• Older Setup files and Version History

Introduction

AskiaVista is a Web application, which means that there are two sides:

• A client (user) side of the software is accessible from web. This user access does NOT require any installation. See client section below
• A server side holds the computing power. The server is an IIS-based web service. If you have never performed a web-service installation before, please contact your IT department or Askia staff to perform the installation.

Minimum requirements

 

I. Client (Browser)

Version 6.x of AskiaVista is compatible with the latest versions of Google Chrome, Safari, Firefox, Opera Next and Internet Explorer 10 and above.

Version 5.x of AskiaVista is compatible with Internet Explorer 6 or higher only. Please make sure your browser settings are optimal.

We also highly recommend a minimum screen real estate of 1280px width * 1024px height.

II. Server

The AskiaVista server is composed of two parts, which can be split depending on the architecture of your hosting centre and/or your load balancing needs (please refer to this article for more details on load balancing). 

1. The AskiaVista web-interface : This is the client-facing part. It is a series of front-end pages, hosted on Microsoft's Web-server: Internet information services (IIS).
2. The AskiaVista calculation engine: this is AVServer.exe, a process that will crunch the data into tables, render charts and do all the leg-work. It sits on the file-system of the host and is kept running by a Windows service.

Most AskiaVista servers will host both the web-interface and the calculation engine. In case of bigger loads, a typical load-balanced cluster will contain: 

• One customer-facing Windows server that will only be used for its web-server function. Only "Internet information services" will be installed.
• Other Windows servers (one or more) without IIS but with a lot of CPU/RAM power. It will host the server files contained in AVServer.exe.

Attention : the following section describes the minimum requirements on the host machine, assuming that it will be used to host the AskiaVista application only. Additional pre-requirements are also needed if the host machine is running other applications such as WebProd. Please refer to the corresponding pre-requirements sections in the AskiaField server installation page.

In case of a server application installation performed by Askia staff, the application will NOT be installed if one of these pre-requirements (or more) is not met for the host machine.

Before the installation: define user credentials that shall be used by AskiaVista
 

1. Define an SQL user (only for a fresh installation)
   AskiaVista writes in a SQL database. During the AskiaVista setup, it will attempt to create the 2 databases in which the application is later going to write data. Therefore, whichever SQL user is assigned to AskiaVista, this user must have "db_creator" rights on the SQL server during the installation process. It can then be removed for production.
   During production, "db_owner" is required on the 2 created databases.
   N.B. In the case of an installation performed by Askia staff, an "AskiaVista" SQL user will be created with enough rights to carry out the installation. Please contact Askia staff before the installation if a different user shall be used instead.
   
    
2. Define a Windows user (only if the calculation engine needs to be installed)
   AskiaVista is a Windows application (.exe) that will run on the server.
   Therefore, the Windows user that will run the application (or the service, if the application is set to run as a service) must have the read/write/modify permissions on the Askia installation path (usually C:\Askia\AskiaCtrl).
   In the case of an installation performed by Askia staff, the Windows login that is provided in order to log on to the server will be the one used to run the application. Please contact Askia staff before the installation if a different user shall be used instead.
   
   Beware: The SQL password set for the AskiaVista user must not contains XML forbidden characters: "&" or "<" or ">".
3. Define an Application pool user (only if the web-interface needs to be installed)
   AskiaVista's front end is an IIS application. Therefore, it will use an application pool, which will be run by a specific user.
   This user must have the read/write/modify permissions on the Askia installation path (usually C:\Program Files\Askia or C:\Program Files (x86)\Askia).In the case of an installation performed by Askia staff, IIS application pools will be created with default names, and "NETWORK SERVICE" will be the user of these application pools. Please contact Askia staff before the installation if a different pool or user shall be used instead.
   
    
4. Define a main AskiaVista interface user (only if the web-interface needs to be installed)
   When the installation is done, a login and password are required to login to the web interface as a super administrator.
   Please contact Askia staff after you completed the last step of this guide to reset the super administrator account for the first connection.
   In the case of an installation performed by Askia staff, the Askia representative will send you your initial administrator login and password, along with a notice to customize it.

Hardware and Software requirements
 

Recommendations

• Read our architecture document before installing
• Remote access for Askia technical support team
• SFTP Server

Run a new installation

The following section is extracted from the installation procedure document that can be found in any "ManualSetup" file from our AskiaVista download section https://installers.askia.com/helpdesk/?path=/Helpdesk/askiavista/.

