Parent page: Altium NEXUS Server
Interaction with the NEXUS Server can be made from various areas, but there are two main places:
From a purely component management perspective, much of the day-to-day interaction with the NEXUS Server will be performed from within Altium NEXUS, through the
Components panel.
This page takes a look at accessing your NEXUS Server instance from within Altium NEXUS.
Signing in to the NEXUS Server - First Time
Sign in to your NEXUS Server instance from within Altium NEXUS by clicking the Current User control, at the top-right of the main application window (e.g. 
). This will be the user that is currently signed into AltiumLive through this instance of Altium NEXUS. In the subsequent menu choose the Custom command, in the CONNECT TO grouping. The Sign in dialog will appear, with which to sign in to the target server. Enter the URL for the server, and your server access credentials, then click the 
button.
It can be a good idea to enable the Sign in automatically option, so that the entered URL and access credentials are stored, and you don't have to repeatedly enter them to access the server when starting Altium NEXUS.
Signing in to your NEXUS Server instance from within Altium NEXUS.
Connection when Opening or Creating a Project
You can also connect to your NEXUS Server instance from the Open Project and Create Project dialogs, when wanting to open an existing managed project, or create a new managed project, respectively. In either case, select the 
entry in the Locations region of the dialog, then click the 
button on the right-hand side, to access the Sign in dialog.
Connect to your NEXUS Server instance through the Open Project and Create Project dialogs.
You will be connected to the NEXUS Server, with the dialog updated to present the server's name in the Locations region. For the Open Project dialog, the main area will populate with managed projects currently in the server, and that are shared with you. The Create Project dialog will present the controls and options for defining a new managed project within the server.
Once connected, the location will update with the name of the NEXUS Server instance, and the relevant dialog content presented.
The server's URL (Server Address) will be in the format http://<ComputerName>:<PortNumber> (e.g. http://impala:9780 for a server installed using the default port assignment). If the server is being accessed from an instance of Altium NEXUS that is running on the same computer on which the server is installed, you may also use http://localhost:9780. If you want to sign in using your Windows login credentials - taking advantage of the server's support for Windows Authentication - enable the Use Windows Session credentials option.
The Altium NEXUS Server relies on a number of Microsoft runtime components for successful operation and access, in some situations these may not be present on the target machine. If you receive an error message about a missing library (DLL) when you attempt to sign into an Altium NEXUS Server, it indicates that there are missing Microsoft runtime components.
Use this link to download and install these missing components: http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/confirmation.aspx?id=29
Connecting to the NEXUS Server - When Already Known
If you have previously connected to your NEXUS Server instance from within the same instance of Altium NEXUS, it will become a Known Server. If this is the case, you can sign in to that server from within Altium NEXUS in a more streamlined fashion.
Click the Current User control, at the top-right of the main application window (e.g. ). This will be the user that is currently signed into AltiumLive through this instance of Altium NEXUS. In the subsequent menu choose the entry for your server, in the CONNECT TO grouping. If you enabled the Sign in automatically option when accessing that server previously, you will be signed in straight away. If this option was not enabled, the Sign in dialog will appear, with which to sign in to the server. Enter the URL for the server, and your server access credentials, then click the button.
Signing in to your NEXUS Server instance from within Altium
NEXUS, when that server is already known.
Note that when the Sign in automatically option is enabled, you will be signed in to the server as the user that last signed in through the Sign in dialog. If you need to sign in as a different user, you can simply use the Custom command in the menu.
You can also access your 'known' server from the
Open Project and
Create Project dialogs, when wanting to open an existing managed project, or create a new managed project, respectively. In either case, select the
entry in the
Locations region of the dialog, then click the button relevant to that server on the right-hand side. Again, if you need to sign in as a different user, you can simply click the
button to access the
Sign in dialog.
Checking Sign-in Status
You can check whether you are currently signed in to your NEXUS Server instance from the following places:
- The menu associated to the Current User control, at the top-right of the main application window. When actively signed into the NEXUS Server, a CONNECTED TO section will be presented on the menu, showing the name of that instance and its URL. Clicking the entry provides access to browse the content of that server through the Explorer panel.
Verification of being signed in to your NEXUS Server instance.
The Current User control itself reflects the user that is currently signed in to the active NEXUS Server instance (e.g.
).
You can only be actively connected to one managed content server through the software at a time. If you have previously connected to other servers from that instance of Altium NEXUS, they will be listed as Known Servers. While actively signed in to one server, you could also be connected to another (it will not be the active server).
Once signed in to your NEXUS Server instance, it will become the Active Server, as can be seen here.
- The Explorer panel. When signed in, the server will be available from the menu associated with clicking on the name of the server currently being browsed.
Note that all connected servers will be listed, but only one will be active - the one that you are currently signed in to - and is distinguished by the
icon.
Browsing the Active Server through the Explorer panel in
Altium NEXUS.
Switching Servers
If you have previously connected to different managed content servers from within the same instance of Altium NEXUS, those servers will be Known Servers. In this case, you can quickly switch between servers.
Click the Current User control, at the top-right of the main application window (e.g. ). This will reflect the user that is currently signed in to the active server. In the subsequent menu choose the entry for the server you wish to switch to, in the SWITCH TO grouping. If you enabled the Sign in automatically option when accessing that server previously, you will be signed in straight away. If this option was not enabled, the Sign in dialog will appear, with which to sign in to the server. Enter the URL for the server, and your server access credentials, then click the button.
When other servers are already known to the same instance of
Altium NEXUS, you can quickly switch between them.
Note that when the Sign in automatically option is enabled, you will be signed in to the server as the user that last signed in through the Sign in dialog. If you need to sign in as a different user, you can simply use the Custom command in the menu.
