Aras Innovator 2023

Release
Installation Guide

Document #: D-008112
Last Modified: 12/8/2022
 Aras Innovator 2023 Release
Installation Guide

Copyright Information
Copyright © 2022 Aras Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

Aras Corporation
100 Brickstone Square
Suite 100
Andover, MA 01810

Phone: 978-806-9400
Fax: 978-794-9826

E-mail: [email protected]

Website: https://www.aras.com

Notice of Rights
Copyright © 2022 by Aras Corporation. This material may be distributed only subject to the terms and conditions set forth in the
Open Publication License, V1.0 or later (the latest version is presently available at http://www.opencontent.org/openpub/).
Distribution of substantively modified versions of this document is prohibited without the explicit permission of the copyright holder.

Distribution of the work or derivative of the work in any standard (paper) book form for commercial purposes is prohibited unless
prior permission is obtained from the copyright holder.

Aras Innovator, Aras, and the Aras Corp "A" logo are registered trademarks of Aras Corporation in the United States and other
countries.
All other trademarks referenced herein are the property of their respective owners.

Notice of Liability
The information contained in this document is distributed on an "As Is" basis, without warranty of any kind, express or implied,
including, but not limited to, the implied warranties of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose or a warranty of non-
infringement. Aras shall have no liability to any person or entity with respect to any loss or damage caused or alleged to be caused
directly or indirectly by the information contained in this document or by the software or hardware products described herein.

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Table of Contents
Send Us Your Comments ............................................................................................. 3
Document Conventions ................................................................................................ 4
1 Overview ................................................................................................................... 5
1.1 Getting Started ............................................................................................................................. 5

2 Prerequisites ............................................................................................................ 6
2.1 Minimum System Requirements .................................................................................................. 6
2.1.1 Client.............................................................................................................................. 6
2.1.2 Server ............................................................................................................................ 7
2.2 Obtaining a Framework License .................................................................................................. 8
2.2.1 Obtaining Your Server MAC Address............................................................................ 8
2.2.2 Requesting a Framework License ................................................................................. 9
2.2.3 Upgrading from Previous Versions ................................................................................ 9

3 Installing Aras Innovator ....................................................................................... 10

3.1 Client Browser Configuration ..................................................................................................... 10
3.2 Installing Aras Innovator Server ................................................................................................. 10
3.3 Run the InnovatorSetup.msi File ................................................................................................ 10
3.3.1 Welcome Page ............................................................................................................ 10
3.3.2 License Agreement...................................................................................................... 11
3.3.3 Prerequisites and Documentation ............................................................................... 12
3.3.4 Aras Innovator Destination Folder ............................................................................... 13
3.3.5 Setup Type .................................................................................................................. 14
3.3.6 Custom Setup .............................................................................................................. 15
3.3.7 License Configuration .................................................................................................. 16
3.3.8 Server Web Alias Setup .............................................................................................. 16
3.3.9 SMTP Setup ................................................................................................................ 18
3.3.10 Languages Configuration ............................................................................................ 19
3.3.11 OAuth Server Preferences .......................................................................................... 20
3.3.12 Vault Server Preferences ............................................................................................ 21
3.3.13 Agent Service Preferences (Optional) ......................................................................... 22
3.3.14 Conversion Server Preferences (Optional) ................................................................. 24
3.3.15 Configure Database..................................................................................................... 25
3.3.16 Begin the Installation ................................................................................................... 32
3.3.17 Installation Status ........................................................................................................ 33
3.3.18 Installation Completed ................................................................................................. 34

4 Logging into Aras Innovator ................................................................................. 35

5 Configuring Aras Innovator (Optional) ................................................................ 36
5.1 Time Zones ................................................................................................................................ 36

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5.1.1 Corporate Time Zone .................................................................................................. 36

5.1.2 Update Time Zone Data .............................................................................................. 37
5.2 DB Connection ........................................................................................................................... 38
5.3 Customizing/Tailoring User Interface ......................................................................................... 39
5.4 Enabling the Debugging of Methods .......................................................................................... 39
5.5 Installing the Reporting Service ................................................................................................. 39
5.6 Configuring Aras Innovator for Single Sign-On .......................................................................... 40
5.7 Configuring the Aras Innovator Service ..................................................................................... 40
5.8 Configuring Custom Installations ............................................................................................... 40
5.9 Installing Separate OAuth Server .............................................................................................. 42
5.10 Configuring Alternate Vault Installations .................................................................................... 45
5.11 Installing Separate Conversion Servers ..................................................................................... 47
5.11.1 Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributable Package ........................................................... 47
5.12 Installing the Agent Service........................................................................................................ 47
5.12.1 Installing the Agent Service as https ........................................................................... 52
5.13 Restarting the IIS Server After Configuration............................................................................. 54

6 Feature License...................................................................................................... 55
6.1 Requesting a Feature License ................................................................................................... 55
6.2 Installing the License .................................................................................................................. 56

7 Troubleshooting..................................................................................................... 57
7.1 HTTP Error 500.21 – Internal Server Error on Login ................................................................. 57
7.2 HTTP 401 – Unauthorized Error after Successful Login ............................................................ 57
7.3 HTTP Error 404.0 - Not Found ................................................................................................... 59
7.4 Main Grid not Painting Columns or Headers ............................................................................. 59
7.5 Cookie Error Loading Login Screen ........................................................................................... 60
7.6 HTTP Error 500.0 - Internal Server Error. Module "AspNetCoreModuleV2" could not be found
60
7.7 The page isn't redirecting properly ............................................................................................. 61

8 Database Users Configuration.............................................................................. 62

9 Running Installer Multiple Times .......................................................................... 63
9.1 Complete Install the First Time .................................................................................................. 63
9.2 Modify, Repair, or Remove ........................................................................................................ 63

10 Uninstalling Aras Innovator Server ............................................................. 65

10.1 Locating the Uninstaller.............................................................................................................. 65
10.2 Uninstalling ................................................................................................................................. 65

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Send Us Your Comments

Aras Corporation welcomes your comments and suggestions on the quality and usefulness of this
document. Your input is an important part of the information used for future revisions.
o Did you find any errors?

o Is the information clearly presented?

o Do you need more information? If so, where and what level of detail?

o Are the examples correct? Do you need more examples?

o What features did you like most?

If you find any errors or have any other suggestions for improvement, indicate the document title, and the
chapter, section, and page number (if available).

You can send comments to us in the following ways:

Email:
[email protected]
Subject: Aras Product Documentation
Or,

Postal service:
Aras Corporation
100 Brickstone Square
Suite 100
Andover, MA 01810
Attention: Aras Technical Documentation
If you would like a reply, provide your name, email address, address, and telephone number.

If you have usage issues with the software, visit https://www.aras.com/support/

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Installation Guide

Document Conventions
The following table highlights the document conventions used in the document:

Convention Description

This shows the names of menu items, dialog boxes, dialog

Bold box elements, and commands.
Example: Click OK.

Code examples appear in courier font. It may represent

Code
text you type or data you read.

Yellow highlight Code highlighted in yellow draws attention to the code that
is being indicated in the content.

Yellow highlight Red text highlighted in yellow indicates the code parameter
with red text that needs to be changed or replaced.

Italics Reference to other documents.

Note: Notes contain additional useful information.

Warning contains important information. Pay special

Warning attention to information highlighted this way.

Successive menu Successive menu choices may appear with a greater than
choices sign (-->) between the items that you will select
consecutively.
Example: Navigate to File --> Save --> OK.

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1 Overview
Aras Innovator is a Web-based system for providing control and distribution of product information
throughout the internal and extended enterprise and during the entire life cycle of a product. Aras
Innovator is more than typical document management – it links configuration management, workflow, and
dynamic tracking of product data.
By leveraging the infrastructure of the Internet, suppliers and customers can become more tightly
involved within a product life cycle, which directly improves process efficiency, speed, quality, and lowers
overall cost of business.
Aras Innovator is enterprise software that is 100% browser-based making it easy to use, learn and
administer. Aras Innovator is an open solution based on standard Internet protocols such as
HTTP/HTTPS, SOAP, and XML making integration with legacy applications straightforward and fast.