IMPORTANT NOTES:

THIS PROCEDURE IS ONLY FOR A FRESH INSTALLATION
It requires local administrator privileges on the host server throughout the installation process. In most of the cases, right-click and select "Run As Administrator" to be sure to run the installation correctly.
It also requires a SQL access with db_creator during the installation.

I. Setting up the host

1. Make sure that all minimum physical requirements are met by the host server, as well as Feature and Software requirements.
2. Download the latest version of the setup: https://installers.askia.com/helpdesk/?path=/Helpdesk/askiavista (e.g. ManualSetup_AskiaVista_6.0.3.8_and_5.3.12.8.zip)
3. Check that the setup is unblocked
   
   
   Right-click on the setup file then click on "Properties".
   If there is a clickable button named "unblock" please click on it, before validating with "OK".
4. Extract the contents of the .zip file to an easily accessible directory on the server. You will need the various directories and files for the next/ following steps:

II. SQL SERVER DATABASE INSTALLATION (Applies only to a new cluster installation)

1. Open SQL Server Management Studio.
2. Create a database named "AskiaVista".
   1. Run the file "AskiaVista.sql" in the ManualSetup files under /Askia/AskiaCtrl/ (with SQL Management Studio, or another SQL engine).
   2. Select the "AskiaVista" database (from the "Available databases" drop-down) and run the script.
3. Create a database name "AskiaVistaReport"
   1. Run the file "AskiaVistaReport.sql" in the ManualSetup files under /Askia/AskiaCtrl/ (with SQL Management Studio, or another SQL engine).
   2. Select the "AskiaVistaReport" database and run the script.
4. In SQL Management Studio go to Security/Logins.
5. Right click and create a new login with the following details:
   • Login name: askiavista
   • SQL Server Authentication with password: askiavista
   • Uncheck "Enforce password policy" / "Enforce password expiration" and "User must change password at next login".
6. Right click on the login and select "Properties". Go into "User Mapping" tab
   • Select AskiaVista and AskiaVistaReport with db_owner role
   • Validate

III. SETUP WEB APPS (Applies only to AskiaVista's web-interface machines)

1. Copy and paste the folders from the ManualSetup files /wwwroot/ to the C:\Inetpub\wwwroot\ of your server (AskiaVista, AskiaVistaReader, AskiaVistaReader.Net4, AskiaVista6).
2. Set enough rights to the user IIS_IUSRS or to the user that will be associate with Application pools (full control).
• The user of the Application pool must be able to read / write / modify / execute in AskiaVista/ folder.
3. Open Internet Information Services Manager (IIS): 
   
4. Navigate to IIS' "Application Pool" view from the left-hand pane and add the following application pools (with a right-click) with the following basic settings:
   

   Name	.Net Framework version	Managed pipeline mode
   AskiaVistaPool	.Net Framework 2.0.50727	Classic (<= 6.0.3.12); Integrated (>= 6.0.3.13)
   AskiaVistaReaderPool	.Net Framework 2.0.50727	Classic
   AskiaVista6Pool	.Net Framework 4.0.30319	Integrated
   AskiaVistaReaderNet4Pool	.Net Framework 4.0.30319	Classic

   
5. Check the Application pool's "Identity" parameter. It should be "Network Service" by default.
   If not, Right-click on the application pools and select "Advanced settings". Change the "Identity" parameter to "Network Service" and click OK.
   
6. Navigate to the "Sites" view and convert all 4 projects to applications with their respective Application pool.
   
   
1. Right click on the project folder and select "Convert to application".         
2. Select the matching application pool from the ones that were just created and click OK.

The web interface of the Vista application is now set up.

IV. SETUP SERVICES (Applies only to calculation engine machines)

1. Copy the folder /Askia/ from ManualSetup files to C:\Askia\
    
2. Set enough permissions on the AskiaCtrl\ folder to the IIS_IUSRS user or to the user associated with the AskiaVista Application pool.
   The user (identity) of the Application pool must be able to read / write / modify at least.
   Example : in IIS, if "Network Service" is the identity that runs the application pools, make sure that it is listed in the Askia security properties and possesses read/right/modify permissions.
   
