain these scripts by contacting Atlas Support for credentials and using the download link at the top of this article.
Prerequisites
To run these scripts, IIS Manager must be installed and you must be using version 5 of PowerShell via the Run as administrator option.
- If installing/updating to Aeon v5.1, then you must also be logged into the server as an admin before running PowerShell. You may also need to run the following command to set your execution policy to 'Unrestricted' before running the scripts (this will set the policy only for the current session):
Set-ExecutionPolicy Unrestricted - As of Aeon v5.2, you do not need to log into the server with an administrator account or set the execution policy to 'Unrestricted' to run the scripts, however, you must still use the Run as administrator option to open PowerShell.
- The IIS 6 Management Console component must be installed on Aeon Servers using Windows Server 2022 prior to performing the Aeon 5.2 server upgrade due to a known issue affecting PowerShell. For installation instructions, see Installing Required Windows Server 2022 Components for the Aeon 5.2 Update
Running the Scripts
The installation and update scripts will both execute the same steps in the following order:
- Determine which version of the Aeon server should be installed.
- Download the components needed for that version.
- Harvest a list of parameters for those components.
- Prompt the user for those parameters.
- Install the components.
- Clean up any downloaded files.
Default Installation Paths for Aeon API and Web Client
As of Aeon 6.0:
- The Aeon API will be installed to <domain>/AeonApi in IIS during the server installation/update process and will use the following API URL: https://servername/AeonApi/.
- The Aeon Web Client will be installed to <domain>/AeonStaff in IIS during the server installation/update process and will use the following URL: https://servername/aeonstaff/.
These default installation paths for the API and Aeon Web Client cannot be customized.
Note on Files Installed to Support Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) for the Aeon Web Client
The server installation scripts will create an mfakey file in the Aeon API's application directory, which contains the key used to encrypt MFA user secrets for the Aeon Web Client. Do not delete this file. If you migrate your Aeon Server, you must copy this file from the old server to the same location on the new server. If you delete or lose this file, MFA will need to be reset for all users. Permissions to read or modify this file are only granted to Administrator accounts and to the AeonApi IIS app pool.
For information on disabling the MFA requirement on the Aeon Server, see Disabling the Multi-Factor Authentication Requirement. However, it is strongly recommended that MFA is left enabled for enhanced security.
Installation Script Parameters
InstallAeonServer.ps1 has the following parameters:
| Parameter | Description |
| -advanced |
If set, this flag will cause the installation script to prompt for all possible installation parameters for each component. If not set, the installation script will prompt only for those parameters which do not have a default value. Most installations will be able to run the script without this flag. |
| -downloadOnly |
If set, this flag will stop the installer after step 2 above, allowing you to manually install each component (see Installing Components Manually below). This method is intended for use cases not covered by a basic installation, e.g. for sites with multiple web directories or for sites where the API or WebPlatform need to be hosted on a different server than the DLL.
|
| -updateFile |
Do not supply a value for this parameter unless directed by Atlas staff. |
| -skipDownloadPrompt |
If this flag is set, the script will download the component packages immediately instead of prompting you first. |
| -skipDatabaseCreation |
Used for Atlas-hosted installations. Do not supply a value for this parameter unless directed by Atlas staff. |
Update Script Parameters
UpdateAeonServer.ps1 has the following parameters:
| Parameter | Description |
| -advanced |
If set, this flag will cause the update script to prompt for all possible installation parameters for each component. If not set, the script will prompt only for those parameters which do not have a default value. Most installations will be able to run the script without this flag. |
| -downloadOnly |
If set, this flag will stop the updater after step 2 above, allowing you to manually update each component (see Installing Components Manually below). This method is intended for use cases not covered by a basic installation, e.g. for sites with multiple web directories or for sites where the API or WebPlatform need to be hosted on a different server than the DLL.
|
| -serverName | The name of the server hosting your SQL Server instance (e.g. 'localhost'). |
| -databaseName | The name of the Aeon database (e.g. 'AeonData'). |
| -sqlServerUsername | The SQL Server username (e.g. 'sa') used to connect. Leave blank to use Windows Authentication. |
| -sqlServerPassword | The password for the SQL Server username used above. |
| -updateFile |
Do not supply a value for this parameter unless directed by Atlas staff. |
Installing/Updating Components Manually
You can choose to manually install each component by setting the "downloadOnly" parameter while running either the installation or update script. Each component is downloaded as a .zip archive containing both the files needed to install the component and several .ps1 scripts. The scripts for each component will include, at minimum, Install.ps1 (used to install) and Update.ps1 (used to update).
For help with any of the component scripts, you can call the following command in PowerShell to obtain a description of the script and all of its parameters:
Get-Help <scriptFilename>