1.1 Getting Started

This document provides detailed instructions for the installation of a new Aras Innovator server instance.
The procedures described in this document are intended to allow a novice administrator to install Aras
Innovator. However, more general knowledge of system administration, databases, and high-level
programming (HTML, JavaScript, C#) is required to fully customize an Aras Innovator package with
required business rules.
The following is the sequence of steps to fully install and ready Aras Innovator for customization.
1. Verify System Prerequisites
2. Aras Innovator Server/Vault Server/OAuth Server/Agent Service Installation
3. Client Setup
4. Aras Innovator Server/Vault Server Uninstall

Note: The following installation and setup process assumes that the Aras Innovator Server instance, the
Web Server, the Vault Server, and the Aras Innovator Database are located on the same
machine. However, each of these components can be located on different machines if the host
and directory paths can be resolved over your network.

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2 Prerequisites
Aras Innovator requires several components for proper operation:
• Web Server
• Database Server
• File Server

2.1 Minimum System Requirements

The following is a list of Minimum System Requirements to install and operate Aras Innovator.

2.1.1 Client

Table 1: Platform

Component Platform Version

Operating System Windows 8.1

10
11

macOS 10.15 Catalina

Web Browser Edge

Mozilla Firefox 78 ESR

91 ESR

Chrome Chrome 103 (minimum)

Table 2: Configuration

System Requirement

Processor Speed 2.0 GHz

Free Disk Space 80.0 MB

Main Memory 2.0 GB

Monitor 1024x768 resolution with 16-bit color.

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2.1.2 Server

Note: Administrative privileges are required for each server component to be properly installed and/or
configured. You must restart Aras Innovator after you install the components listed in Table 4.

Table 3: Platform

Component Platform Version

Operating System Windows Server • 2012

• 2012 R2
• 2016
• 2019
• 2022

Web Server Internet Information Server • 8

(IIS)
• 10

.NET .NET • 4.7.2

ASP.NET Core and .NET • 6.0.6

Runtime and Hosting
Bundle

Relational Database Microsoft SQL Server • 2012

• 2014
• 2016
• 2017
• 2019

Microsoft Visual C++ • 2015

Redistributable
• 2017
• 2019

Report Server Microsoft SQL Server • 2012

(Optional)
• 2014
• 2016
• 2017
• 2019

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Table 4: Configuration

System Requirement

Processor Speed 2.0 GHz

Free Disk Space 1.0 GB

Main Memory Minimum 16 GB recommended 32 GB

Monitor 1024x768 resolution with 16-bit color.

Table 5: Network Configuration

System Requirement

Network Microsoft TCP/IP

Ethernet Network Adapter

File systems NTFS

2.2 Obtaining a Framework License

Aras Innovator software requires a special license key to run. The license key is unique to each server
running the Aras Innovator software. To obtain a license key, you must know the MAC address of your
server.
To automatically generate a License Key, visit the licensing page at https://www.aras.com/support/.

2.2.1 Obtaining Your Server MAC Address

The MAC Address (Physical Address) of the Aras Innovator server is required to generate a license key.
The MAC address has the following format: 00-50-04-2A-C1-E2. This machine id can be determined by
running the following command in a Command Prompt window:
C:\>ipconfig/all

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The command returns the machine’s configuration information, including the Physical Address (MAC
address) as below:

Figure 1.

2.2.2 Requesting a Framework License

Once you have obtained the MAC Address of your server, go to the licensing page on the Aras website to
automatically generate a License Key at https://www.aras.com/support/.
Alternately, a community member with an active subscription package can send an email to
[email protected] or to your account representative in the following format:
• Subject – Framework License needed
• Body
o MAC Address of the machine being installed on
o Release of Aras Innovator
You receive a reply containing the following information
• License Key generated
Be prepared, the Aras Innovator Setup Wizard requests this information, so have it ready.

2.2.3 Upgrading from Previous Versions

The Aras Innovator Installer cannot be used to upgrade your Aras Innovator code tree or database from
a previous release of Aras Innovator.
The database and code tree release must match.
If you wish to upgrade from a previous release of Aras Innovator, refer to the Aras Innovator 18 – Release
Notes to see what path to take or contact Aras at [email protected] to discuss your upgrade options.

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3 Installing Aras Innovator

3.1 Client Browser Configuration

The Aras Innovator 2023 Release - Installation Guide walks you through the steps needed to install Aras
Innovator and upon completion your IT System Administrators should review the relevant document for
client settings configuration.
• Aras Innovator 2023 Release - Client Settings for Chrome on Windows
• Aras Innovator 2023 Release - Client Settings for Edge on Windows
• Aras Innovator 2023 Release - Client Settings for Firefox on Windows
• Aras Innovator 2023 Release - Client Settings for Chrome on Mac
• Aras Innovator 2023 Release - Client Settings for Firefox on Mac
The client settings document walks you through the necessary steps to configure client PC machines to
run the Aras Innovator software. These documents can be found in the Documentation folder of the Aras
Innovator CD image.

3.2 Installing Aras Innovator Server

The Aras Innovator installation file may be obtained from the Aras Innovator CD Image. It is
recommended not to delete this copy of the MSI file when the installation is complete.

3.3 Run the InnovatorSetup.msi File

Double click on the file InnovatorSetup.msi to start the Aras Innovator Installer.

3.3.1 Welcome Page

Click Next to proceed or Cancel to exit setup.

Figure 2.

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3.3.2 License Agreement

Make sure that you read the license agreement carefully before agreeing and proceeding with the install.

Figure 3.
This screen allows you to print the license agreement using a rich text editor, such as Wordpad, by
clicking Print. The Next button remains disabled, until the I accept the terms in the license agreement
option is selected.
1. Click Next to proceed with the installation.
2. Click Back to return to the previous screen.
3. Click Cancel to exit setup.

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3.3.3 Prerequisites and Documentation

Ensure you have reviewed the Aras Innovator – Installation Guide and have all necessary components
installed and configured on the server.

Note: Before you do a complete installation of Aras Innovator 2023 Release, make sure that you have
installed all of the prerequisites otherwise you will not be able to configure an OAuth password for
OAuth certificates.

Figure 4.
• Select the following checkboxes:
o You have Administrator login access to the IIS server: You have administrative rights on the
computer you are installing to and have the IIS server installed and configured.
o SQL Server is installed, and you have a login with admin privileges:
▪ You have installed an MS SQL Server instance on the database server.
▪ You must have SQL Server Authentication enabled.
▪ You know the SQL Server login/passwords needed for installation.
o License Key issued from Aras
If you have not obtained a license key at this time, do so now.

Note: The Next button is enabled only after you select all three options.

If you do not have a license key, click the Request button associated with Request a License Key to
automatically go to the license request page at https://www.aras.com/support/. A license key will be
emailed to you. See section 2.2 Obtaining a Framework License.
Click Download to automatically go to the documentation page at https://www.aras.com/support/
• Click Next to proceed with installation.

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• Click Back to return to the previous screen.

• Click Cancel to exit setup.

3.3.4 Aras Innovator Destination Folder

This screen allows you to specify the directory to which Aras Innovator should be installed. The default
directory path is C:\Program Files (x86)\Aras\Innovator. But you can click Change… to select
a directory of your choice. This document assumes the default value.

Figure 5.
o Click Next to proceed with installation.
o Click Back to return to the previous screen.
o Click Cancel to exit setup.

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3.3.5 Setup Type

Specify either the Complete or Custom option for installation.

Figure 6.
• Complete: This option installs Aras Innovator with all the features. If you select this option, the
OAuth Server Setup screen will not appear, and you will not be able to create a custom OAuth
password. A random password will be automatically generated instead.
• Custom: This option allows you to select only the feature set necessary. By default, the Custom
option is selected. The default custom installation installs the Aras Innovator Server, Vault Server,
Database Server, and OAuth Server, but not the Conversion Server or Agent Service. Choosing
Custom enables you to configure a password for OAuth certificates.
o Click Next to proceed with installation.
o Click Back to return to the previous screen.
o Click Cancel to exit setup.

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3.3.6 Custom Setup

If you choose Custom Setup, the following dialog appears. If you choose Complete Setup Type, go to
section 0 License Configuration and follow that procedure.

Figure 7.
1. Choose the Aras Innovator features that you want to install on your system:
o Aras Innovator Server
o Vault Server
o Databases
o Conversion Server
o Agent Service
o OAuth Server
2. Select/deselect the services by clicking on the appropriate service.