    
3. Under C:\Askia\AskiaCtrl\ run the VCRedist_x64.exe [Visual C++ 2013 =< 6.0.3.11; Visual C++ 2015 >= 6.0.3.12 ] (with Administrator privilege).
4. Under C:\Askia\AskiaCtrl\ run the AccessDatabaseEngine_x64.exe [Microsoft Access Database Engine] (with Administrator privilege).
5. Under C:\Askia\AskiaCtrl\ run APIRegister.bat [AskiaAPI.dll, AskiaVistaCtrl.dll, XlsGen.dll registration] (with Administrator privilege).
6. Under C:\Askia\AskiaCtrl\ run AskiaVista.reg (with Administrator privilege) -> Validate the message to update the database registry.
7. Under C:\Askia\AskiaCtrl\ run AskiaVistaConfigurator.exe (with Administrator privilege).
   1. Verify the path and URL in storage & links tab.
   2. Set the databases connection string under the database tab.
   3. Save the configuration (that should generate a file name Askia.config in the AskiaCtrl directory and update the database registry).
8. Under C:\Askia\AskiaCtrl\ run AskiaVistaManagerInstall.bat [Install windows service] (with Administrator privilege).

---------------

ATTENTION:
If you also have a CCA installation, you may want to go into the "CCA Servers" tab of the AskiaVistaConfigurator.exe tool, click the "New" button, and enter in your CCA Server Name and SQL Connection string that points to the "Surveys" database.

This populates the "[AskiaVista].[dbo].[AV_CCAServers]" table.

(The name is just for organization; the connection string is the important part.)

e.g.
Name:
CCA

Surveys Connection: 
Provider=SQLOLEDB;Data Source=####;Initial Catalog=Surveys;Trusted_Connection=no;User Id=####;Password=####;

---------------

 

V. VALIDATIONS

1. Click on Start > Administrative Tools > Services and start AskiaVista Manager service.
2. Open Internet Explorer and go to http://localhost/AskiaVista.
   • Connect with the credentials provided by the Askia representative.
   • Go to View / Admnistration mode / Configuration / Licence management and generate the licence key.
   • Contact Askia to receive a licence file.
   • Update the licence with the licence file.
3. Reconnect on AskiaVista and add the survey EX
   • The Survey structure generation will not works so close the popup window.
   • Go to Configuration / Services management and restart both AskiaVistaServer and AVTasksManager.
   • Go back to Surveys, right-click / Generate the survey structure of EX survey.
4. Test the survey
   • Go to View / Analyse mode and open the survey EX.
   • Try a cross-tab and try to export the result.
5. Test AskiaVista6
   1. Open a recent browser (IE 9+ / Safari / Chrome / Firefox).
   2. Go to http://localhost/AskiaVista6/.
   3. Enter the credentials you have been provided by the Askia representative.
   4. Open the EX survey.
   5. Run a cross-tab and export it.
6. Final touches
   1. We strongly recommend you change your password after connecting.

   2. Now that you are logged on, follow these steps to activate Askia Support:

      In the View menu select Administration Mode.
      Open the Configuration "accordion".
      Browse to System configuration and double-click Services management
      In the Misc tab:

      • Activate the Allow askiavista to automatically search for updates option.
      • Activate the Authorize Askia Support Team option.
      • Click the Search for updates.
   3. Create a couple of user credentials for your team's Vista administrators.

License activation (applies only to a new cluster installation)

• Open the Configuration "accordion".
• Browse to System configuration and double-click on Licence Management.
• In the Upgrade Licence tab, click Download the licence key.
• Save the .ZIP archive and send it to your local Askia office or directly to support@askia.com.

Updating AskiaVista v5 & v6

ATTENTION:
When updating to 6.0.3.8 or above, you may be required to install "ASP.NET MVC 4 for Visual Studio 2010 SP1 and Visual Web Developer 2010 SP1" in order for Vista6 to function properly.

You might receive a "Server Error in '/AskiaVista6' Application." error page when trying to load up http://localhost/askiavista6/ where it says something along the lines of: "Count not load file or assembly 'System.Web.Mvc..."

The ChangeLog of 6.0.3.8 reads as follows:
"+ Task #6912: Migrate the project from ASP.NET MVC 2 to MVC 4"

WARNING: This document concerns versions 5.3.1.x or higher!
I. Setup the host

1. Make sure that all minimum physical requirements are still met by the host server, as well as feature and software requirements.
2. Download the latest version of the update_ package: https://installers.askia.com/helpdesk/askiavista/v6/Update_AskiaVista_6.X.X.X.zip.
3. Check that the setup is unblocked.
   
