Installation

1. Software requirements

System

Minimum

- - Windows Server 2012 R2, Windows 7

Software

Depending on running mode, as a Windows service or under IIS control, additional software components are required.

- - .Net 8.x (or later) https://dotnet.microsoft.com/en-us/download/dotnet/8.0 Windows Service (Windows Service)
  - .NET Runtime 8.x IIS (Internet Information Services)
  - ASP.NET Core 8.x Hosting Bundle

Web browser

- - Google Chrome 80 or later
  - Firefox 72 or later
  - Opera 66 or later
  - Microsoft Edge 79 or later
  - Safari 13 or later
  - Internet Explorer - not supported

Browser needs to support JavaScript.

NOTE: By default, Firefox will not display resources from the localhost domain.

2. Quick Start

This section describes how to install and test run WLB from the command line

1. Unzip the Wizlink License Broker software files to a selected location on your hard drive.

2. Open the configuration file named appsettings.json in a text editor

3. Complete the following sections:

a. AuthorizedGroups – allows Windows users belonging to a specific group to log in to the license panel

b. Url – the IP address under which the service will be visible and which should be entered into Wizlink Designer and/or Runtime to allow the software to connect to the license server. By default http://0.0.0.0:5275

NOTE: For WLB to work properly, it may be necessary to enter the Windows firewall settings and open the port (by default 5275) for both incoming and outgoing traffic.

NOTE: To check which groups the currently logged in user belongs to, you can use e.g. the whoami /groups command in CMD.

NOTE: The BUILTIN\ prefix will be required for Local, for Domain users prefix might need to be omitted

4. Save the changes to the appsettings.json file

5. Launch Terminal, PowerShell or Command Prompt (CMD) and set the current path to the location of the WLB files.

6. Start the WLB server by running the WizlinkLicenseBroker.exe file

7. Log in to the management panel by entering the address http://localhost:5275/ in your web browser.

The WLB server was launched in the command line, which makes it easier to configure and test, but in a production environment it is recommended to run it under IIS or as a Windows service.

3. Windows Service

Creating a Windows Service

1. Copy the Wizlink License Broker files to the selected path (for example C:\WLB)

2. Run PowerShell with administrator privileges. Execute the PowerShell command – the command will create a Windows Service in the system:

New-Service -Name WLB -BinaryPathName "C:\WLB\WizlinkLicenseBroker.exe" -StartupType Automatic -Description "Wizlink License Broker"

Documentation of the New-Service command for PowerShell 7.2: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/powershell/module/microsoft.powershell.management/new-service?view=powershell-7.2

Starting the service

Run the Power Shell command - the command will start the Windows service:

Start-Service WLB

You can now log in to the Wizlink License Broker panel by entering the address http://localhost:5275/ in your web browser.

Removing the service

To remove the created service, first stop it using the Power Shell command

Stop-Service -Name "WLB"

And then remove it using the command

Remove-Service -Name "WLB"

4. IIS Manager (Internet Information Services)

Configuring Windows Features

To use the IIS Manager, first activate the service. To do this, go to Control Panel -> Programs -> Turn Windows Features On or Off and activate the IIS Management Console

• Internet Information Services -> Web Management Tools -> IIS Management Console

Enable Windows Authentication as well, if you want Wizlink License Broker to use it

• Internet Information Services -> Web Services -> Security -> Windows Authentication

For the Wizlink License Broker to work correctly, it is also necessary to enable the Websocket Protocol

• Internet Information Services -> WWW Services -> Application Development Features -> WebSocket Protocol

User pool access configuration

Make sure that the user pool can manage its source folders.

1. For example folder C:\WLB to which the Wizlink License Broker files were unpacked and the default IIS pool: DefaultAppPool go to its Properties -> Security, then press Edit
2. In the next window, press Add
3. In the next window, enter IIS AppPool\DefaultAppPool as the object name, press Check names and confirm the changes

4. Give the added DefaultAppPool group full control over the source folder and commit the changes

Creating an IIS service

1. Open the IIS Manager
2. In the left pane (‘Connections’) right-click on the server and select Add Web Site from the context menu

3. Complete the parameters of the site you are creating

For example:
Site Name: WLB_TEST
Application Pool: Select -> DefaultAppPools

Folder path from Wizlink License Broker: C:\WLB Association: (http / all unassigned / 90)

4. Make sure Windows Authentication is enabled for the site you created.

To enable authentication for the site you created, click on the site name in the left menu, select Authentication from the IIS group in the middle pane, and then make sure Windows Authentication is enabled.

5. Make sure that user profile loading is enabled for the application pool to which the Wizlink License Broker service is assigned.

To enable user profile loading for the application pool, click Application Pools in the left panel, click again on the appropriate application pool, and then select Advanced Settings from the right panel. In the Process Model group, set the Load User Profile setting to True.

To make changes, confirm with the OK button and restart the application pool.

6. You can now log in to the Wizlink License Broker panel by entering http://localhost:90/ in your web browser.