Note: This document assumes a custom installation was chosen, excluding the Conversion Server and
Agent Service. It is assumed the Conversion Server and Agent Service will be installed on a
separate server from the Aras Innovator Server in a production instance. For more information,
refer to section 5 Configuring Aras Innovator (Optional).

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3.3.7 License Configuration

License Key: A Framework License key obtained from Aras Corporation. If you have not obtained a
license key at this time, do so now; refer to section 2.2 Obtaining a Framework License).

Figure 8.
o Click Next to proceed with installation.
o Click Back to return to the previous screen.
o Click Cancel to exit setup.

3.3.8 Server Web Alias Setup

Figure 9.
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Web alias - is used to create the virtual directory for the Aras Innovator Server and therefore to access
Aras Innovator. To access Aras Innovator, type a URL of the form:
http://<servername>/<web_alias>
For example, if you were to select the default Web Alias InnovatorServer, then access it as:
http://<servername>/InnovatorServer
where,
<servername> is the name or IP address of the server hosting Aras Innovator (if it is installed locally,
then you can refer to the server as localhost)

Note: It is recommended that you follow standard Web Alias restrictions when selecting a name. If you
are unsure what this means, restrict yourself to alphanumeric characters. It is also recommended
that the complete URL should not contain underscore characters, because it can interfere with
the loading of session cookies.

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3.3.9 SMTP Setup

This screen allows you to specify the SMTP server to be used within Aras Innovator to send emails on
lifecycle promotions, workflow tasks, etc.

Figure 10.
In the SMTP Server field, specify a direct URL to your SMTP Server. This allows Aras Innovator to send
email directly to your SMTP Server for immediate processing.
By default, the SMTP Server value is set to queue. You should update it to point to a valid SMTP server
on your network.
To configure additional settings such as deliveryMethod, SMTPServerPort, user, password, enableSsl,
pickupDirectoryLocation, specify them as attributes of Mail tag in InnovatorServerConfig.xml.
<Mail SMTPServer="..." deliveryMethod="..." SMTPServerPort="..." user="..."
password="..." enableSsl="true" pickupDirectoryLocation="..."/>

These settings are based on Microsoft mailing settings. For more information about smtp options see the
following link:

https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/dotnet/framework/configure-apps/file-schema/network/smtp-element-
network-settings

• Click Next to proceed with installation.

• Click Back to return to the previous screen.
• Click Cancel to exit setup.

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3.3.10 Languages Configuration

This screen allows you to choose what additional languages to install.

Figure 11.
• English – By default, the en-US locale is installed with the English language.
• Japanese – Selecting this option installs the ja-JP locale with the Japanese language.
• German – Selecting this option installs the ger-deu locale with the English language.
• French – Selecting this option installs the fr-fre locale with the French language.
o Click Next to proceed with installation.
o Click Back to return to the previous screen.
o Click Cancel to exit setup.

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3.3.11 OAuth Server Preferences

When you select the OAuth Server, the following screen appears prompting you to specify the Password
for OAuth Certificates.

Note: Before you do a complete installation of Aras Innovator 2023 Release, make sure that you have
installed all of the prerequisites otherwise you will not be able to configure an OAuth password for
OAuth certificates.

Figure 12.
• Password for OAuth Certificates – Enter the password to protect the private keys of certificates.
The password can only contain alphanumerical symbols (a-z, A-Z, 0-9) and any of the standard
printable ASCII characters (:_#$%&<> and others). The password cannot contain spaces. Click Next.

Note: The OAuth server is a requirement. If you try to login without first installing the OAuth server, the
following error appears:

Cannot access OAuth server due to incorrect Discovery configuration

You can install the OAuth server separately. For information about this procedure, refer to section
5.9 Installing Separate OAuth Server.

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3.3.12 Vault Server Preferences

This screen enables you to specify the Vault Name, the Application Server URL, and the local path for
files for the Vault Server which is used with the Aras Innovator Server.

Figure 13.
• Vault Name - The Vault instance to be installed. All new instances of Aras Innovator must contain
one vault named ‘Default’. Alternate or additional vaults may be configured separately after the initial
installation.
• Application Server URL - Since Vault Server is not a standalone application and is useful only along
with the Aras Innovator Server, this field allows you to specify the Application Server URL for the
instance of Aras Innovator you are going to use with this Vault Server. The Application Server URL is
of the following format:
http://<servername>/<web_alias>/Server/InnovatorServer.aspx

where:

<servername> is the name of the server where the Aras Innovator Server is running. For example,
if it is running on the local machine, the server is localhost
<web_alias> is the name of the Aras Innovator Server Virtual Directory and consequently the name
that is used to access the Aras Innovator Server. This is the same Web Alias that you specified
earlier in section 3.3.8 Server Web Alias Setup.
A best practice is for a standard install is
http://localhost/$[HTTP_PATH_SERVER]/Server/innovatorserver.aspx

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• Local Path for Files - the full local path to the directory on this machine where you would like the
files to be stored. This folder should be in a location where there is sufficient disk space to
accommodate the files you expect users to check into the system and should also be in a location
where the files will not be deleted by processes other than the Vault Server, as these files are being
managed by Aras Innovator.
o A best practice to select a folder with a known label that will not be deleted in a location with
adequate disk space.
o The installer defaults to the local drive with the most available disk space and recommend the
\Aras\Vault folder. (Example: C:\Aras\Vault)
o Click Next to proceed with installation.
o Click Back to return to the previous screen.
o Click Cancel to exit setup.

3.3.13 Agent Service Preferences (Optional)

This tier of the installation is disabled by default. It is necessary to install the Agent Service if you plan to
use Vault Replication or the Conversion Server.
If you are not installing the Agent Service at the same time as the Aras Innovator Server, skip to section
3.3.15 Configure Database. For more information on installing the Agent Service after the installation of
Aras Innovator Server, refer to section 5.12 Installing the Agent Service.
When you select the Agent Service the following screen appears. Enter the host name, port, and alias for
the Agent Service as shown in Figure 14.

Figure 14.
o Specify the host name and port number as follows:
<ServerName>:<PortNumber>.

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Note: The Agent Service can only be installed on a free port.

o Specify the Agent Service alias. The Agent Service alias is a unique identifier for the Windows
service name. The full name is ArasInnovatorAgent_<Alias>, the displayed name is Aras
Innovator Agent (<Alias>).
• Click Next to proceed with installation.
• Click Back to return to the previous screen.
• Click Cancel to exit setup.

Figure 15.
• Application Server URL - since the Agent Service is not a standalone application and is useful only
along with the Aras Innovator Server, this field allows you to specify the Application Server URL for
the instance of Aras Innovator you are going to use with this Agent Service. The Application Server
URL uses the following format:
http://<servername>/<web_alias>/Server/InnovatorServer.aspx
Where:
o <servername> is the name of the server where the Aras Innovator Server is running. For
example, if it is running on the local machine, this is localhost
o <web_alias> is the name of the Aras Innovator Server Virtual Directory. This is the same Web
Alias as specified in the section 3.3.8 Server Web Alias Setup
• Click Next to proceed with installation.
• Click Back to return to the previous screen.
• Click Cancel to exit setup.

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3.3.14 Conversion Server Preferences (Optional)

This tier of the installation is disabled by default as Conversion Servers are typically installed on a
separate server in production. For more information, refer to section 5.11 Installing Separate Conversion
Server.
If you are not installing a Conversion Server on the same Server as the Aras Innovator Server, skip to
section 3.3.15 Configure Database.
This screen allows you to specify the Conversion Server Name and the Application Server URL for the
Aras Innovator Server.

Figure 16.
• Conversion Server Name - The Conversion Server instance to be installed. If the Aras Innovator
Server is being installed as well, this field is disabled.
This is the name of the application installed in IIS. Additional Conversion Servers may be configured
separately after the initial installation.
• Application Server URL - since Conversion Server is not a standalone application and is useful only
along with the Aras Innovator Server, this field allows you to specify the Application Server URL for
the instance of Aras Innovator you are going to use with this Conversion Server. The Application
Server URL is of the following format:
http://<servername>/<web_alias>/Server/InnovatorServer.aspx
Where:
o <servername> is the name of the server where the Aras Innovator Server is running. For
example, if running on the local machine, this is localhost
o <web_alias> is the name of the Aras Innovator Server Virtual Directory. This is the same Web
Alias as specified in the section 3.3.8 Server Web Alias Setup.
• Click Next to proceed with installation.

