Parent page: Altium Concord Pro
Installation of any software application should be straightforward, intuitive and, perhaps above all, fast. Furthermore, when you have that software installed, you want to be able to update it as and when you deem necessary, and in a streamlined fashion.
Altium Concord Pro is installed through use of an efficient, intuitive installer - an installer that not only expedites the initial installation process, but lets you update with ease to a later version, at any time in the future. In addition, tools are available to monitor the health of your server, and to back-up and restore your valuable design data.
Initial Install
Related page: Installing Altium Concord Pro
Installation of Altium Concord Pro is performed using the Altium Concord Pro Setup wizard. This is accessed by running an executable - Altium Concord Pro <VersionNumber>.exe . This executable is downloaded from the Downloads page of the Altium website, and can be saved anywhere on your hard disk.
Due to the observed unpredictable behavior of antivirus software, it is recommended to disable such software during the installation of Altium Concord Pro.
Each version of Altium Concord Pro has its own dedicated installer.
Streamlined installation, courtesy of the Altium Concord Pro Setup wizard.
Licensing Altium Concord Pro
Related page: Altium Concord Pro Licensing
Licensing for Altium Concord Pro essentially consists of the following two components, that together comprise a two-tiered licensing system:
- Server License - this license makes the features and services of the Altium Concord Pro installation available to the organization.
- Client Access License - this license enables users within an organization to access, and sign-in to that organization's Altium Concord Pro installation.
Licensing for Altium Concord Pro can be handled through the cloud, or locally through license files (*.alf). Licensing is managed by an administrator of your Concord Pro instance, on the Licenses page of Concord Pro's browser interface.
A single licensing pair is available - Altium Concord Pro and Altium Concord Pro CAL.
Getting your Altium Concord Pro installation licensed is a breeze, thanks to self-serve licensing from those licenses available to you through your account.
Both Server and Client Access Licenses are timed licenses, lasting 12 months. Subscription must be renewed on an annual basis in order to provide continued access to Altium Concord Pro for the users in an organization, as well as to access new features and functionality developed by Altium as part of Altium Concord Pro. If this annual subscription renewal lapses, a single Server and CAL license will be provided to access your data for backup and configuration purposes.
If you have previous server-based licensing, you will need to update to Altium Concord Pro licenses in order for Altium Designer to connect to the Concord Pro server.
Updating to a Later Version
When you want to upgrade to a later version of Altium Concord Pro, the Altium Concord Pro Setup Wizard can handle this automatically for you. Run the installer for the later version. The older version will be detected, and you will be asked if you wish to upgrade to the later version - click Yes. As part of the installation process, the Installer will make a backup of the current server data, using the Backup & Restore tool. The default backup folder is \ProgramData\Altium\ConcordProData, but can be changed as required. The backup data is stored in a file with the format _Altium Concord Pro<Version>_backup.zip.
While the Altium Concord Pro installer includes automated backup of your existing installation, it is always a good idea to make a pre-update backup of your data yourself – taking a redundancy copy off to one side as it were. This provides additional safety, should any unforeseen technical difficulties arise (see Backing up and Restoring Your Installation). It is advised to test out a new release of Altium Concord Pro on a different machine, before updating your production instance. Use of Virtual Machines can be invaluable in this respect.
In addition, please ensure that you refresh your Concord Pro licensing. From the Admin - Licenses page of Concord Pro's browser interface, delete the existing licenses (Altium Concord Pro and Altium Concord Pro CAL) and then add fresh instances back in. This will ensure you have the latest licensing, incorporating any licensing-related feature changes.
When updating to a later version of the server, a backup of your data will be made, before the old server is removed,
and the new one installed.
Updating from an Altium NEXUS Server to Altium Concord Pro
As a standalone product, Altium NEXUS Server (and specifically version 1.1.4) was the last release with new capabilities. The good news is that you can upgrade your legacy Altium NEXUS Server to Altium Concord Pro.
Switching over from your existing Altium NEXUS Server, to Altium Concord Pro is simply a case of upgrading, by running the Altium Concord Pro installer - just as you would have updated your NEXUS Server in the past. The existing Altium NEXUS Server will be detected, and you will be asked if you wish to upgrade to Altium Concord Pro - click Yes. As part of the installation process, the Installer will make a backup of the existing server data, using the Backup & Restore tool. The default backup folder is \ProgramData\Altium\NexusServerData, but can be changed as required. The backup data is stored in a file with the format _NexusServer<Version>_backup.zip.
Updating from an Altium Vault to Altium Concord Pro
As a standalone product, Altium Vault (and specifically version 3.0) was the last release with new capabilities. The good news is that you can upgrade your legacy Altium Vault to Altium Concord Pro.
Switching over from your existing Altium Vault, to Altium Concord Pro is simply a case of upgrading, by running the Altium Concord Pro installer - just as you would have updated your Vault in the past. The existing Altium Vault will be detected, and you will be asked if you wish to upgrade to Altium Concord Pro - click Yes. As part of the installation process, the Installer will make a backup of the existing vault data, using the Backup & Restore tool. The default backup folder is \ProgramData\Altium\VaultServerData, but can be changed as required. The backup data is stored in a file with the format _VaultServer<Version>_backup.zip.
Upgrading to Altium Concord Pro requires that the existing Firebird database PAGE_SIZE be 16kb. Depending on the version of Altium Vault you currently have installed, this may well be 4kb. The installer will handle this page size update automatically for you, where needed.
Uninstalling
Uninstalling Altium Concord Pro is performed from the standard Programs and Features page (accessed from the Control panel in Windows). Right-click on the entry for Altium Concord Pro <VersionNumber> and use the Uninstall command from the context menu. A couple of dialogs will appear, in turn, asking:
- If you want to completely remove the server - click Yes.
- If you want to delete all your data - click Yes. If you wanted to keep your data, for example you are manually updating to a later version of the server, click No.
- You will be asked to confirm this a second time - click Yes or No accordingly.
A final confirmation dialog will appear once the uninstall is complete.
For the 'cleanest uninstall' it is a good idea to also uninstall the installation of your Firebird database software.
