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This topic is for system administrators who plan to install PhixFlow. The pages in this topic describe . It describes how to install a new instance of PhixFlow.

Prerequisites

Before you start installing PhixFlow, please complete the steps in Planning your PhixFlow System. Your IT system must meet the PhixFlow PhixFlow Minimum system requirements. The instructions in this topic ensure that you have: 

  • installed a database server
  • configured a database instance or schema and the user or login credentials
  • installed a (Linux or Windows) server to act as the web-application (webapp) host.

Optionally, you can install a Linux or Windows server to act as the reverse proxy / HTTPS proxy

If you are setting up an installation of PhixFlow for evalution, or a platform for development or testing that requires minimal planning, you can go straight into the installation process below.

If you are installing a large and/ or long-running installation of PhixFlow, please complete the planning steps described in Planning your PhixFlow System and Infrastructure Planning and Delivery.

Summary Installation Instructions

Tha The pages in this topic guide you through a complete PhixFlow installation. A summary of the steps is:

Required or recommendedPage with detailsSummary
RequiredInstall Java

...

Download and install Java.
Required

Install Tomcat

...

Download and install the Apache Tomcat web-application (webapp) server.

...

to disable HTTP access.

Warning
titleTomcat on Linux

Do not run Tomcat as root on Linux as this constitutes a security risk.

...

Install Pound Reverse Proxy: We recommend that you use a reverse proxy to terminate the HTTPS session and to forward web requests using HTTP to the Tomcat server. 

Info
titleUsing default ports on Linux

If you want to make your web server visible on the default ports on Linux, http: 80, https: 443, we recommend using a reverse proxy.

In this configuration, the reverse proxy runs as root, which allows it to use privileged ports (up to 1000), and forwards requests to the web server which runs as a non-privileged user (normally 'tomcat'), on non-privileged ports (above 1000).

The instructions on this page assume you are setting up a Linux Ubuntu distribution. This solution requires that:

...

  • the proxy and Tomcat servers run on a private network or on the same server

  • and that the Tomcat server is not directly accessible to normal users

...

Recommended

Install reverse proxy and configure HTTPS:

Set up a reverse proxy to help manage the load on the PhixFlow server, offer secure connections over HTTPS, and help with certificate management for multiple instances of PhixFlow.


OptionalInstall LibreOfficeThis is only needed if you want to generate PDF versions of files to export or send via email (Configuring PDF Conversion)
RequiredUnpack PhixFlow Release Package

If you do not already have the PhixFlow package to install, you can download it from our support FTP site. Please

...

email support@phixflow.com.

Log on to the webapp host and unpack the release package.

RequiredInstall the PhixFlow Database Schema

...

Create a database user and tables. Populate the tables with initial configuration data and set the customer name.

...

 See also the details in Database URLs.

Optional

...

...

Enable server support for integrated user authentication.
RequiredInstall the PhixFlow Webapp

...

Copy the PhixFlow webapp from the unpacked release package into Tomcat and configure it.
RequiredConfigure a Keystore and Aliases

Create a keystore for the database credentials and their aliases. Configure the following files to use the keystore:

  • phixflow-datasource.xml
  • phixflow-secret.xml
  • an environment variable (recommended).
RequiredStart PhixFlow

...

and Configure

Check that the application is running by starting the client and logging in with the username startup and password: Startup.

...

After Installation

After Once PhixFlow is installed, there are system set-up and configuration tasks:

...

,

...

see 

...

...

Administration for details of the configuration steps required immediately after installation, as well as the ongoing configuration and maintenance tasks.