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3.3.15 Configure Database

This screen allows you to set up one or more Aras Innovator databases. You must have SQL Server
Authentication enabled on your Microsoft SQL Server instance to install and run Aras Innovator.

Figure 17.
• Database Server – This refers to the SQL Server instance you wish to install to. By default, this is
set to the first available SQL Server instance on the local machine but can be set to any valid SQL
Server Registration instance. To set this value, simply key in the name of a known instance or select
‘Browse…’ to see what SQL Server registrations the installer recognizes as available.
• Configuration Options – This is the method by which you choose to install the Aras Innovator
database. Each option is explained separately in the following sub-sections.
Create a new database
Populate an existing database
Use an existing database
Configure only (no validations)
Note: The Next button is enabled only after you complete the database installation and configuration.
You must configure at least one database before proceeding with the installation.

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3.3.15.1 Create a new database

This option is used to create a new database. This is the most common configuration for new
installations of Aras Innovator.

Figure 18.
• DBA Login Options – In order to install a database, we must first connect to the database server.
There are two methods of establishing a connection to the database server.
Windows Authentication – Connect to SQL server as the current logged in user.
SQL Server Authentication – Connect as the SQL Server Administrator
o Login ID – the login of the DBA with permissions to create new databases. Check with your
system’s DBA what this parameter should be.
o Password – the password for the login used to create the database. Again, check with your
system’s DBA what this parameter should be.
You need to click ‘Connect…’ once the login details are provided. This allows the installer to confirm
connection to the SQL Server instance before proceeding further.

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• Database Login Options – Create a new database also creates the Aras Innovator database user
and the SQL Server login defined in this section of the Configure Database screen with privileges as
a database owner of the database created. The Aras Innovator database user will be associated with
the SQL server login defined in the “DB owner login field.” The Aras Innovator database user must be
the database owner in MS SQL Server and does NOT use the SA login to log into the database.
(See also section 8 Database Owner Configuration)
o DB owner login - This is the login that is used by the innovator database user. The installer
maps this login to the innovator database user after the innovator database user is created. The
installer creates the innovator database user with rights as a database owner. This user has
elevated permissions for certain security-related functions. Do not use the SA login.
o The Create a new database option creates the innovator_regular database user with regular
(limited) privileges. The innovator_regular database user is associated with the SQL server login
defined in the “DB client login” field. The innovator_regular database user does NOT use the SA
login.
o DB client login - This is the login that is used by the innovator_regular database user. The
installer maps this login to the innovator_regular database user after the innovator_regular
database user is created. This user has limited (regular) permissions for security reasons.
By default, all regular database requests from Aras Innovator are executed on behalf of the
innovator_regular database user. Do not use the SA login. Do not use the DB owner login
that you used previously.
o Password - You need to specify the passwords for the corresponding DB owner and DB client
logins.
• Database Options – The name and type of database to be installed.
o Database Template - Select either Innovator Solutions or Innovator Core as the template to be
used for the creation of the new database. The Innovator Core database contains only the core
data structures of Aras Innovator. The Innovator Solutions database includes the core
components plus additional data elements for the Program Management and Product
Engineering solutions.
o Database Name - Specify the name you wish your new Aras Innovator SQL Server database to
be called or accept the default name provided.
When all fields are complete, click Configure Database to install the database.

Note: The Next button is enabled only after you complete the database installation and configuration.
Once you have installed a database, you may change the database configuration options and
install again, or you can select Next to proceed with the installation. You must configure at least
one database before proceeding with the installation.

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3.3.15.2 Populate an existing database

This option is used to populate an existing empty database with the required data and to add this data
base to the Aras Innovator configuration file to be used with this installation of Aras Innovator. You must
know the user logins mapped to both the innovator database user and the innovator_regular database
user. Two logins for two users are required to use this option.

Figure 19.
• Database Login Options – DB owner login is associated with the innovator database user and
must be the database owner in MS SQL Server but does NOT use the super admin (SA) login to log
into the database. DB client login is the login associated with the innovator_regular database user
(do NOT use either the SA login or the DB owner login). See also section 8 Database Owner
Configuration.
o DB owner login - This is the login that is used by the innovator database user. This user has
elevated permissions for certain security-related functions.
o DB client login - This is the login that is used by the innovator_regular database user. This user
should NOT be the database owner. Do not use the SA login. Do not use the DB owner login
that you used previously.

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Note: Do not use the SA login.

o Password - You need to specify the passwords for the corresponding DB owner and DB client
logins.
You need to click Connect… once the login options have been filled out. This allows the
installer to confirm connection to the SQL Server instance before proceeding.
• Database Options – The name and type of database to be installed.
o Database Template - Select either Innovator Solutions or Innovator Core as the template to be
used for the creation of the new database. The Innovator Core database contains only the core
data structures of Aras Innovator. The Innovator Solutions database includes the core
components plus additional data elements for the Program Management, Product Engineering
and Quality Planning solutions.
o Database Name - Specify the name of the database you are installing to. This value may be
keyed in or click Browse… to see what SQL Server registrations the installer recognizes as
available.
When all fields are complete, click Configure Database to install the database.

Note: The Next button is enabled only after you complete the database installation and configuration.
Once you have installed a database, you may change the database configuration options and
install again, or you can select Next to proceed with the installation. You must configure at least
one database before proceeding.

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3.3.15.3 Use an existing database

This option is meant to add an existing Aras Innovator database to the configuration file used with the
newly installed Aras Innovator. The database must be compliant with the version of Aras Innovator being
installed; meaning that the data it is populated with must be compliant with the current version of Aras
Innovator. Also, you must know the user login mapped to the innovator database user and the SQL
server login mapped to the innovator_regular database user.

Figure 20.
• Database Login Options – This is the DB owner login associated with the innovator database user
and must be the database owner in MS SQL Server but does NOT use the SA login to log into the
database. The DB client login is associated with the innovator_regular database user (do NOT use
either the SA or the DB owner login). See section 8 Database Owner Configuration.
o DB owner login - This is the login that is used by the innovator database user. This user has
elevated permissions for certain security-related functions.
o DB client login - This is the login that is used by the innovator_regular database user. This user
has limited (regular) permissions for security reasons. Do not use the SA login. Do not use the
DB owner login that you used previously.
o Password - You need to specify the passwords for the corresponding DB owner and DB client
logins.

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• Database Options – The name and type of database to be installed.

o Database Name - Specify the name of the database you are installing to. This value may be
keyed in or click Browse… to see what SQL Server registrations the installer recognizes as
available.
When all fields are complete, click Configure Database to install the database.

Note: The Next button is enabled only after you complete the database installation and configuration.
Once you have installed a database, you may change the database configuration options and
install again, or you can select Next to proceed with the installation. You must configure at least
one database before proceeding.

3.3.15.4 Configure only (no validations)

This option is meant to add an existing Aras Innovator database to the configuration file used with the
newly installed Aras Innovator. The database must be compliant with the version of Aras Innovator being
installed; meaning that the data it is populated with must be compliant with the current version of Aras
Innovator. Also, you must know the user login mapped to the innovator database user as well as the SQL
server login mapped to the innovator_regular database user. The difference between this option and Use
an existing database option is that the login does not validate the login credentials against the database.
This option is mainly provided for development purposes.

Figure 21.
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• DB owner login – This is the login associated with the innovator database user and must be the
database owner in MS SQL Server but does NOT use the SA login to log into the database. The DB
Client login is the login associated with the innovator_regular user (do NOT use the SA login). See
also section 8 Database Owner Configuration.
o DB owner login - This is the login that is used by the innovator database user. This user has
elevated permissions for certain security-related functions.
o DB client login - This is the login that is used by the innovator_regular database user. The user
has limited (regular) permissions for security reasons.

Note: Do not use the SA login.

o Password - You need to specify the passwords for the corresponding DB owner and DB client
logins.
• Database Options – The name and type of the database to be installed.
o Database Name - Specify the name of the database you are installing to. This value may be
keyed in or select Browse… to see what SQL Server registrations the installer recognizes as
available.
When all fields are complete, click Configure Database to install the database.

Note: The Next button is enabled only after you complete the database installation and configuration.
Once you have installed a database, you may change the database configuration options and
install again, or you can select Next to proceed with the installation. You must configure at least
one database before proceeding.

