Setting up Archie-M

Introduction

This page relates to the new version 2.6 of Archie-M.

The installation and activation process has changed for 2.6. Archie-M now communications at activation and periodically thereafter with a cloud licence management server. There are various advantages to the new system. From customers point of view, the main one is that activation is now self service, rather than by email exchange of codes.

Pre-requisites

To complete installation and setup, the following must be true.

We have agreed the deployment method (standalone or networked).
You have received our delivery email (from support@obvis.com), containing the information required to activate the software.
Your firewall will permit ArchieM.exe to connect to secure.softwarekey.com over port 443 (HTTPS) or port 80 (HTTP) from every computer on which it will be run, or from the organisation proxy server if one is used.

If you have received our email but the deployment method stated is wrong, or you need to change deployment method, please contact us before you proceed.

Proxy Settings

If you need to use a proxy server on your network, note the following:

Archie 2.6.0 does not automatically use the Windows settings by default. When running for the first time, choose the Proxy Settings button on the Licensing dialog and check the 'Get Server From Windows Proxy Settings' checkbox. When checked the Proxy Server section should then be populated by the server.

Proxy settings are currently stored in the per-user section of the registry so will need to be setup for all users that will run Archie.

Outline of process

The sequence for installation and activation is as follows. Details for each step are given below.

Download the latest installer.
Run the installer, and select an installation type as agreed (standalone or network). For network installations, choose an option to suit your infrastructure (install on this server, or install to network storage).
For the network version only:
1. Follow the additional setup steps, to create and deploy the shortcut needed by users.
2. Set up network permissions to ensure that only licensed users are able to access and use the software.
Run the app as a user (for network installations, use the shortcut just created). If the app has not already been activated, you will see the licensing dialog with a message about no licence being found.
Update the Proxy Settings if needed (see above)
Activate using the licence ID and activation password provided.

Once activated, the software should run normally. If activation fails for any reason, follow the same process with the same licence ID to reactivate. Contact support@obvis.com if that doesn't work. If repeated activation is needed, there is probably a problem, again contact support@obvis.com.

Licence and installation type

There are various types of licence with different features. Every licence is either Network or Standalone.

In many cases we can change the installation type of your licence if your needs change. Contact us at sales@obvis.com to request a change or discuss.

You can confirm the installation type of your licence ID by checking the delivery email sent by us at purchase or last renewal. The email is sent from support@obvis.com.

Download

The latest download is available from the obvis.com website.

Note that you will not be able to run versions released after expiry of maintenance and support.

Installation

When you run the installer, you will be asked which type of installation you want. The installation must match the licence type. Check the licence type in our delivery email to establish the type of installation expected.

The options are:

If you have a Networked (or floating) licence, choose the Networked installation option that best suits your infrastructure.
- Select "Install on this computer for networked use" if you will share an installation folder on the machine you are running the installer on.
- Select "Install to a networked location for networked use" if you need to install to a shared folder on another system, for example on network storage infrastructure.
If you have a Standalone licence (sometimes called node locked, meaning that installations can only be run on the machine to which it is installed), choose the standalone installation type.

Note that networked installation does not require you to run a licence manager your network. Concurrent user control is achieved using "semaphore" files in a subfolder of the installation folder.

Additional steps for network installation

The following additional steps are needed for network installations only.

Set up sharing.
1. If the installation was to a local drive on the server, share the folder containing ArchieM.exe with a suitable name (eg "Archie-M"). The share should be restricted to users covered by the licence (eg to an office group), and should provide full control (see notes below).
2. If the installation was to a shared drive, check access permissions are restricted to those licensed to use the software and provide full control to that group.
Make a shortcut to ArchieM.exe in the shared drive, and distribute it to users.

Notes:

The installer will set filesystem permissions to ensure that this is only effective for the files and folder where it is needed (licence files and semaphore files for concurrent user control).

It is vital that all users use the exact same UNC path to run ArchieM.exe, as this path is coded into the activation. The best way to achieve

Activation

To activate, you will need a license ID and an activation password. These are sent in our delivery emails at purchase or renewal. Emails announcing availability of Archie-M 2.6.0 will also include these. All such emails are sent from support@obvis.com.

Run Archie-M. For network installations, be sure to run using the shortcut created in the previous step. You should see the licensing dialog.

Click "Activate". The activation dialog asks for a license ID and activation password. You can also provide some text to identify the installation; this will default to the machine name where the installer is being run.

All being well, the software will be activated.

Click OK to close the notification.

And click OK again to work with Archie-M.

While running the software, you can return to the activation dialog using the Help->Licensing menu item.