Portal, Reporting & Replay Server

Install Order

graph LR
  A(**Portal**) ==> B(**Reporting**) ==> C(**Replay**) ==> D(*Processing*) --> E(*HBR*) --> F(*DNCA*);

Installation

Warning

Newly created Windows servers may only have Microsoft Explorer installed. It is recommended to have and use alternative browsers such as Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox and or Microsoft Edge. Additionally a good text editor should be available.

Anti-virus software may impact performance, if this is identified then the folder <Discover_Home_Directory>\Log folder should be excluded from scanning.

Relevant Firewall TCP ports should be open in advance of configuration, these are defined in the Server to Server Communication section of this guide.

Access the server with Administrator rights.
Disable the 'Windows Defender Real-Time Protection' feature.
Disable the 'User Access Control' feature.
Access the server with Administrator rights.
Confirm that the server's specs meet the sizing requirements/recommendations (OS, CPU Cores, Physical memory, Disks, Network, Internet access (for replay). Upload the Discover installation files, including the following onto the server in a temporary location, e.g., C:\HCL_Discover_Source\

Install files
1. DataExport installers
2. SessionArchiving installers
3. Required FixPacks
4. Patches
5. HotFixes

Install IIS and .Net

Install the IIS web server role along with roles shown below:

Info

Some items may be shown ticked below, however in your environment by default may not be. They are not required for Discover install and should not impact the install. ONLY install the items highlighted and ticked.
Install the .NET Framework 4.5 or greater with the below features.
Install the 'Telnet Client' feature.
From the Start Menu select Internet Information Services(IIS) Manager to validate the Default Website is present, if not it must be created manually. This is required as during the Discover installation two new sites (Portal, PortalAPI) associated with the default website (shown in screenshot below).

Info

In some environments the Default Web Site may not be created when the IIS feature is installed as part of the prerequisites, this may be due to an organisational policy constraint. When installed the Portal and PortalAPI applications must be associated with the Default Web Site.
The Reporting server is the only server that requires JAVA to be used. Download the x64 related JRE installer, move it to a temporary location on the server and install the latest Java SE Runtime Environment.
From the server Start Menu select Server Manager > Local Server then click the Computer Name.
Click Advanced and select Environment Variables > System Variables.
Define the JRE_HOME environment variable by clicking New ... or Edit ... (if already defined), it points to the JRE home folder, e.g., JRE_HOME = C:\Program Files\Java\jre-xxxx or jdk-xxx as needed.

Info

If directly downloading to the server, you may need to Disable 'IE Enhanced Security Configuration'. Additionally, unblock the JRE installer via the file's properties. Optionally if required, disable the Windows Defender SmartScreen. This setting may be managed by the administrators.

The following required folders on their respective servers (local or remote). Should the Discover Reporting component and Microsoft SQL Server coexist you must give full control to the '\Users' account onto the SQLData folder.

Server / Function	Example	Actual
Discover installation	D:\HCL Discover\
MS SQLData	H:\Data01\UserData\
MS SQLLog	G:\Tlog\

Info

Prior to any installation It is key that servers are pre-configured with a DNS-managed fully qualified domain name (FQDN) such as myserver.mydomain.com. Should no managed DNS be available at installation time, host files can be used but should not be a long term or production level solution.

Additionally, if FQDNs can only be provided after installation using short names and or host files, were given at a later stage and installation was completed based on entries in the hosts file, amend with DNS managed FQDN's once available (see below Windows Registry entries)

Windows Registry

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\WOW6432Node\Unica Discover\Components\
PROCESSINGSERVERS = CAN_SERVER_01.MYDOMAIN.COM|CAN_SERVER_02.MYDOMAIN.COM|CAN_SERVER_03.MYDOMAIN.COM

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\WOW6432Node\Unica Discover\Components\
REPORTDBSERVER = SQL_SERVER_01.MYDOMAIN.COM