3.3.16 Begin the Installation

This screen is displayed next, whether you chose Custom or Complete Install. Click Install to start the
installation of the features.

Figure 22.

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Warning You no longer can make any changes once you click Install.

If User Access Control (UAC) is enabled on the Server, you are prompted to grant higher permissions.
Click Yes.

Figure 23.
• Click Back to return to the previous screen.
• Click Cancel to exit setup.

3.3.17 Installation Status

This screen shows the installation status.

Click Cancel to exit setup.

Figure 24.

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3.3.18 Installation Completed

Figure 25 shows the last installation wizard screen.

Figure 25.
The Go buttons open up a web browser to the Aras web page.
https://www.aras.com/support/ – Location for downloads, documentation, and other Aras Innovator
support information.
http://www.aras.com/community – Location of forums and blogs relating to usage, best practices, and
overall enhancement of the Aras Innovator experience.
Click Finish to complete the installation process and close the installer.

Note: Make sure not to delete your installer from your hard drive when you are done with an
installation. You must reuse the same installer to install other instances of Aras Innovator or its
components.

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4 Logging into Aras Innovator

Aras Innovator uses a Web Browser as the container for its administration and end-user interface. Refer
to the relevant document for client settings configuration.
o Aras Innovator 2023 Release – Client Settings for Chrome on Windows
o Aras Innovator 2023 Release – Client Settings for Edge on Windows
o Aras Innovator 2023 Release – Client Settings for Firefox on Windows
o Aras Innovator 2023 Release – Client Settings for Chrome on Mac
o Aras Innovator 2023 Release – Client Settings for Firefox on Mac
A user with ‘administrator’ rights typically performs customization of Aras Innovator. Initial setup of Aras
Innovator determines the ‘admin’ user name logon. By default, the user ‘admin’ has a logon password of
‘innovator’.
To log on as administrator
1. Open a browser and point your web browser at Error! Hyperlink reference not valid.>

Note: The complete login URL is determined by the Web Server virtual directory name setup. (e.g.,
http://myserver/InnovatorServer).

2. Enter the default login information.

a. Enter the default administrator’s designated username and password (username ‘admin’,
password ‘innovator’).
b. Select the correct database from the drop-down menu. This is the database you named in
the ‘InnovatorServerConfig.xml’
3. Click Login.

Note: Anyone can log in with administrative accesses with this default user. While this is acceptable in
a development environment, it is recommended that you set up a new account for production
databases with administrative privileges and disable this login.

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5 Configuring Aras Innovator (Optional)

Aras Innovator uses a configuration file to manage licensing and server information that is required to
successfully start, locate, and connect to active components in its operation. You can customize and
configure various aspects as per your requirements.

5.1 Time Zones

Aras Innovator supports Corporate Time Zone.

5.1.1 Corporate Time Zone

If your users access Aras Innovator from multiple time zones, you should configure Aras Innovator to
have one corporate time zone that the Innovator Server can reference. This time zone is used for
calculating things like when Project Activities become active.
Setting the Corporate Time Zone should be done before users begin to work with the system in
production. If it is done after users have begun to use the system, you must get all users to log out of the
system before enabling the Corporate Time Zone.
To set the Corporate Time Zone, use the following steps:
1. Log into Aras Innovator as an administrator.
2. From the TOC, select Administration --> Variables.
3. From the main toolbar, select Create a New Item.

Figure 26.
4. Set the Name = CorporateTimeZone
5. Set the Value according to the registry key name of the required time zone.
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Time
Zones
6. Set the Default Value to the value which the variable should default to if the Value field is empty.

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7. Save, Unclaim, and Close the Variable Item.

8. Log out of Aras Innovator.
9. Restart the World Wide Web Publishing service on the server running the Innovator Server tier of
Aras Innovator.
The result is shown in the main Aras Innovator window. Aras Innovator displays only one time:

5.1.2 Update Time Zone Data

With the periodic changes to Time Zone information as well as Daylight Savings it is necessary that the
time zone data within Aras Innovator be updated. Similar to Windows Updates, this new information
needs to be loaded into your system.
To update the time zone data for your instance, use the following steps:
1. Log into Aras Innovator as an administrator.

2. From the TOC, either click the search icon that appears when you hover over Actions or
select Administration>Actions>Search Actions:

Figure 27.
The Search Grid appears.

Figure 28.
3. Select Actions>UpdateTimeZoneInfo from the toolbar.
This saves the tzupdate.xml to your Working Directory.
4. Once the file is finished downloading, a File Dialog appears. Select the tzupdate.xml file that is
downloaded.
5. Click OK when the update has completed.

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5.2 DB Connection
This section provides the fundamental data enabling the Aras Innovator server to connect to the Aras
Innovator database. Use this section to manually create custom connections to existing databases.

Table 6: Definitions of DB variables

Variable Definition

id Any alphanumeric name to be used to identify the database when using

Innovator.

database The name of the Aras Innovator database in SQL Server

server The name of the server where the database is installed.

dbo_uid The username to connect to the “Aras Innovator” database user.

dbo_pwd The password to connect to the “Aras Innovator” database user.

regular_uid The username to connect to the “innovator_regular” database user.

regular_pwd The password to connect to the “innovator_regular” database user.

The following is an example of a properly formatted DB Connection section of the

InnovatorServerConfig.xml.
Microsoft SQL Server database

<DB-Connection
id="Innovator"
database="InnovatorSolutions"
server="localhost"
regular_uid="innovator_regular" regular_pwd="innovator_regular"
dbo_uid="innovator"
dbo_pwd="innovator" />

Edit the InnovatorServerConfig.xml file located in root of the install directory.

C:\Program Files\Aras\Innovator
1. Id = Innovator → Name you wish to appear in the drop-down list when accessing Innovator. If the
id attribute is not present in the entry, then database name is used to identify the database when
using Innovator. Select this name carefully, as it is also the name of the folder you vault files are
stored in.
2. database = InnovatorSolutions→ name of the database you are connecting to.
3. server = Localhost → the name of the SQL Server instance where the database is installed.
4. regular_uid = innovator_regular→the login to connect to the innovator_regular database user.
5. regular_pwd = innovator_regular→the password to connect to the innovator_regular database
user.
6. dbo_uid = innovator → the login to connect to the innovator database user.

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7. dbo_pwd = innovator → the password to connect to the innovator database user.

5.3 Customizing/Tailoring User Interface

If desired, edit the UI Tailoring section of the ‘InnovatorServerConfig.xml’. This section of the
InnovatorServerConfig.xml file allows the customer to modify the product name.

Table 7: UI Tailoring variable definition

Variable Definition

product_name The title to be used on the main Innovator window title bar

The following is an example of a properly formatted UI Tailoring section of the InnovatorServerConfig.xml

file.
<UI-Tailoring product_name="Aras Innovator" />

5.4 Enabling the Debugging of Methods

Aras Innovator Methods are compiled before execution. The default behavior of Aras Innovator is not to
generate these methods temporary files. If this setting is enabled, these files are stored in the file system
in the \Innovator\Server\dll folder of the installation. Because the files are generated at runtime, the DLL
files generated in this folder do not list the Aras Corporation company name or the Aras Innovator product
name in file properties. Further, the DLL files generated in this folder at runtime do not have a digital
signature.
To enable the generation of these files in the file system, you need to add the following tag to the
InnovatorServerConfig.xml, found in the root of your installation folder.
<Innovator>
<UI-Tailoring login_logo="...
<IEClient RequiredSyncMode5="Never"/>
<operating_parameter key="DebugServerMethod" value="true" />
<operating_parameter key="debug_log_flag" value="false" />
To disable the use of this folder again, you simply need to change the value to false.
<Innovator>
<UI-Tailoring login_logo="...
<IEClient RequiredSyncMode5="Never" />
<operating_parameter key="DebugServerMethod" value="false" />
<operating_parameter key="debug_log_flag" value="false" />
Disabling the use of this folder has no negative effect on a production system.

5.5 Installing the Reporting Service

Aras Innovator uses integration with the Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Service. This service must be
installed and configured to run Aras Innovator reports. Refer to the Aras Innovator - Microsoft Reporting
Services Guide for details on installing and configuring the service. This document can be found at
https://www.aras.com/support/ or in the Documentation folder of the Aras Innovator CD Image.