   
   Right click on the setup file then click on "Properties".
   If there is a clickable button named "unblock" make sure to click on it, before validating with "OK".
4. Extract the zip file.

II. Stop the services

1. Stop AskiaVista
   From the Windows Services console, stop the AskiaVistaManager service.
2. Verify running processes
   From the Windows Task Manager console, verify that AskiaVistaServer is no longer running:
   
3. If AskiaVistaServer is still running, terminate the process.
4. For Vista6: Stop AskiaVista Application pools (IIS Manager).

III. Save a backup
 

1. Virtual
   If you are running AskiaVista in a virtual environment, take snapshots of the relevant VM.
2. Manual
   If you are running AskiaVista on traditional hardware server, backup the following items:
   \AskiaCtrl\
   \AskiaVista\ (see: footnote¹)
   Make BAK files of:
   1. AskiaVista DB (see: footnote²)
   2. AskiaVistaReport DB (see: footnote²)

IV. Update

1. Copy the content of the unzip folders into the original one (so you don't lose permissions on the folder).

Decompress the update_askiavista_5.3.x.x ZIP archive.
Unzip AskiaVista.zip's contents to the server's \AskiaVista\ web application folder.¹
Unzip AskiaCtrl.zip's contents to the server's \AskiaCtrl\ folder.

1. Copy the folder /Askia/ from ManualSetup files to C:\Askia\.
2. Under C:\Askia\AskiaCtrl\ run APIRegister.bat [AskiaAPI.dll, AskiaVistaCtrl.dll, XlsGen.dll registration] (with Administrator privilege).

V. Restart services

From the Windows Services console, start AskiaVistaManager service and start AskiaVista application pools.
Now log onto AskiaVista and check its core functions to ensure that all is running fine.

VI. (optional) Rollback

1. Virtual

Revert to the snapshot of the VM made in step II.1..

2. Manual

Use the backup files made in step II. 2. and put them back in place.

 

¹ When updating an AVS-only instance, you can skip this step, as the server will have no IIS and therefore no \AskiaVista\ web application folder; for more info on AVS-only instances, see the list of AskiaVista  architectures. 
² Please remember that regardless of whether you have a single-instance or a complex, multi-server architecture, AskiaVista platform, you will always have only one SQL instance back-ending your AskiaVista platform, i.e. you only have one AskiaVista DB and one AskiaVistaReport DB to backup.

Upgrade askiavista from v5 & v6 to v7

I. Setup the host

1. Make sure that all minimum physical requirements are still met by the host server, as well as Feature and Software requirements.
2. Install the latest Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributable dependencies : https:/learn.microsoft.com/en-us/cpp/windows/latest-supported-vc-redist
3. Download the latest version of the update_ package from: https://installers.askia.com/helpdesk/?path=/Helpdesk/askiavista
4. Check that the setup is unblocked. Right-click the setup file then click "Properties". If there is a clickable button named "unblock" make sure to click on it, before validating with "OK".

II. Stop the services

1. Stop askiavista
   From the Windows Services console, stop the AskiaVistaManager Service.
2. Verify running processes
   From the Windows Task Manager console, verify that AskiaVistaServer is no longer running.
   If AskiaVistaServer is still running, terminate the process.
3. Stop web apps
   Stop the 3 AskiaVista Application pools from IIS Manager(AskiaVistaPool, AskiaVista6Pool and AskiaVistaReader.Net4Pool)

III. Save a backup

1. Virtual: if you are running askiavista in a virtual environment, take snapshots of the relevant VM.
2. Manual: if you are running askiavista on traditional hardware server, backup the following items: \AskiaCtrl\, \askiavista\
   Make BAK files of:
   1. AskiaVista DB
   2. AskiaVistaReport DB

IV. Update

1. Extraction and installation of the AskiaCtrl files
   • Extract the contents of the "AskiaVista-###-###.zip" into its own folder (preferably the same name as the .zip)
   • Copy the entire "AskiaCtrl" folder and paste it over your existing AskiaCtrl directory on every AVS server - typically this is located in the following directory: C:\Askia\ or D:\Askia\

2. Removal of the outdated AskiaVistaReader AppPool and directory

   If you are running a version of Vista prior to version 6.XX, you likely have an old AskiaVistaReaderAppPool which is no longer used. If this directory & AppPool do not exist in your server(s), you can skip to the next step.