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\WOW6432Node\Unica Discover\Components\
TMSSERVER = REP_SERVER_01.MYDOMAIN.COM

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\WOW6432Node\Unica Discover\DataStore\AlertService\
CanisterServers = CAN_SERVER_01.MYDOMAIN.COM|CAN_SERVER_02.MYDOMAIN.COM|CAN_SERVER_03.MYDOMAIN.COM

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\WOW6432Node\Unica Discover\DataStore\AlertService\
Monitors = REP_SERVER_01.MYDOMAIN.COM

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\WOW6432Node\Unica Discover\DataStore\AlertService\
PortalURL = http://REP_SERVER_01.MYDOMAIN.COM/Portal

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\WOW6432Node\Unica Discover\DataStore\ReportServer\
Host = SQL_SERVER_01.MYDOMAIN.COM

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\WOW6432Node\Unica Discover\DataStore\TrackingService\
TrackingSvcHost = https://REP_SERVER_01.MYDOMAIN.COM:9001/

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\WOW6432Node\Unica Discover\DCMgmtSrv\
MasterServer = localhost

Info

DMS will fail to start when using FQDN - e.g. REP_SERVER_01.MYDOMAIN.COM

In the Discover Portal amend all hostnames (from short names to FQDNs) - both the 'Display Name' and the 'Host Name' fields - for all servers via the Discover Portal's 'Manage Servers' page

Install Discover 12.1.0 (base)

Open up File Explorer and navigate to where you have the HCL Discover install zip. Extract the ZIP HCL_Unica_Discover_12.1.zip.
Within the extracted folder HCL_Unica_Discover_12.1 then extract Unica_Discover_12.1_Win.zip
Then navigate into the extracted folder Unica_Discover_12.1_Win\DISK1
Right-click on 'DCSetup.exe' and select Run as Administrator. In some circumstances it may be required to unblock that file (right-click on 'DCSetup.exe', select 'Properties', click on the 'Unblock' button).
Start the install process
Accept the License Agreement
Set the location where you wish to install the HCL Discover software
Select Default Transport Pipeline (No HBR) in the Transport Pipeline option
Uncheck Processor Service
Set the Master Management Server. For the Portal server install this can be left as localhost, however it is best practice to enter the FQDN or IP of the Portal Server here.
You can leave the Tracking Service options as they are
To enable the ability to send reports, etc via email enter the FQDN or IP of your companies SMTP server which will be used
Set the Report Database options next. If you are installing locally on the Portal server you can leave the setting as they are. Alternatively, if you are connecting to a shared SQL server, please change the option to Remote, ensure that the server FQDN or IP address is entered into the Server text box and the location on the server where the Database will be installed is configure correctly in the Path text box.

Local

Remote
Do NOT create the SQL Reporting databases at this point (this step will be performed post-installation). Select No
Leave the following screens as default
Enter the FQDN or IP address of all processing servers
Now install

Install Discover SQL DB

Install DB Guide

Install Discover Data Export Module

To install the Discover Data Export module, in C:\HCL_Discover_Source\ unzip Unica_Discover_12.1_DataExport_Win.zip then run the file DCSetup.exe. Ensure the application is started with Administrator User rights and all Discover Services are stopped.
During the installation, select 'No' to the question 'Do you want to only enable DataExport Component in the Discover Portal?'
Once installation is complete, start all Discover services using the provided script.
Windows event Logs - validate any errors and address
- Log-in to the Discover Portal, http://localhost/portal, the first login takes a long time due to the DMS trying to reach all Processing servers and timing out.
- Check the health of the Search Server at http://localhost:19000/
- Check the health of the Search Server at http://localhost:38000/
- Confirm that the defined servers (depending on how many Processing servers were added during installation) appear on the 'Manage Servers' page
- Confirm that the Master server appears on the DMS page
Define a new Data Export server via the Discover portal. To finish click Save.
Stop all Discover services using the script provided, you will note in the Services viewer that the Discover Management Server service and the Transport Service need to be stopped manually.
Using your organisations naming standards, take a backup of the Discover home directory, e.g., x:\HCL Backup\Discover 12.1.0 and HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\WOW6432Node\Unica Discover

Remember

Remember to start all Discover services using the provided script once your backups are complete.