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5.6 Configuring Aras Innovator for Single Sign-On

The Aras Innovator Single Sign-On feature provides a mechanism for customers to take advantage of
their existing user authentication scheme so that an Innovator login can be processed without the user
entering an Innovator specific password. This new feature has been architected so that it can be easily
configured to adapt to an Active Directory environment or, if the customer has another user authentication
scheme, hooks have been included to integrate a non-standard method.
Refer to the Aras Innovator 2023 Release – Windows Authentication document. This document can be
found in the Documentation folder of the CD Image and outlines configuring your Aras Innovator
installation for user authentication.

5.7 Configuring the Aras Innovator Service

The Aras Innovator Service is a Windows executable program that runs as a Windows Service. It is used
to automatically run Aras Innovator Methods on a periodic schedule, as specified in the
InnovatorServiceConfig.xml file. A single running instance of the Aras Innovator Service can be
configured to periodically connect to any number of Aras Innovator Servers and for each Aras Innovator
Server run any number of Methods. The standard Windows Event Viewer is used for logging of program
status and error messages.
Refer to the Aras Innovator 2023 Release - Service Instructions document for information on configuring
your Aras Innovator installation to use this service. This document can be found in the Documentation
folder of the CD Image.

5.8 Configuring Custom Installations

Note: This section assumes a custom installation was chosen, excluding the Conversion Server and
Agent Service. It is assumed the Conversion Server and Agent Service are installed on a
separate server from the Aras Innovator Server in a production instance.

When using the custom install option certain files must be configured to allow Aras Innovator components
to work together.
The Aras Innovator Server must know where the database is installed. For the system where Aras
Innovator Server is installed, follow the steps outlined in section 0 DB Connection.
The Database must point to the designated vault location. Use the following procedure to set up the vault:
1. Log in as administrator.

2. From the TOC, either click the search icon that appears when you hover over Vaults to
access the Search grid or select Administration>File Handling>Vaults. The following menu
appears:

Figure 29.

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3. Click Search Vaults. The Search grid appears.

4. Click . The Default vault appears in the Search grid.

5. Double-click Default to view the dialog box:

Figure 30.
The following information appears in the fields:
a. Name: default (we are configuring the Default vault server)
b. Vault Url Pattern: this is the IIS path to the VaultServer.aspx. By default, this path should
be:
$[HTTP_PREFIX_SERVER]$[HTTP_HOST_SERVER]$[HTTP_PORT_SERVER]$[HTTP_PA
TH_SERVER]/vault/vaultserver.aspx

Note: If the Vault Sever is installed on a separate machine than the Innovator Server, then
the web alias may need to be hard coded:
http://<servername>/<web_alias>/vault/VaultServer.aspx

c. Vault Url – This field is updated automatically after the vault information is saved.

6. Click the Add Identities icon on the Replication Rule tab to specify who can create
replication rules for the vault.

7. Click the Add Conversion Servers icon on the Conversion Server Priority tab to add
another conversion server to the list.

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8. Click the and buttons to save, and unclaim the file.

9. The Vault Server should have access to the Aras Innovator Server and Database Server – The
vault server must know the location of the InnovatorServer.aspx. Here is how to configure it:
a. Open the file vault.config. This file should be in the root of the installed directory for the
Vault server, for example:
C:\Program Files\Aras\Innovator\vault.config
b. Change the key InnovatorServerUrl to point to the InnovatorServer.aspx. So,
<add key="InnovatorServerUrl"
value="$[HTTP_PREFIX_SERVER]$[HTTP_HOST_SERVER]$[HTTP_PORT_SERVER]$[
HTTP_PATH_SERVER]/Server/innovatorserver.aspx" />
becomes:
<add key="InnovatorServerUrl"
value="http://<servername>/<web_alias>/Server/innovatorserver.aspx"
/>

5.9 Installing Separate OAuth Server

The Aras OAuth server is an authorization server designed to handle the OAuth 2.0 protocol. You can
install the Aras OAuth server on a different server than the Aras Innovator server which is suitable for a
cluster environment.
Use the following procedure to install the OAuth server separately and then configure other Aras servers
to use it:
1. Select the OAuth Server feature and click Next.

Figure 31.

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The following screen appears.

Figure 32.
2. Specify the OAuth Server name, the password for the OAuth certificates and the Application
Server URL.
• OAuth Server Name: enter a name of an Aras OAuth Server instance that you want to
install. It should be the name of the application installed in IIS.
• Password for OAuth Certificates: enter a password to protect the certificate private keys.
The password can only contain alphanumeric symbols (a-z, A-Z, 0-9) and any of the
standard printable ASCII characters (:_#$%&<> and others). The password cannot contain
spaces.
• Application Server URL: since OAuth Server is not a standalone application and is useful
only along with the Aras Innovator Server, this field allows you to specify the Application
Server URL for the instance of Aras Innovator you are going to use with this OAuth Server.
The Application Server URL is of the following format:
http://<servername>/<web_alias>/Server/InnovatorServer.aspx
Where:
o <servername> is the name of the server where the Innovator Server is running. For
example, if running on the local machine, this is localhost
o <web_alias> is the name of the Aras Innovator Server Virtual Directory. This is the
same Web Alias as specified in the section 3.3.8 Server Web Alias Setup.
3. Complete the installation.

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Once you have installed the OAuth Server, you will need to complete the installation of the other
Application servers and specify the required information for connecting to the OAuth Server.
Install the Aras Agent Service or the Aras Innovator Server and configure them on a separately installed
instance of the Aras OAuth server:
1. You should deselect the OAuth Server feature and press Next.

Figure 33.
The following screen appears.

Figure 34.

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2. Enter the following information:

• External OAuth Server URL: URL used by other OAuth components to access the
previously installed Aras OAuth server. The URL has the following format:
http://<servername>/<oauth_server_name>
where:
o <servername> is the name of the server where the OAuth server is running. The
name of the server should be accessible from the external host, so “localhost” and
other loopback addresses are not appropriate for servername.
o <oauth_server_name> is the name of the Aras OAuth Server Virtual Directory.
This is the same OAuth Server Name that you specified in the previous screen.
• Password for OAuth Certificates: enter the password to access private certificates (.pfx)
from the Local Path for Certificates folder.
• Local Path for Certificates Folder: the full local path to the OAuth Certificate folder or to a
copy of this folder where OAuth certificates were generated during the separate installation
of the OAuth Server. The certificate folder must contain all the necessary certificates before
this installation.
3. You may check Configure OAuth components later manually and continue with the
installation. This will require changing the OAuth.config files and deploying certificates manually.

5.10 Configuring Alternate Vault Installations

When using the custom install option certain files must be configured to allow Aras Innovator components
to work together.
1. Run a custom installation to set up the new vault, which in this example, we call New.
The Database must point to the designated vault location. To set up the vault:
a. Log in as administrator.
b. Select Administration>File Handling>Vaults from the TOC. The Vaults menu appears.

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c. Click Create New Vault. The following dialog appears:

Figure 35.
d. Enter the following information in the appropriate fields:
• Name: New (The name of the vault server we are configuring)
• Vault Url Pattern: this is the IIS path to the VaultServer.aspx. Because this is not the
default vault the URL should be hard coded:
o http://<servername>/<web_alias>/vault/VaultServer.aspx
o When a vault is installed stand-alone, the default web alias is:
http://<servername>/vault/VaultServer.aspx
• Vault Url: Leave blank. It gets filled automatically when you save the new vault.
e. Click the Save, unclaim, and close button.
2. The Vault Server should have access to the Aras Innovator Server and Database Server,
meaning that the vault server must know the location of the InnovatorServer.aspx. Use the
following procedure to configure it:
a. Open the file vault.config. This file should be located in the root of the installed directory for
the Vault server, for example:
C:\Program Files\Aras\Innovator\VaultServer\vault.config
b. Change the key InnovatorServerUrl to point to the InnovatorServer.aspx. So,
<add key="InnovatorServerUrl"
value="$[HTTP_PREFIX_SERVER]$[HTTP_HOST_SERVER]$[HTTP_PORT_SERVER]$[
HTTP_PATH_SERVER]/Server/innovatorserver.aspx" />
becomes:
<add key="InnovatorServerUrl"
value="http://<servername>/<web_alias>/Server/innovatorserver.aspx"
/>

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c. Change the vault name in the file, to the name of the server we are using, in this case New.
<add key="VaultServerName" value="default" />
becomes:
<add key="VaultServerName" value="new" />

5.11 Installing Separate Conversion Servers

This tier of the installation is disabled by default. It is necessary to install the Agent Service if you plan to
use Vault Replication or the Conversion Server. For more information about the Agent Service, refer to
the Agent Service Guide.
Conversion Servers are used to convert specific File Types into another file format. For example, the
Aras CAD to PDF Converter converts CAD drawing files into its PDF files for use as viewable files on the
CAD Document ItemType.
In a typical Aras Installation, the Conversion Server is recommended to be installed on a separate server.
Installing a Conversion Server on the server that has Aras Innovator installed causes a significant
performance impact.
Refer to the Aras Innovator – Conversion Server Setup Guide for information on installing and configuring a
Conversion Server. This document can be found in the Documentation folder of the CD Image.