   • Open IIS and navigate to the Application Pools
   • Expand the Default Web Site on the left-side tree
   • Find the AskiaVistaReader application Right-Click Remove
   • Now navigate to the "Application Pools" section and find the "AskiaVistaReaderPool" Right-Click Remove
3. Renaming of the existing wwwroot directories and IIS AppPools
   • Open IIS and expand your Sites Default Web Site
   • Remove the three AskiaVista sites as applications (Right-click Remove) – repeat this process for the three existing AskiaVista, AskiaVista6, and AskiaVistaReader.Net4 applications.
   • Navigate to the "Application Pools" section and rename the existing AskiaVista application pools to the below:
     • AskiaVistaPool to AskiaVistaAdminPool
     • AskiaVista6Pool to AskiaVistaPool
     • AskiaVistaReader.Net4Pool to AskiaVistaReaderPool
   • Navigate to the “/inetpub/wwwroot/” directory on your server(s) and rename the following directories to the below:
     • AskiaVista to AskiaVistaAdmin
     • AskiaVista6 to AskiaVista
     • AskiaVistaReader.Net4 to AskiaVistaReader
4. Extraction and installation of the wwwroot files
   • Navigate inside of the wwwroot directory in the extracted .zip folder
   • Copy the three AskiaVista, AskiaVistaAdmin, and AskiaVistaReader folders and paste them into your \inetpub\wwwroot\ directory on every web frontend server

5. Converting the AskiaVista directories to Application

   Open IIS and navigate to the following tree location on the left-side pane: IIS Sites Default Web Site

   • Right-click on the three AskiaVista, AskiaVistaAdmin, and AskiaVistaReader directories and choose to "Convert to Application"
   • Make sure to choose the correct AppPool for the associated directory (i.e. AskiaVista is the AskiaVistaPool, AskiaVistaAdmin is the AskiaVistaAdminPool, and AskiaVistaReader is the AskiaVistaReaderPool)

6. Registering the latest .DLL files from AskiaCTRL folder

   Navigate to your Askia\AskiaCtrl\directory on each AVS server and run the APIRegister.bat as an Administrator. You should be presented with three separate confirmation prompts that show a successful .DLL registration. Click "OK" on the three prompts, then the command prompt window will exit automatically.

7. Configuration of the Askia.config file
1. Open the Askia.config file located in the AskiaCTRL folder in a text editor
2. Add the following item in ssoSettings

<item id="SSOKeyRedirectOnTimeout" v="0" />

3. Save the Askia.config file and run AskiaVistaConfigurator.exe as an Administrator
4. From the tab Storages & links :
• update AskiaVistaPath from \inetpub\wwwroot\AskiaVista\ to \inetpub\wwwroot\AskiaVistaAdmin\
• update Root of AskiaVista from https://[ServerName]/AskiaVista/ to https://[ServerName]/AskiaVistaAdmin/
• update Application URL from https://[ServerName]/AskiaVista/Authentificate.aspx to https://[ServerName]/AskiaVistaAdmin/Authentificate.aspx

8. URL Rewrite rules for new naming

   You should already find a web.config in your root directory, make sure following rules are in there:

    

   <system.webserver>
     <rewrite>
       <rules>
         <rule name="Root Hit Redirect" enabled="true" stopProcessing="true">
           <match url="^$" />
           <action type="Redirect" url="/AskiaVista/" />
         </rule>
         <rule name="Redirect AskiaVista6" stopProcessing="true">
           <match url="^AskiaVista6/(.*)" />
           <action type="Redirect" url="/AskiaVista/{R:1}" redirectType="Permanent" />
         </rule>
         <rule name="Redirect AskiaVistaReader" stopProcessing="true">
           <match url="^AskiaVistaReader.Net4/(.*)" />
           <action type="Redirect" url="/AskiaVistaReader/{R:1}" redirectType="Permanent" />
         </rule>
       </rules>
     </rewrite>
   </system.webServer>
         

   The registry key SurveyIdOn8Digit is added to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Peter Holmes\AskiaVistaServer\Setting. Its default value is 0 to read old format and 1 to take into account new format (ie SurveyId with 8 digits)

Older Setup files and Version History

• To access older Setup files, click here
• To access the AskiaVista Version History, click here