DOMDiff validation

Validate the message Welcome to DOMDiffPatch Page is seen when accessing the URL http://localhost:38005/DOMDiffServer/PatchDOMWithDiffs this is to ensure that the JAVA_HOME variable is set correctly and working.

Tip

For further validation of the JRE_HOME setting, execute from a Windows command prompt version.bat located in the \HCL Discover\ApacheTomcat\bin folder. The output should be similar to the screenshot below.

Upgrade Discover

Tip

If upgrading where Usability Snapshots have been used/taken, back-up the directory, <Install_Path>\Portal\WebApp\images\overstat\thumbnails\upgrade. Post step 15 below, restore the backed-up thumbnails folder to the path, <Install_Path>\Portal\WebApp\images\usability\. Reset IIS.
If upgrading where Data Export and / or Session Archiving jobs have been defined have been used/taken, back-up the file <Install_Path>\DataExtractor\ScheduleList.bin. Post step 15 below, restore the backed-up file to the same location.
If upgrading where Transport service's pipeline has been customised, back-up the files DiscoverCaptureSocket.cfg, DCMaint.cfg, and HBR_PipeLine-base.cfg all located under <Install_Path>\). Post step 15 below, restore the backed-up files to the same location.

Warning

Ensure all Discover services are stopped on this server before running through the upgrade steps

Run Stop Discover Services from the start menu or the shortcut you created.
Open Services.msc as Administrator, scroll down to the Discover services and ensure all of them are stopped, if not stop them now.

Upgrade Discover to 12.1.x following the steps highlighted in the article, https://help.hcltechsw.com/UnicaDiscover/12.1.0/en/DC/Post-UpgCleanup/post_upgrade_configurations.html
Right-click on 'DCSetup.exe' and select Run as Administrator to upgrade the Discover environment to 12.1.x. In some circumstances it may be required to unblock that file (right-click on 'DCSetup.exe', select 'Properties', click on the 'Unblock' button)

Note

Do NOT upgrade the SQL Reporting databases at this point (this step will be performed post-installation)
Update the password for the DCADMIN and DCUSER users in SQL Server. The password stored on or around line 34, exec sp_addlogin DCADMIN, XXXXX of the \DISK1\SOURCEFILES\SQL\DBCreateScripts\Create_***DC_SYSTEM***_DB.sql Discover 12.1.x installation file.
Copy the password (blurred for security).
Update the password in Microsoft SQL Server Management Studio utility on the SQL server for both DCADMIN and DCUSER. Right-click > Properties for each user.
Update the password for the DCADMIN and DCUSER users in Discover Reporting Configuration utility (Microsoft Windows application menu). The Enforce password policy highlighted above should be un-ticked.
Reset IIS using the iisreset command launched from a Microsoft Windows Command prompt with Administrator privileges.
With Administrator privileges and the SA SQL account, upgrade the Discover databases using the Discover Database Manager <Discover_Home_Folder>\Reporting\DiscoverDatabaseManager.exe, run with Administrator rights.
Once connected go to Mode -> Database Setup -> All databases
Ensure the action Upgrade is selected then select OK
The databases will then go then go through the install scripts automatically.
Once successfully compete you can exit the DiscoverDatabaseManager.exe
Start all Discover services using the provided script. At this point any issues with the DCUSER or DCADMIN credentials would result in error messages getting returned in the DCDataService logs (see below). Should errors appear, repeat the above steps.

Login failed?