5.11.1 Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributable Package

You must install The Microsoft Visual C++ 2015, 2017, and 2019 Redistributable Packages on the
Conversion Server. The links to these downloads can be found at Microsoft’s latest supported Visual
C++:

• Microsoft Visual C++ 2015, 2017, and 2019 Redistributable Packages (x64)
• https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/2977003/the-latest-supported-visual-c-
downloads

5.12 Installing the Agent Service

This tier of the installation is disabled by default. It is necessary to install the Agent Service if you plan to
use either Vault Replication or the Conversion Server.
The Agent Service is a Windows Service designed to handle other add-on services such as Conversion
Server and Vault Replication. It works by actively listening to http/https requests from Aras Innovator
Server on a dedicated port.
The Aras Agent Service may be installed on a different server than the Aras Innovator Server. If installing
on the same machine as Aras Innovator, you should run the ChangeGUID.exe file on the Installer as
described in section 9.2 to avoid conflicts in current Aras Innovator installation. The Agent Service
application should be installed to a separate physical directory.

Note: The following instructions assume that the Agent Service is being installed on the same machine
as Aras Innovator Server.

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1. When prompted for the installation directory, click Change and select a new directory, for
example: C:\ProgramFiles (x86)\Aras\AgentService\

Figure 36.
2. When selecting setup, choose Custom and then select only the Agent Service to install.

Figure 37.
3. Specify the host name, port number as follows: <ServerName>:<PortNumber>.

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4. The Agent Service alias is a unique identifier for the Windows service name. The Full name is
ArasInnovatorAgent_<alias>. The displayed name is Aras Innovator Agent
(<alias>).

Figure 38.

Note: The Agent Service can only be installed on a free port.

5. Specify the connection URL for the Aras Innovator Server as follows:
<Protocol>://<ServerName>/<WebAlias>/Server/InnovatorServer.aspx

Figure 39.

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a) Application Server URL: since the Agent Service is not a standalone application and is useful
only along with the Aras Innovator Server, this field allows you to specify the Application Server
URL for the instance of Aras Innovator you are going to use with this Agent Service. The
Application Server URL is of the following format:
http://<servername>/<web_alias>/Server/InnovatorServer.aspx
where:
▪ <servername> is the name of the server where the Aras Innovator Server is
running. For example, if it is running on the local machine, the server is localhost
▪ <web_alias> is the name of the Aras Innovator Server Virtual Directory and
consequently the name that is used to access the Aras Innovator Server. This is the
same Web Alias that you specified earlier in section 3.3.8 Server Web Alias Setup.
A best practice for a standard install is:
http://localhost/$[HTTP_PATH_SERVER]/Server/innovatorserver.aspx
6. Copy the Agent Service Tag generated by the installer and save it to be added to the
InnovatorServerConfig.xml in the root directory of the main Aras Innovator installation.

Figure 40.

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7. Configure OAuth Certificates.

Figure 41.
o Password for OAuth Certificates: Enter the password to protect the private keys of
certificates. The password can only contain alphanumerical symbols (a-z, A-Z, 0-9) and
any of the standard printable ASCII characters (:_#$%&<> and others). The password
cannot contain spaces.
o Local Path for Certificates Folder: the full local path to the OAuth Certificate folder or to
a copy of this folder where OAuth certificates were generated during the separate
installation of the OAuth Server. The certificate folder should contain all the necessary
certificates.
You may check Configure OAuth components later manually and continue with the
installation. This will require changing the OAuth.config files and deploying certificates
manually.
8. Click Next.

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9. Click Install to complete the installation.

Figure 42.
10. After the Agent Service is installed, go to the Aras Innovator Server installation and add Agent
Service tag, as copied from step 6 the into the InnovatorServerConfig.xml to specify the
location of the Agent Service:
<AgentService InnovatorToServiceAddress="http://localhost:8734/" />

5.12.1 Installing the Agent Service as https

To use the Agent Service as an https service, you must configure the SSL certificate to be bound to an
HTTPS endpoint in the default Kestrel configuration section. The "Certificate" subsection in the
Kestrel HTTPS Endpoints configuration section is used for the certificate configuration from the file or
from the certificate store.

Note: Refer to the following link for additional info:

https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/aspnet/core/fundamentals/servers/kestrel?view=aspnetcore-
3.1#listenoptionsusehttps

5.12.1.1 Using the certificate from the file

To use the certificate from the file it is necessary to specify the path to the certificate file and the
certificate password in the "Certificate" subsection:
"Kestrel": {
"Endpoints": {
"HTTPS": {
"Url": "https://0.0.0.0:8735/",
"Certificate": {
"Path": "SSLCertificate.pfx",
"Password": "password"
}

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}
}
}
• Path: a path to a file with a private SSL certificate generated for the current machine.
• Password: a password for the private SSL certificate.

Note: Passwords for certificates should be encrypted to increase security. Agent service configuration
supports passwords encrypted using the public RsaCrypt.exe tool that can be found on the CD
Image.

5.12.1.2 Using RSACrypt

The RSACrypt utility enables the encryption and decryption of different text values including XML
configuration files.
Usage:
RsaCrypt.exe [-c {key container name}] [-m] [-d] [-w] [-t {content}] file x-
path x-path x-path...
where:
• []: they are used for optional arguments
• -c (key container name): a Key container name used in keys storage.
• -m: it uses machine key storage.
• -d: it decrypts values using the x-path in an xml file.
• -nw: the utility will finish without the additional confirmation of pressing the Enter key (press
<Enter> to exit).
• -t {content}: it provides the content for encryption or decryption. Required parameters are
ignored.
• file: the full path to an xml file.
• x-path: an x-path used to decrypt or encrypt xml-file values.

5.12.1.3 Using the certificate from the certificate store

To use the certificate from the certificate store it is necessary to import .pfx certificate in the store and
configure the Certificate subsection as in the following example:
"Kestrel": {
"Endpoints": {
"HTTPS": {
"Url": "https://0.0.0.0:8735/",
"Certificate": {
"Subject": "subject",
"Store": "TrustedPublisher",
"Location": "LocalMachine",
"AllowInvalid": false
}
}
}
}

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• Subject: The subject name for the certificate to load. Parameter is required.
• Store: The certificate store to load the certificate from. Parameter is required.
• Location: The store location to load the certificate from. Default is CurrentUser.
• AllowInvalid: Indicates if invalid certificates should be considered, such as self-signed certificates.
Default is false.

5.13 Restarting the IIS Server After Configuration

It is recommended that you restart IIS (World Wide Web Publishing service) after any change to the
InnovatorServerConfig.xml file to ensure the changes are enforced on client PC machines.
To Restart IIS:
1. From the Start menu select Start --> Settings--> Control Panel --> Administrative Tools -->
Services.
2. Select the World Wide Web Publishing service.
3. Select Action --> Restart from the main menu.

5.14 Send Emails with Microsoft Graph API

If you would like to set up sending emails via Microsoft Graph API instead of Smtp Server, you can do it
by modifying InnovatorServerConfig.xml file.

Note: For more information related to Microsoft Graph API please refer to the link:
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/graph/use-the-api

Modify InnovatorServerConfig.xml:
Locate the Mail node and set value of the deliveryMethod attribute to MicrosoftGraphApi. For the
clientId, clientSecret and tenantId put the values of your application taken from the Azure Portal
<Mail deliveryMethod="MicrosoftGraphApi" clientId="..." tenantId="..."
clientSecret="..."/>

Note: There should be the only one Mail node in InnovatorServerConfig.xml, if there are more,
Innovator Server will consider the first one it finds

Warning Your application should have Mail.Send application permission configured. For more details,
please refer to the link: https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/graph/auth-v2-service

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6 Feature License
Some of the additional features and add-ons require a Feature License to run. For example, to run the
Batch Loader or perform Vault Replication, you need a Feature License associated with an Aras Support
Subscription.
The following standard features require a Feature License:
• Vault Replication
• Additional authentication mechanisms (Windows authentication, OpenId Connect etc.)
• Batch Loader
• Aras CAD to PDF Converter
Other Add-Ons can also require a Feature License, for instance:
• Aras Requirement Management Solution
• Aras Office Connector
• Aras EPDM Connector
To check what Feature Licenses, exist in Aras Innovator:
1. Log into Aras Innovator as an administrator.
2. From the TOC, select Administration\Feature Licenses.
3. If a feature license is found, check the expiration date to confirm that the license is still active.

6.1 Requesting a Feature License

In order to request a feature license, customers with an active Aras subscription can send an email to
[email protected] or to your account representative in the following format:
• Subject: <Feature Name> activation key required
• Body: Version of Innovator
You receive a reply containing the Feature License activation key.

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6.2 Installing the License

Once you have the activation key, install the feature license as follows:
1. Log into Aras Innovator as an administrator.
2. Click the User Menu button in the top right corner. The following dropdown menu appears:

Figure 43.
3. Select Activate Feature. The following dialog box appears:

Figure 44.
4. Paste the acquired activation key and click Activate Feature.
A success message like the one shown here should pop up.

Figure 45.

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7 Troubleshooting

7.1 HTTP Error 500.21 – Internal Server Error on Login

When attempting to login into Aras Innovator, you may get a standard Internal Server Error.

Figure 46.
The most common cause is that Microsoft .NET 4.7.2 is installed prior to IIS being enabled. Such a
configuration results in the ASP.NET components for .NET 4.7.2 not being installed.
To resolve this issue, you need to install the ASP.NET components by running the following through the
command prompt:
%windir%\Microsoft.NET\Framework\v4.7.2.0.30319\aspnet_regiis.exe –iru

7.2 HTTP 401 – Unauthorized Error after Successful Login

If after you have successfully logged into Aras Innovator, you receive a modal dialog that pops up with the
text Server Error in ‘InnovatorServer/NotificationServer’ Application…The remote server returned
an error: (401) Unauthorized there is most likely a missing component to your Internet Information
Services (IIS) installation on your server.

Figure 47.

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The previous modal dialog is subsequently followed by the error shown in Figure 48.

Figure 48.
To resolve this error, you need to install the Windows Authentication Role Service to into IIS by using the
following steps:
1. Open Control Panel --> Administrative Tools --> Server Manager.
2. Right click on Web Server (IIS) under the Roles on the TOC and select Add Role services.
3. Install the Windows Authentication role service located under Security.

Figure 49.
After you have installed the new Role Service for IIS you may need to uninstall Aras Innovator and install
again.

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7.3 HTTP Error 404.0 - Not Found

When you log in to Aras Innovator and open any Item (for example, the English language Item) while
attempting to open a tear off window, the error shown in Figure 50 is returned:

Figure 50.
The cause of the error is an inability of IIS to handle the extensionless URLs.

7.4 Main Grid not Painting Columns or Headers

After you login into Aras Innovator Server the main grid would never paint columns or headers, however
pages such as InBasket or relationshipTabs could work.
Attempt to open the browser and you might see the following message: XML Exception: Incorrect
comments tag
This is a client-side problem and the root cause of it is that the wrong version of the XML parser is used
(this could for example be caused by installing Visual Studio v6 with SP6, that changes the XML parser
used by Innovator).
The solution for this is to un-install and then to re-install the XML parser.

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7.5 Cookie Error Loading Login Screen

When installing Aras Innovator to a machine that contains an underscore in the server name or host
name, you may receive an error telling you cookies are disabled for your browser. This error is due a
security patch released by Microsoft (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/316112/en-us) that blocks cookies
when the host name does not contain only alphanumeric characters.

Figure 51.
To resolve the issue, it will be necessary to ensure the host name contains only alphanumeric characters.

7.6 HTTP Error 500.0 - Internal Server Error. Module

"AspNetCoreModuleV2" could not be found
When attempting to log in to Aras Innovator, you may get the standard Internal Server Error shown in
Figure 52.

Figure 52.
The most common cause is that ASP.NET Core IIS runtime support is not installed. To resolve this issue,
you need to install the Hosting Bundle (Microsoft ASP.NET Core Module v2).

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7.7 The page isn't redirecting properly

When attempting to open the root Aras Innovator page, you may get the error shown in Figure 53.

Figure 53.
To resolve this issue, you need to install the HTTP Redirect IIS module:
Enable-WindowsOptionalFeature -Online -FeatureName IIS-HttpRedirect

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8 Database Users Configuration

Aras Innovator provides the option to create, populate existing, or configure existing databases in MS
SQL Server. To allow continued upgrading of Aras Innovator certain guidelines should be followed
regarding the MS SQL Server users and logins used to access the Aras Innovator database.
• The “innovator” user must have access to the database.
This user is created as part of a standard installation when using the create option.
This must be configured manually when an installation uses the populate or configure options.
• The ‘innovator’ user must have database owner privileges.
This privilege is created as part of a standard installation when using the create option.
This must be configured manually when an installation uses populate or configure options.
• The “innovator_regular” user must have access to the database.
This user is created as part of a standard installation when using the create option.
This must be configured manually when an installation uses the populate or configure options.
Innovator_regulator database users should NOT have database owner privileges.
• The non-system database objects should be owned by the ‘innovator’ database user.
Non-system objects are those not created by MS SQL in initial creation of the database in MS SQL
All installed objects are created with this owner.
All objects created by the Innovator Server are created with this owner.
• Logins used by the ‘innovator’ and ‘innovator_regular’ database users should not be the same as the
MS SQL Server System Administrator (SA) login.
The ‘innovator’ and ‘innovator_regular’ database user logins should not match the ‘SA’ login
The ‘innovator’ and ‘innovator_regular’ database user logins should not match any other MS SQL
Server Administrator login used in addition to the ‘SA’ login.

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9 Running Installer Multiple Times

9.1 Complete Install the First Time

Aras Innovator is designed to be installed, either as a whole or in components, to the same server
multiple times. This means that every time the installer is run, it is treated as a new installation. Make sure
you do not delete the installer from your hard drive when you are done with an installation. You must
reuse the same installer to run the installation the next time.

9.2 Modify, Repair, or Remove

Figure 54.
If you see this screen the installation is not being treated as a new installation. This usually indicates that
you are trying to install the same version of Aras Innovator that was previously installed. You should use
the copy of the installer that was run to install the existing version of Aras Innovator. If this copy of
InnovatorSetup.msi is not available, use the following steps to enable the installer to run as new:
1. Download the installer to your hard drive.
2. Locate the ChangeGUID.exe file. You can find this file in the Tools folder under the root directory of
the existing Aras Innovator installation instance. You can also find it in the Utilities folder of the Aras
Innovator CD Image.
3. Open a command prompt.

Note: ChangeGUID fails to run unless the command prompt is run as an administrator.

4. Change the directory to where the ChangeGUID.exe file is located

• Use ‘C:\’ as my example.
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5. Execute the file while specifying the full path to the installer
• ChangeGUID <path>\InnovatorSetup.msi
Where <path> is the directory path to where the InnovatorSetup.msi is located.

Figure 55.

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10 Uninstalling Aras Innovator Server

10.1 Locating the Uninstaller

1. From the Start Menu, go to the Control Panel.
2. Select Programs and Features.
3. From the list, select Aras Innovator.

Note: If more there is more than one installation, make sure you are in the details view.

a. Right click the details grid and select more… and make sure Comments and Version are
checked off.

Figure 56.
b. Under the Comments and Version section dialogue should tell you the install path and the
version of Aras Innovator respectively (boxed in red above).
4. Click Uninstall to begin the uninstallation process.

10.2 Uninstalling
When the Uninstaller starts, the following screen appears.

Figure 57.

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1. Click Remove to proceed with the uninstallation process.

2. Click Cancel to exit the Uninstaller.
The status of the Uninstallation process appears on the screen.

Figure 58.
3. Click Cancel to exit the Uninstaller.
When Uninstallation is complete, Aras Innovator is fully removed from your machine.

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