Managing Your Servers
Management of the connections to servers is performed from the Data Management - Servers page of the Preferences dialog. The Servers region of the page is broken down into two areas:
- Active - presenting the active server to which you are currently connected AND signed in.
- Known Servers - lists all servers that you are connected to (or have connected to in the past) from that instance of Altium NEXUS.
Server management is performed through your software preferences.
Typically, you would access one server for your organization. You can however connect to other servers, for example if your organization does have multiple Altium NEXUS Server instances, or if you still had some legacy server technology (e.g. Altium Vault, Altium Personal Vault). Only one server can be active at any given time. To make another server active, you would need to sign out from one, and sign in to the other, or switch to the other server (when it is already a known server).
For an Altium Personal Vault, you are connecting, not signing in - so the Altium NEXUS GUI will not show you as being signed in to any server after successful connection to such a vault.
In addition, you can connect to the Altium Content Vault - Altium's very own cloud-based managed content server, offering design collateral (including board templates, vendor-specific families of components, as well as generic components including capacitors and resistors). You can even setup the software to automatically connect to this server by enabling the Automatically connect Altium Content Vault option (at the bottom of the Known Servers list).
Connecting to Legacy Server Technology
From Altium NEXUS, you can still sign in to a legacy Altium Vault (Vault 2.0 to 3.0), or connect to a legacy Altium Personal Vault:
- Altium Vault - sign out of your active server, then use the Sign in dialog (click Custom entry in the menu associated to the Current User control) to sign in to the Altium Vault. Alternatively, if it is a known server for your instance of Altium NEXUS, use the available entry in the menu associated to the Current User control to either connect to, or switch to that server.
- Altium Personal Vault - sign out of your active server, then use the Sign in dialog (click Custom entry in the menu associated to the Current User control) to connect to the Personal Vault. Remember that for a Personal Vault, you are connecting, not signing in - so the Altium NEXUS GUI will not show you as being signed in to any server after successful connection to such a vault. You can then sign back in to the server that was active previously, while continuing to enjoy connection to your Personal Vault.
If you have a previous flavor of Vault running on the same PC, ensure that the communication ports are unique. The server integral to the Altium NEXUS solution uses the default port 9780 (same as for its Altium Vault predecessor), while an Altium Personal Vault uses the default port 9680.
While legacy vault technologies can still be connected to, and used, there is no further development to these types of vault. You will therefore not enjoy the current enhancements found in, and future improvements gained by, using the server that is integral to the Altium NEXUS solution.
Server Properties
Click the Properties control associated with a server to access commands for various aspects of server management. The following is the full list of commands, when accessed for the active server:
- Server - use this command to access the server's browser interface in your default Web Browser.
- Lifecycles - use this command to access the Edit Lifecycle Definitions dialog, with which to manage the defined lifecycles for the server.
- Naming Schemas - use this command to access the Edit Revision Naming Schemes dialog, with which to manage the defined revision naming schemes for the server.
- Operations - use this command to access the Edit Operation Permissions dialog, with which to define and manage global operation permissions for the server.
- Connection - use this command to access the Connection Properties dialog, with which to configure your connection to the server.
Properties cannot be changed for the Altium Content Vault, nor for a legacy Personal Vault. For another Altium NEXUS Server instance (or legacy Altium Vault) to which you have a connection (connected or disconnected), you will only have access to the Server and Connection commands.
Signing into a Server from Different Computers
Support is provided for signing into your NEXUS Server instance using the same credentials, but from different computers (other than the computer on which the server is installed). If you attempt to sign in to a server that you are already signed into from another computer - either through Altium NEXUS, or the server's browser-based interface - a pop-up dialog will alert you to this. You can choose from two options offered in the dialog:
- Terminate existing session - close the existing session that you have on the other computer, and continue to login to the server from the current computer.
- Start new session - login to the server from the current computer by using an additional connection license, and thereby keep logged into the server from the other computer as well.
The same user can be accessing the NEXUS Server concurrently in different ways (e.g. connected through Altium NEXUS AND signed-in through an external Web Browser) and it only counts as a single connection from the licensing perspective, when access is made from the same PC. If the same user accesses that instance of the NEXUS Server from different PCs, each different PC access will require a separate connection (so extra seat of a Client Access License). You will therefore only be able to login from the current computer as well, provided you have enough server Connector licenses (CAL) remaining.
Signing Out from Your Server
You can sign out from your NEXUS Server instance from within Altium NEXUS, in the following ways:
- By clicking the Current User control, at the top-right of the main application window (e.g. ), then clicking the sign out control (
) at the top-right of the CONNECTED TO section of the associated menu.
Your access to the server will also be terminated when you exit Altium NEXUS. In addition, and for an Administrator of your server, there is the provision to kill a session from the Users - Sessions page of the NEXUS Server's browser interface. This can be used to terminate an existing session, and thereby free up a connection to that server.
Working in the Server
Related page: Working with the Explorer Panel - Feature How-Tos
Once you are signed-in to your NEXUS Server instance, you can access and create content. The primary interface to the server from Altium NEXUS is the Explorer panel.
From a purely component management perspective, much of the day-to-day interaction with your NEXUS Server instance will be performed from within Altium NEXUS, through the
Components panel.
When you are working in Altium NEXUS, you access full server content through the Explorer panel. For component management only, you'll tend to use the Components panel.
To display the Explorer panel:
- Click the
button at the bottom-right of Altium NEXUS, and select Explorer from the menu that appears.
- Click the Current User control, at the top-right of the main application window (e.g. ), then click on the entry for the active server in the CONNECTED TO section of the associated menu.
- Choose View » Panels » Explorer from the main menus.