"ERROR System.Data.SqlClient.SqlException (0x80131904): Cannot open database ""DC_SYSTEM"" requested by the login. The login failed. Login failed for user 'DCUSER'."
"ERROR System.Data.SqlClient.SqlException (0x80131904): Cannot open database ""DC_REPORTS"" requested by the login. The login failed. Login failed for user 'DCUSER'."
"ERROR System.Data.SqlClient.SqlException (0x80131904): Cannot open database ""DC_STATISTICS"" requested by the login. The login failed. Login failed for user 'DCUSER'."
- At this point validate the state of any errors shown in the Windows Event logs, these should be noted and addressed.
- Log-in to the Discover Portal, http://localhost/portal, the first login takes a long time due to the DMS trying to reach all Processing servers and timing out.
- Check the health of the Search Server at http://localhost:19000/
- Check the health of the Search Server at http://localhost:38000/
- Check the health of the DOMDIff Server at http://localhost:38005/DOMDiffServer/PatchDOMWithDiffs, again this is to ensure that the JAVA_HOME variable is set correctly and working.
- Confirm that the defined servers (depending on how many Processing servers were added during installation) appear on the 'Manage Servers' page.
- Confirm that the Master server appears on the DMS page in green.
Should the error below be seen,
Possible error
```
    Server Error in '/PortalAPI' Application
    Could not load file or assembly 'System.Web.Http, Version=4.0.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=``<SOME_ID>`` or one of its dependencies. The located assembly's manifest definition does not match the assembly reference</br></br>
```
backup to the following file, <Install_Path>\Portal\WebService\web.config and replace that file with the one from, <Install_Path>\ConfigurationFiles\PortalAPI\web.config.

Tip

Not an essential requirement, however you can reset Microsoft IIS using the iisreset command launched from a Microsoft Windows Command prompt . This should be done with Administrator privileges.

Additional validation

Check the DCDataService logs for the below error:

DataService Logs

Error: Could not retrive space used: Discover.Database.Exceptions.DiscoverDatabaseException: Error occurred while executing the query command: VIEW DATABASE STATE permission denied in database 'DC_SYSTEM'.

Error: Could not retrive space used: Discover.Database.Exceptions.DiscoverDatabaseException: Error occurred while executing the query command: VIEW DATABASE STATE permission denied in database 'DC_REPORTS'.

Error: Could not retrive space used: Discover.Database.Exceptions.DiscoverDatabaseException: Error occurred while executing the query command: VIEW DATABASE STATE permission denied in database 'DC_STATISTICS'.

2. Should the errors appear, execute the SQL statements below.

USE [DC_SYSTEM]
GO
GRANT VIEW DATABASE STATE TO "DCADMIN"
GRANT VIEW DATABASE STATE TO "DCUSER"
GO
USE [DC_STATISTICS]
GO
GRANT VIEW DATABASE STATE TO "DCADMIN"
GRANT VIEW DATABASE STATE TO "DCUSER"
GO
USE [DC_REPORTS]
GO
GRANT VIEW DATABASE STATE TO "DCADMIN"
GRANT VIEW DATABASE STATE TO "DCUSER"
GO

Using your organisations naming standards, take a backup of the Discover home directory, e.g., x:\HCL Backup\Discover 12.1.x HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\WOW6432Node\Unica Discover

Post installation

Update the following configuration files, <Discover_Home_Folder>\DiscoverCaptureSocket.cfg for statistics, and <Discover_Home_Folder>\System\ReplayServerProfile.xml for replay rules.
Update the Replay Server Global Options at http://localhost:38000/GlobalOptions?xsl=1, e.g., InsertMissingOrCachedPages = 1.

Optional Steps

For ease of access when working with the Discover server, add the following directory locations to the Windows Explorer Quick Access toolbar:

<HCL_Discover_Home_Directory>\
<HCL_Discover_Home_Directory>\Logs\
<HCL_Discover_Home_Directory>\Portal\WebApp\temp_chart\Logs\

Additionally, adding the following application shortcuts to the Windows Taskbar may be useful as they will be frequently used: